Last week, Matt Cutts, the head of the Web spam team at Google, delivered a talk in a video on this very topic.  And rather than try to re-create what he discussed, I believe it worthwhile to embed his video here for you to see:

So, you ask, “how is this helpful to me?”  Let’s turn that around with a few questions:

1. How well-structured is your site to be crawled by Googlebot (Google’s search engine crawler)?
2. Are you including key information about your site within your meta data?
3. Do you have a backlinking strategy?  If so, are you actively managing it?

The answers to these basic questions help us quickly assess whether or not your site is ready to talk to the search engines, which is the foundation of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  If you’re having trouble providing clear answers to these questions, then your site may not be reaching as many people as it could.  And that’s where your Web site is hampering the growth of your business.

All is Not Lost!
If your site is a little behind the curve in being able to be properly indexed by the search engines I don’t want you to leave feeling that your site (and your business) are forever doomed to failure.  There are some basic tactical elements that can be undertaken to begin to turn the situation around.  At Dijital Farm, we are more than happy to discuss your site and search engine visibility issues with you and help you develop a plan to turn the situation around.  Contact us to find out how you can get started today!  We’d love to help you grow your digital footprint and truly put your Web site to work for you!

Business to Business (B2B) Companies
B2B companies focus primarily on providing goods and services to other businesses.  This could range from business consulting groups to accountants to providers of office services.  At first pass, it may look like B2B and B2C companies face the same challenges when using social media.  However, a closer look reveals a different story.

As noted in my blog post on B2C companies, your social media efforts must focus on working within the social networks that your customers currently use.  That same principle holds true for B2B companies, but with a slight twist.  While customers of B2B companies are on a variety of social networks they come to those networks with different purposes and may not necessarily have their “business” hat on while using that network.  For example, someone in need of corporate accounting services for their business may be active on Facebook (and may even access Facebook while at work), but they may be on the social network for purely personal reasons.  As a result, if your company provides corporate accounting services and you try to engage this person within the Facebook platform, they may ignore you entirely because they do not have their business hat on at that time.  The same can hold true for Twitter, YouTube, Google Plus and beyond.

So, what can a B2B company do to make use of social media?  Here are a few thoughts to get you started:

1. Know your audience, which social networks they use and why/how they use them.  As noted above, your audience is likely on social networks, but they may not be focused on their business needs/interests at that time.  While you could engage in disruptive marketing, I would not advise getting “in their face” and trying to push your message (see my earlier post about the importance of listening via social media).  Facebook has some great tools via its Ad Manager platform that will allow you to conduct research to find out if your audience is on Facebook.  Social Mention is a solid tool for Twitter.  The key is to find your audience and then listen to them to see what they are talking about.  If they are talking about business-related topics, that opens the door for you to begin the process of engaging with them.  However, proceed slowly so that you can build a relationship in a non-threatening way.
2. Resolve to spend your time on social networks that are generally better for B2B.  In my B2C post, I presented pie charts that showed my recommendations on allocating your social media marketing time by network.  In that same spirit, I’ve provided a chart below for B2B companies.  While the exact percentages are not critical, the key takeaway is that B2B companies should plan to spend more time within Twitter and LinkedIn and less within the more consumer-oriented platforms like Facebook.  LinkedIn, in particular, is a great place for B2B as it offers the chance to develop relationships in an online environment that can lead to off-line connections.  LinkedIn is a great place to present yourself, your company and your services in a concise, and searchable, manner that can lead to those connections you’re seeking (LinkedIn’s advanced search feature is great at doing just that).
3. Position social media as a conversation starter and look to move the conversation to an off-line area to grow the relationship.  I recently had a conversation with someone that runs a social media program for a nationwide company and one of the things he mentioned that struck me is that he noted he frequently tries to move the conversation off-line as quickly as possible.  At first, that seems counter-intuitive because the norm seems to be keeping customers (B2B or B2C) within the social network that they engaged with you in.  As I talked with him further, it really started to make sense.  By moving the conversation to e-mail, and ultimately a phone call (and in-person for those rare occasions), he was able to get that person into an environment where they felt safe to share relevant information and really begin the process of building relationship.  And since one of the core tenets of B2B is building relationships that can lead to business opportunities, it makes sense to do that in a safe (and mostly non-public) way.  Regardless of where the conversation leads, however, I recommend focusing on creating a safe and comfortable situation for the contact so that you can establish trust with them.
4. Develop a solid content marketing strategy that places your company as a knowledgeable resource about the markets you serve.  Content marketing is about developing blog posts, videos, e-mails, Tweets and more that you can deposit in locations throughout the Web (via social media) to be a part of the discussion.  If the corporate accounting group I noted earlier begins to develop blog posts discussing some of the latest changes in tax law and how they affect small businesses, they are positioning themselves to do a little teaching for small business owners when they need to know about tax law changes.  As a result, the corporate accounting group has established some name recognition and credibility with that audience, which should lead to an inquiry or two.

