creative branding & marketing

Web design, graphic design, SEO, SEM and creative brand strategy thoughts to help you gain market share authored by the Metropolis Creative team and industry leaders.
6/29/09
"Social" Isn't a Tool
Search Engine MarketingOne question I've been asked a lot recently is "what's going to be the next Twitter?" The quick answer is, it doesn't matter. I know that sounds flip but hear me out before you think I'm just another social media basher (you'll know this is not the case if you read my blog). I say "it doesn't matter," not because I don't love Twitter and all the other social networks but because it assumes that the concept of "social" can be limited to a single tool.

To that end, comparing the phenomenon of "social" to a tool is somewhat akin to thinking that a good website is strictly about a great logo or a slick header graphic. Obviously those things help but they aren't the end all to be all. It's the concept of great usability and design coming together meeting the needs of a stated business objective that makes a site great. Oh yeah, the site damn well better meet the needs of the customer too. Otherwise, you're dead in the water.

Getting back to my rant about Twitter and why limiting "social" to the category of a "tool" is such a pet peeve of mine... Well, it's not dissimilar to thinking that the discipline of marketing could be confined to just e-mail or advertising. While some companies might concentrate their efforts on a particular tactic, most good businesses also leverage other tactics to help accomplish their goals. They also realize that at the end of the day, "marketing" isn't limited to one tool because it's a more about a philosophy and a thought process than it is a bunch of tools.

The difference between good marketing or even site design is that while "social" can be important to helping a company get in touch with its customers, it can also be a transformative power within an organization helping companies:
  • Share ideas — both internally and externally
  • Co-create with its customers
  • Energize its customer base by creating a launch pad for word of mouth marketing
  • Deepen loyalty and increase referrals by giving customers something of value

I guess the next time someone asks me what the next "Twitter" is, I'm going to tell them that it's the wheel, or the printing press. Or a turbine engine. Or the Internet. Maybe then they'll start to think about this brave new world of "social" as something more than just a tool.

So how does your company describe "social?" Let us know in the comments -- just do me a favor and don't use the "T" word.

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posted by Aaron_Strout at 3:44 PM

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Key to Content Marketing: Shh...
How do you attract people to your website through content marketing? Listen to what is important to your audience.

Listening to customer needs and wants will give you ideas about what content you need to produce for your audience.

You can listen in a number of ways:

1. Monitor your customer service department for frequently asked questions. As the customer service department develops answers, you can re-purpose that content for your website. Text, help centers, or videos can all answer questions and attract more people to your site through content that solves problems. A customer at Exaiminer.com asked their social collaboration tool vendor, grouphub.com, if GroupHub.com provides an online survey tool as part of their services. Currently, GroupHub.com does not, but that did not stop the customer support team from taking the question and creating a FAQ answer that features a third party survey tool. GroupHub.com’s answer is a great example of a strategy of focusing on helping the customer and by doing that you will provide useful relevant content that establishes your company as a responsible brand.

2. Monitor what's being discussed by your customers out in the community. With the advent of the web, ordinary people now have the ability to create content that discusses your products and brand. Listen to what people write and record about your products and brand. You can choose to respond where customers ask questions and discuss, or follow up with content that provides answers back on your own website.

Dell monitors its community, and as a result the company is able to respond and provide content and links to existing content that solves customer problems. Check out this Dell post on the topic of driver updates for the Latitude.

3. Create places for customers to give feedback about products and your brand. Dell does this with their online forums and IdeaStorm website. The IdeaStorm website is a voter popularity website that encourages customers to contribute ideas and suggestions, which are then voted upon by the rest of the community. Dell responds with feedback and if the ideas can be implemented.

By focusing on content that answers questions and solves problems, companies are much more likely to have answers to customer questions as they arise, plus content that’s available to attract customers when they have generic questions about the industry.

John Cass is the Author of Strategies and Tools for Blogging, and the blog PR Communications.