The thoughts above are merely starting points on the road to social media for B2B companies.  Social media is not easy, but it can be effective, regardless of industry or market.  To best position your company for success in social media, however, I strongly recommend working with a digital marketing professional that can help you craft a social media strategy specifically for your business.  I wish you the best in your social media efforts!

What is Search Plus Your World?
Google, like most companies in the digital space, knows that social is playing a larger role in how we use the Web.  Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and now, Google Plus are all ways for us to connect with others and share our lives on the Web (related links: “A Quick Guide to the New Facebook Layout,”   and “Why Small Business Should Take a Second Look at Google Plus.”)  So, Google is always on the hunt for ways to draw in social connections into its main business: search.  In some respects, this isn’t new as Google has been displaying social sharing within the main search engine results page (SERP) for some time now.  But “Search Plus Your World” is a radical change that further customizes the SERP for individuals.  Search Engine Watch has a good summary of the new feature and I’ve embedded a video below from Google promoting the feature.

How Will “Search Plus Your World” Affect Businesses?
The changes look interesting, but a question remains: what does this mean for businesses, and small businesses in particular?  Here are a few thoughts in response to that question:

1. If your business isn’t engaged in social media, you need to get there — quickly.  Participating in these social networks is no longer optional.  If you’re in business and you’re searching for customers, you must have a presence on social media.  The content about you and from you in those social networks is now showing in search engine results and it will affect visibility, clicks and performance.  (here’s a link to a previous post about how to allocate your business should allocate its time within social media)
2. You must monitor your performance in the search engines.  This used to be somewhat easy.  It’s getting more complicated with these changes, but it is not impossible.  At a minimum, you need to monitor your performance via Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools.  SEOMOZ has some great advanced level tools that will go further.  Bottom line: know how your company/brand/product is performing in search or you risk being left behind.
   
3. You need to have a solid digital marketing strategy.  Posting content and participating in social networks in a haphazard manner is guaranteed way to get poor (or no) results.  When you craft a solid strategy and implement it in a focused, but flexible way, you can engage your audience, encourage them to share your message and get those shares to show up within “Search Plus Your World” features.

Of course, these are just a few of the many points businesses should consider in light of the new Search Plus Your World feature, but I believe these are the essentials you should consider in light of Google’s changes.

So, how does your business stack up?  Share your thoughts in the comments area below!

Here’s the promo video for Search Plus Your World:

It’s a fair question, particularly for small and medium-sized business owners who have limited time and few people (sometimes none) to work on their company’s social media efforts. So, how does a small business get started and how do they allocate their efforts? In this blog post, we’ll take a look at how Business to Consumer (B2C) companies can get started. My next blog post will focus on Business to Business (B2B) companies as their approach will differ considerably.

Business-to-Consumer (B2C) Social Media Strategies
B2C companies are focused almost exclusively on providing products or services to consumers. Think: the local bakery, the heating and air conditioning repair company, the jewelry store, etc. B2C companies can use social media to connect with existing (and potential) customers, build a relationship with them and expose them to offers/deals.

Step 1: Finding out Which Social Networks Your Customers Use
Before your small business jumps into the social media pool, you need to know where your customers are. By and large, many B2C companies will find that their customers can be found on some combination of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube (note: Google Plus is growing; see why I believe it is worth a second look). Knowing where your customers are lets you know where to focus your efforts (and avoid wasting time).

Step 2: Allocating Your Time
Knowing where your customers are is great, but Facebook, Twitter YouTube, Google Plus and others is a very large area. So, how do you allocate your time and focus your efforts? Let’s take a look at following graphics:

As you can see, I’ve drawn a distinction here based on how mature a company’s social media efforts are. If you are just starting out, you’ll want to spend more time with Facebook and Twitter as you strive to build audience. As your audience grows and your efforts mature, I recommend spending a little more time with YouTube as you’ll want to focus on creating strong visual content and distributing it within the popular video sharing service. LinkedIn and Google Plus get only small percentages of your time because fewer members of your audience are there (LinkedIn) or the service is not yet widely used (Google Plus). The “other” time percentage is your flex time. You need to keep an eye on emerging social networks and be prepared to give more time to other efforts if you strike gold.

Of course, these percentages are rough and only meant to give you a guide. Your actual efforts may vary based on what you find as part of the development of your social media strategy.

Step 3: Getting Started with Your Social Media Efforts
Now that you’ve identified where your customers are (step 1) and you’ve allocated your time (step 2), it is time to get started. Social media strategy is a complex subject and more than what I can go into with this post, but the core tenets are:

• Create your accounts. On the networks you plan to target, make sure your company’s profile is complete and describes the topics you that are of interest to you. This will help others understand what you would like to talk about.
• Listen, listen, listen. No one likes the person that walks into the conversation with their mouth open and already talking. Plan on spending a lot of time listening to the conversations that are already taking place so you understand the tone and tenor. Only jump in when you truly have an insight or something of relevance to offer. Lastly, avoid trying to push your products. Nothing will get you ignored faster than trying to push a product or a deal on someone.
• Connect with others. As you go about listening, find people of interest on Twitter and follow them. Invite customers (and potential customers) to “like” you on Facebook. If you’re on YouTube, invite others to subscribe to your channel. You need to build up your audience and this is the way to go about doing it.
• Create content. If you have a blog, post a link to your blog entries on Twitter, Facebook or Google Plus. If you have product demo videos (and if you don’t, you should create a few!), post them to YouTube. At this point, you’re beginning to contribute to the conversation.

Of course, there are many more elements to the equation of a successful social media strategy, but the above items will help any B2C business get started with social media.

Want to learn more about developing a solid social media strategy for your company? Contact Dijital Farm today to learn how we can help you grow your company’s reach through social media.

A Short History of Google Plus
The summer of 2011 has seen a lot of change in the digital marketing landscape and in the social media realm in particular. Google Plus launched on June 28, 2011 and it seemed to instantly breathe new life into social media.  The service included “circles” and “sparks” as well as this exciting new tool called “hangouts” and 25 million people created accounts in the first month. But the excitement quickly faded as users weren’t sure what to do on the network.    Companies/brands were left out of the initial roll-out, which frustrated may marketers.  Forbes.com quickly wrote an obituary for the network and Google Plus seemed to be heading the way of Google Buzz and Google Wave—toward the trash pile.  That is, until Google introduced company/brand pages in November.  And that’s when things started to get interesting once again.

Should Your Business Be on Google Plus?
First and foremost, I advocate that any business claim their spot on any and all available social media services.  I’m not saying that you have to be active on each of those platforms, but you want to avoid a situation where someone else comes in and squats on your name like what happened to Bank of America on Google Plus.  Better to get it and not use it than have someone “brandjack” your presence!