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posted by John_Cass at 6:07 AM

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6/25/09
Search Engine Marketing: Hiring Managers Rock The House in Boston
Search Engine MarketingThe excitement felt at the SEM Community Mega-Event event, sponsored by Search Engine Strategies and Onward Search, was certainly a refreshing change from the constant hum of economic downturn news. The Wall Street Journal's report of unemployment reaching nearly 10% by 2010 was certainly not the topic of conversation at the House of Blues in Boston on Monday night. About 200 search marketing professionals mingled with their peers as they heard industry leaders and hiring professionals line up to announce that their companies are hiring search engine experts.

After a short meet and greet, it didn't take long for recruiting agents to dart forward to the front of the room, line up and get their company's pitch in. Tom Ellis from Adverplex, Inc. was one of the first up to pitch his company and service while making the bold statement: We are hiring. Need look no further than the front page of every commercial newspaper and magazine headline; the point is being made clear, social media and SEM is the new wave of marketing and human communication. After speaking with Katie Donovan, the managing director at the Sempo Institute, it is clear that SEM is the backbone of this new integration of marketing, PR, advertising, internet research and social media. Companies of all sizes are just getting started using Pay Per Click Advertising to pursue active users to follow their blog and Facebook as the ROI for social media is beginning to be realized.

Although the tremendous potential of online networking is creating a stir, one question still remains: how to increase the ROI from SEM?

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posted by jmurph at 3:37 PM

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2 Comments:

Blogger Debbie said...

How are people measuring ROI from SEM? Some examples a small business owner can understand?

June 27, 2009 11:06 AM  
Blogger Increase Website Traffic said...

Nice Post!

The Internet provides great opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses, but doing business online presents unique challenges and requires new skills. Per my experience search engine optimization would be the best practice to improve your online business.

July 13, 2009 7:19 AM  






6/23/09
What You Can Do Without Paying a Marketing Company: SEO 101
Search Engine OptimizationJust three years ago, "Google" was added to the dictionary. The trademarked term is not defined, however, by the company bearing the name but rather the act of searching for something online using the Google search engine. This addition is just one example of how search engine use in the past decade has infiltrated most aspects of our culture. And it's not a surprise: the use of search engines has skyrocketed over the past ten years. So it's no wonder that companies are willing to pay for their page to rise to the top of a result page. A report released by eMarketer shows that paid placement on search engines and organic search engine optimization (SEO) are more effective than traditional advertising and marketing tactics and is the most cost-effective way to gain new customers. Channels of communication with consumers are evolving and growing significantly in online space, so making sure that your site shows up in a Google or Yahoo search is critical to businesses. Marketing firms have entire teams of people that work on optimizing your search engine placement, but here are a few ways to raise your SEO for those with a tight budget (we are, after all, in a recession). Many of the most-used search engines today (like Google, Yahoo, Bing, MSN, etc) are all crawler-based. They each have an algorithm that "crawl" or "spider" the web to create automatic listings. What they collect through the information provided in the title, body copy and elements of your website design is then put into the ranking algorithm that is eventually delivered to the searcher. But SEO isn't rocket science, and there are several steps you can take without having to break the bank that will bump up your rank.

Enhance Your Page Titles
One of the first things that spiders look for is page title. Make sure you have a title that is specific to your product—don't be vague or general about titling the information on your page. Having a static title on every page of your site that only includes your company name or the overall site name will undoubtedly drop your site on the search engine result page and make it harder for consumers to connect with you. Instead, include both the website title and the page title so that crawlers can pick up more information.

Only Publish Unique Content
It's hard to know exactly how many websites exist at any point in time. But netcraft, a company that surveys the web in attempt to accurately report the number of pages in existence, estimated last month that there are over 235 million websites in existence. How can you stand out competing with hundreds of millions of other sites? With the ever-increasing number of sites competing for the same audience, the way to get hits on your page will be to have content that no other site has. And because so much of search engine results are based off of the content, it is almost necessary that your content be search friendly—don't bother with Flash, Javascript or AJAX when it comes to the body copy on your page.

Think About Your Image Names
When you're designing web pages, it's easy to keep get lazy with your labeling system and save your images with nondescript titles, like "IMG_001". But making sure that your images have relevant titles will help with optimizing your placement on the result page—put yourself in the shoes of the search engine user and try to anticipate what they would search.

Utilize the Tags
This advice is for all the bloggers out there (and companies or organizations that have a blog on their site). Blog search programs, like Technorati, search tags to deliver results to those using their services, so make sure you utilize them correctly. Try to stick to a rotation of no more than 20 subjects and tag every post with no fewer than two tags. Not only will proper tagging make page navigation easier for the reader, but it can actually bring more readers to your site.

Linking
The final thing that you can easily do to better your position on a search engine result page is to make it easy for others to link back. This step can be as simple as adding a widget that allows readers to easily "link back to this article." If you really want to increase your presence online, though, it may take a bit more work. We've all heard the old saying: "It's not what you know, it's who you know." Although admittedly clich‚, this phrase is fitting: networking is a fundamental part of running a website. Try to get other bloggers in your niche to link to you and encourage your readers to submit your posts to digg or StumbleUpon.

There you have it. Five tips that you could implement by the end of today. And if it weren't obvious enough, don't forget to link back to this post.

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posted by Christine_Hall at 3:09 PM

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3 Comments:

Anonymous Pieter said...

Didn't think about the imagenames yet. Thanks!

June 29, 2009 4:43 AM  
Anonymous Vancouver Web Design said...

Great article. I'm going to try some of these tonight !

June 29, 2009 10:59 PM  
Anonymous application development said...

The benefit of a search engine friendly website is it has a greater chance of getting sales. Good website structure makes people spends more time on your site and the more vital it turn out to be useful in their mind, the better chances that they will purchase your product or services.

June 30, 2009 1:40 AM  






6/17/09
Expose Your Brand and Reap the Benefits of Social Media
Social Media CommunitiesIt's very trendy. Companies of varying size and type are exposing their brand and messaging via social media marketing. These organizations are having cocktail parties online! They are establishing and maintaining real-time conversations with customers, colleagues, industry peers, thought leaders and management. Throughout the conversations, brand loyalty is being garnered. Messaging is being spread. Stories are being told. The exposure is immediate, smart, savvy and contagious. "Social media creates a solar system for a brand with multiple satellites of interaction channels, some large, some small." - Derek Showerman, Director of Social Media, Authority Domains.

Use your website to first explain your message/brand and then have direct links to your social media sites (i.e. Facebook, twitter, online community, etc). But be sure to keep the design of your messaging, and overall identity consistent!

Expose your brand to social media and reap these benefits:

Online conversations and increased SEO
Thought provoking and news worthy content is contagious. People tell people. Conversations will build a community of loyal followers (customers).

Immediacy
Hitting a front page of major social video, news and bookmark sites will send you large amounts of instant traffic while simultaneously building your keyword optimization.

SEO
Conversations and linking will dramatically boost your rankings in search engines.

Peer Power
Gain peer recommendations, attract influencers, comments from bloggers, etc. Initiators and influencers decidedly play an important role in decision making.

All Natural
Receive natural links without any discernible pattern! Your website will be exposed to large groups of people in a spontaneous fashion. This differs from paid advertising which can be conceived as commercial efforts.

Quite Complimentary
Social media optimization and marketing is usually community-specific. It doesn't interfere with any other methods of getting traffic to your website. It can and will fit perfectly with an advertising campaign targeting other websites or search engines.

The bottom line is social media has created a way for people and businesses to become transparent. Social media can be a great way to find and establish followers, but like in real life, friendships require time, understanding, honesty, and the occasional greeting card. Before exposing your brand via social media, step back and take a look at all of your marketing components (logo, website, calls-to-action, etc). Make sure that all of your messaging is consistent and accurate before you expose your identity. Ask for help.

In the spirit of being social, join us for a live presentation about social media communities. A complimentary and informative networking event with appetizers, drinks and even pool. June 30, 2009, FELT Boston, 6-8:30PM. Sign up here.

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posted by Howard_Davidson at 11:22 AM

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3 Comments:

Anonymous Jeff Cutler said...

Howard,

You've hit on most of the elements. The only one you didn't mention - but implied the use of it - was listening.

As we both know, it's vital to listen to the activity of your communities (audiences) and your industry to see what's being talked about.