Going beyond simply claiming your presence is another matter all together.  So, in a world where time is limited and resources are tight, especially if you’re a small or medium-sized business where the social media team is likely one individual, you may face some skepticism as to whether or not Google Plus is worth the time.  I believe that it is and here are three benefits to be realized from establishing your company/brand page:

Search
Google is (mostly) focused on search.  It is where they derive a significant portion of their revenues and the large majority of their services/products have implications for search.  Google Plus is no different.  A company/brand page on Google Plus is indexed by googlebot, the search engine’s crawler.  That means if you do a good job of describing your company, posting (and tagging) relevant photos/video and providing updates about your company, that content will make its way to the search engine results page (SERP) and has a chance to compete for traffic.  And one of your main goals in your digital marketing strategy should be to find as many people interested in your product/service/company as possible, which means you need every advantage available to you.

There’s also a really cool tie-in to the main search engine that Google began rolling out with the company/brand pages: Google Plus Direct Connect.  This allows a searcher to type “+” and then a brand name to directly connect with that brand’s Google Plus page.  To see this feature in action, hope over to Google and type in “+YouTube” and you’ll skip the result page and go straight to the Toyota brand page on Google Plus.  Currently, this feature is only available to a few limited partners, but Google has indicated they intend to make it available in the coming months to more brand/company pages.

Bottom line: by taking the time to setup (and regularly update) your company/brand page, you’re giving your company one more chance to compete for valuable links from the search engine.

More Space to Interact
Several of our clients have, in the past, expressed frustration with Twitter as a form of communication because it is so brief and doesn’t give a lot of space for context.  When talking with them, we typically focus on how Twitter is primarily for short burst of communication, not unlike instant messaging.  The core take away from this conversation is that you need to line up the tool for what it does best.  Twitter isn’t for deep, meaningful interactions and it never will be.

Facebook Fan Pages, on the other hand, provide a little more space for interaction between two parties.  And while it is great to have some additional space to talk, Facebook also imposes some limitations on how much they will show of a status update, choosing to hide the balance behind the “more” link.

Google Plus, however, seems to have a real strength in providing a user space to post a longer, more complete thought.  I’m not suggesting that companies should treat this like a blogging platform.  However, having a little more space does have advantages, like allowing you to carry on conversations with those interested in your products/services.

Bottom line: companies/brands don’t have to abbreviate their messages within Google Plus.  They can express more of a complete thought and engage with their audience in a longer-form manner.

Hangouts
One of the features that most excited early adopters of Google Plus was the hangout.  This feature allows you to do a video chat with others via Google Plus.  It is not unlike doing a video chat via Skype, except it takes place entirely within the social media platform.

While I’m still unsure about the long-term use of hangouts by companies/brands, particularly for time-starved small businesses, there is some potential that is worth exploring, especially if you are in a product service line of work.  Imagine an appliance repair business that conducts a hangout with a customer to allow the customer to show exactly what’s wrong with their appliance so the repair business can get a better understanding of the situation before they ever leave the repair shop.  That could save time and make the customer happy just a little bit faster.  At a minimum, it can distinguish your business from the competition by showing customers that you’re on the cutting edge of technology to communicate with them.

Bottom line: hangouts have potential to transform interactions with customers, but we may still be a ways off from widespread adoption.

Conclusion
Is Google Plus worth a second look by your business?  I believe so.  A small investment of time (no greater than 5%) can help advance your search efforts, allow you to express a more complete thought and transform the way you interact with your customer base.  Of course, it’s only going to work if you have taken the time to plan your social media strategy, because a haphazard approach isn’t going to cut it and that, more than anything, can undermine your marketing efforts in the world of social media.

About Dijital Farm
Dijital Farm is a digital/Internet marketing consultancy based in Raleigh, N.C. (connect with us on Google Plus, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn!). We specialize in helping small and medium-sized businesses make better use of the Web through a digital footprint assessment and developing a custom-fitted digital marketing strategy to help your business achieve its goals online.  Want to know more?  Contact us today so we can get started strengthening your digital footprint! 

1. Real Time Data.  As a long-time user of both Google Analytics and Webtrends, I’ve had the chance to work with a lot of Web sites and data sets.  Google Analytics is easily a powerful competitor in the world of Web analytics.  However, I’ve long believed that there was a major element missing from GA’s suite of offerings: real-time data.  GA has long analyzed and provided data on a 24-hour delay.  For most sites, that is fine.  If you’re running a media Web site or an e-commerce Web site, however, it is really helpful to have real-time (or near real-time) data available so you can make adjustments right away.  Well, Google has listened to those concerns and has finally decided to release real-time data as part of Google Analytics.  For now, it is only available in the Beta version of the new Google Analytics, but the change is scheduled to be rolled out this week to all users.
2.  New interface.  Speaking of that Beta version of the new Google Analytics, Google has announced that they are ready to make that roll-out official.  Since releasing the Beta version earlier this year, Google has listened to feedback and made a few further adjustments.  You can read about the new interface on the Google Analytics blog.
3. Incorporating Webmaster Tools Data Into Google Analytics.  Google Webmaster Tools has long been a powerful tool to help site operators understand some of the SEO complexities and technical operations of their sites.  The biggest issue digital marketers have had with the tool is that, because it is separated from Google Analytics (and the powerful data it contains), you have to work a lot harder to get the data you need to make decisions on how to improve your site.  Well, the wait is over.  Yesterday, Google announced that they are combining some elements of Webmaster Tools into Google Analytics.
4. Google Analytics Premium.  For many larger site operators, Google Analytics simply wasn’t an option because it couldn’t do some of the advanced activities that they needed.  Keep in mind, we’re talking about sites that are HUGE and their needs are fairly advanced.  Google has announced the release of Google Analytics Premium to meet these needs.  I’m glad to see that they are making a deeper commitment to the product.

1. The “Recent Stories” Stream (aka the “News Feed”)
This is the main area that most users likely go to for the latest in status updates and more.  Facebook has re-branded this as “Recent Stories” to give it more of a newspaper/news stream-like feel.  The one twist is the addition of a “Top Stories” mark on some of the items in your feed.  From what I can tell, the intent here is to show you the most popular/most relevant stories from your feed since the last time you logged on.  If you find that a story is not truly a “top story” (based on your own definition), simply click the blue marker and it will be removed as a top story.  Apparently, Facebook has put their algorithm to work to “learn” what you consider should be a top story and it will get better over time.  Maybe, maybe not.  We’ll have to see about that one.

2. The Live Ticker
On the right-hand side of the screen, you’ll notice a running ticker of update snippets from your friends.  This is supposed to be a live feed of what’s being posted right now.  If you hover over an update, the update expands and you can comment, like or share the post, depending on whether or not you’re connected to that person.  If you have a lot of friends in your stream, expect this area to update fairly rapidly (kind of like a Twitter stream).

3. Smart Lists
One of the understated changes in the new layout is Smart Lists.  It is generally agreed that this is a direct response to “Circles” on Google Plus.  On G+, you can organize your friends into circles and then choose who you wanted to share content with.  That’s helpful if you have that goofy photo from 7th grade that you don’t want co-workers seeing!  Facebook has had “lists” as a feature in the past, but now they are making them “smart” (insert your own commentary here!).  The “smart” aspect is that Facebook has automatically placed people on your lists for you, thus relieving you of some of the work.  One of the issues I’ve noticed this morning is with managing the smart list feature.  Facebook’s “manage” box seems to be hanging up (perhaps there’s a lot of activity with that feature today!).  We’ll see if that gets corrected in the next day or so.  To learn more about lists, check out this post from

4. The “Share” Button
Lastly, in your options below an item in the feed, you’ll notice a “share” link.  This makes it easy for you to quickly post to your wall something you find interesting from a friend. I believe this will be one of the more popular changes introduced because it is a fairly common feature on other social networks.

Other Changes
There are several other smaller changes that have been introduced.  I recommend this blog post from Mashable to take a look at more of those changes.  Also, be on the lookout for a few additional updates/new rollouts as Facebook is conducting its F8 developer’s conference starting tomorrow.

Conclusion
Clearly, the new layout will take some time to understand.  And, contrary to what many users may want, going back to the old layout isn’t an option.  Facebook is usually pretty clear about cutting the cord on an old design and moving ahead, whether their audience likes it or not.  My suggestion: spend a little time with it and give it a serious go.  Most changes in the digital world catch us cold at first, but once we’ve had some time, we ultimately come around to them.  And, if you seriously don’t like it, you now have another option: convince your friends to join you on Google Plus and start hanging out, posting and circling over there!

Dijital Farm, I’ve enjoyed sharing the story of its creation with many of you and getting feedback on the concept, and especially the name.  As a wayto have a little fun, I asked you guys to share what you thought the “J” stands for in Dijital Farm.  Here’s a few of the responses I received:

• “The J stands for ‘Jon’ since its the first letter of your first name”
• “Jesus”
• “Something in the combination of i, j, a makes me think of ninjas, and nobody messes with ninjas!”

For the record, the real reason for the non-traditional way of spelling Dijital Farm is because that’s the domain name that was available!  It just so happens that the “J” coincides with my first initial!

A Lesson for Businesses
So, in all of this, there is a practical lesson for businesses and their digital footprint.  Sometimes, you have to go with what’s available in the domain registry.  That doesn’t mean that you select a domain name that doesn’t make any sense or has a remote connection at best.  But, you do have to recognize that there are limitations in the digital space and you have to work to turn that limitation to your advantage.  In the case of Dijital Farm, it worked out that the catchy way of spelling Dijital created a little bit of mystery and whimsy.  It also provided a great way for my designer to find an interesting visual hook that would catch the eye of others.

Nothing fancy, but that’s the story of the “J” in Dijital Farm.  Have a great Friday!

About Jon Parks and Dijital Farm
Dijital Farm is a digital marketing consultancy based in Raleigh, N.C.  Jon Parks, in his role as Lead Dijital Strategist with Dijital Farm, helps companies evaluate their digital footprint and develop strategies to improve their footprint and strengthen their business.  Find out more about how Dijital Farm can help by contacting Jon today via e-mail at jparks@dijitalfarm.com or by phone at (919) 901-0485.  You can also follow Jon on Twitter or connect with him on LinkedIn.

1. The author (Paul Tassi) makes some interesting, spot-on critiques and observations of Google+.
2. His premise that Google+ is dead is likely way overblown.

But there was one additional thought I couldn’t get out of my head: if a social media platform can be launched in late June, heralded as the greatest thing ever, and then proclaimed to be “dead” merely six weeks later, how in the world can a business expect to keep up these changes, incorporate them into their digital marketing and find success in the social media space?

So Many Networks … What’s a Business to Do?
At Dijital Farm, we believe that a solid digital footprint is one of the most important things a company operating in today’s business environment can have.  That footprint (the sum total of a company’s presence on the Internet) can help or hinder the search for new customers, depending on how it is constructed.  And social media is a big component of that footprint.  But with the rapid rise and (supposed) fall of a service like Google+, it can leave many businesses feeling a little bewildered about what social services they should incorporate into their digital marketing strategy.  I’ve had clients ask “should I have a profile on <latest social media platform> for my business?  I’m not sure if it is worth my time and effort and I don’t think anyone really uses <latest social media platform> anyway.”

I’ve heard that question asked about Facebook (700 million+ users), Twitter (175 million+ accounts) and even LinkedIn (100 million+ users).  And I believe the answer, for business owners is found in two places: what are your business objectives and where is your target audience?

Business Objectives
It almost goes without saying, but if you are a business owner, you should know why you are in business.  (side note: if you are unable to articulate that in a meaningful way, then you might want to postpone the discussion about which social network is right for you!).  Business objectives tell us which direction we should be moving in and help you measure success.  When it comes to social media platforms, ask yourself these questions:

• Will this social media platform help me achieve my business objectives?
• Is this social media platform a logical fit for what my company is trying to do?
• Can I reasonably expect to start/participate in a conversation in this social media platform about my business objectives and the changes I’m trying to bring about in the marketplace?

At first, these might seem like easy questions to answer, but take another look at the 3rd question.  Social media is about conversation– two-way conversation.  You have to be willing to engage in give and take with your customers/target audience in social media.  Will this social media platform allow you to do that?  If so, then move ahead.  But if it doesn’t, then you likely need to take a pass.

While I do advocate that you go ahead and create an account to claim your space/name, you would be better served by checking with your target audience to find out if they are spending any time on that social network.  How can you do this?  Here are a few thoughts:

One of the questions I’ve heard often as I’ve spent the past few months fleshing out the idea for Dijital Farm is “why is the company called Dijital Farm?” (Of course, a close second is “did you know that you misspelled the word ‘digital’ in the name of the company?– more on that in a minute).  So, I wanted to take a few minutes to provide insight into why the company is named “Dijital Farm” and hopefully you’ll learn a little about how I look at the digital marketing world.

I’ve had the good fortune to work with many wonderful clients during my career.  The work is engaging, challenging and interesting.  But lately, I’ve grown a little concerned with how we tend to approach our work in the digital space.  Oftentimes, there seems to be a “genie in a bottle” mentality where if one simply makes a wish for a new Web site (or social media campaign, or advertising campaign, etc.), that it can be delivered right away.  And to be sure, there are more than a few companies out there that can turn around a quick Web site or get you a few hundred fans on Facebook for a price.  But is that the best way?  I don’t believe so.  And that’s why I created Dijital Farm.

I’d like to paint a scenario.  Imagine an farmer that wants to grow a field of corn.  Wouldn’t it be crazy to think that he would walk out into the field early one morning, drop some seeds in the ground, pour water over it, return to his front porch to drink a cool glass of lemonade and expect to return to that same field later that afternoon to pick large, ripe ears of corn?  Of course that’s crazy– it just doesn’t happen that way!  Instead, that farmer has to tend to his crop day after day, cultivating it to get it to grow so that one day, many weeks from now, he can return to harvest ripe ears of corn that are ready for the market.  Bottom line: it takes time to bring that product along to maturity so that it can bring the greatest yield to the farmer.

A Different Kind of “Farm”
Now, take that scenario and move it into the digital marketing world.  Shouldn’t we expect to bring about the same level of effort to cultivate a company’s digital footprint– the sum total of a company’s presence on the Internet?  Of course we should.  That’s where Dijital Farm comes in.  At Dijital Farm, I focus on helping companies analyze, evaluate and then strengthen their digital footprint.  But, we do that through a method that focuses on cultivating the best ideas and getting them ready for market.  Dijital Farm is a place “Where Digital Ideas Grow!”  So, while speed is important, I believe quality is far more important.  Because as the old saying goes, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression, so you better make the first one count.”  Dijital Farm helps businesses make sure that the first impression in the digital space is a polished, professional and effective one.

What’s With the “J” in “Dijital”?
So, why is it spelled “Dijital” with a “J” instead of a “G”?  This is something I’ve had a lot of fun with as I’ve prepared the company for launch.  Some guesses I’ve heard include:

• You wanted to have one of those catchy names that signifies you’re a Web-focused company.
• The “J” is meant to represent the “J” in your first name (Jon).
• You searched for a domain name with the traditional spelling, but it wasn’t available.

In the meantime, thanks for connecting with Dijital Farm and if I can help your company with its digital marketing, please be sure to contact me!