Once you've given a listen you're better poised to formulate a marketing strategy that will reach the people you're targeting in the place where they're most apt to respond and act on your messaging.

Keep up the good work.

Jeff

June 20, 2009 10:58 AM  
Anonymous Kate Brodock said...

Great advice Howard. I couldn't agree more on the need for consistency at home before you enter the social media world.

We actually highlighted a few non-profits that are doing all of these right, and bringing the consistency from "home" into the social media space: http://www.othersidegroup.com/adcomments/2009/06/5-non-profits-who-know-how-to-do-social-media/

Cheers,
Kate

June 22, 2009 11:36 AM  
Anonymous J Murphy said...

Howard,

The topic of consistency is so important and underrated in social media in today's world of publishing: "But be sure to keep the design of your messaging, and overall identity consistent!"

People often forget how quick and easy it is to publish something online which makes consistency a challenge. With a click of a button, your opinion and brand is exposed to the world instantly. Sometimes I find it too easy to forget this as more and more time is spent online.

Great post.

-J Murphy

June 22, 2009 12:53 PM  






6/7/09
Avoid Website Embarrassment
If you are not paying attention to your website by adding fresh content, checking links and overall functionality, or even comparing your site to the competition, your prospects are bound to click the delete button. Now that’s not only bad business, but it’s embarrassing!

All evidence I have seen during my tenure shows that customers will ruthlessly dismiss a website on which they come across out-of-date content, broken links, hard to find contact information or even worse, waiting several minutes for something too “important” to load and then having a “real actor” pop-up with an marketing message. Please don’t get me started.

Here are the most frequent causes for website embarrassment and perhaps loss of business reputation:
  • Slow Load Time: How annoying is it waiting for a very long and truly meaningless welcome graphic?
    Advice: Avoid glitz for the sake of glitz. Flash can be effective if it delivers a meaningful image that supports your message/brand.

  • Spelling/Grammar: Hello spellcheck. There’s no excuse for typos or misspellings these days.
    Advice: Spellcheck and then have another person proof the text.

  • Contact Information: I am always surprised at the number of businesses that make it impossible to find their contact information. They either don’t include it on their site or hide it in an obscure page.
    Advice: Always put your full contact information on your homepage. Moreover, contact information provides great keywords for SEO.

  • Broken Links: "Page-not-found” is extremely embarrassing.
    Advice: Assign a weekly date to check your website for broken links.

  • Old Content: News or blog items dated 3-6 months ago make your site look outdated and dusty.
    Advice: If you can't keep up with the new content, simply remove the dates!

Did I miss anything? Got some good advice on how to avoid website embarrassment?

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posted by Howard_Davidson at 9:41 PM

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

Brilliant! Just the other day I was viewing a "local" website. But, no contact info other then a 800 phone #. The press release page had a post from 1 year ago. Yet, the homepage stated that the company had "state of the art" technology. Totally embarrassing - for them.

June 9, 2009 7:43 AM  
Anonymous Luke S said...

Nice post! It's very important to keep your site up-to-date and user-friendly.
The only advice I can add is that it doesn't pay do search for broken links yourself. Use a free broken link finding service instead, such as http://www.dead-links.com/

June 9, 2009 10:18 AM  
Blogger Evan said...

I've come across a few "special" websites that still carry the 90's traits: blinking text, saturated background colors with saturated text colors, and no sense of hierarchy. To keep your site looking fresh, the color scheme, like the layout, should be simple and with a distinct focal point; use a cohesive palette with one accent color. There are several color scheme generators available for free if you search the Googs. As far as blinking text is concerned... just don't do it. It destroys any credibility your page had before it was added. If there is a tactful use of blinking text, I have yet to see it. Same goes with Comic Sans and other cult-classic fonts.

Another note on website fundamentals: show your users a consistent map of your site. There should be a navigation bar that is consistent throughout your site, and only changes to accommodate sub navigation.

Evan of evandana.com

June 9, 2009 11:43 AM  
OpenID derekshowerman said...

I would also suggest that your website have some pull opportunities. The ability to let your reader/viewer interact with you. Two way communication is invaluable.

June 9, 2009 1:34 PM  
Blogger Katie York said...

Great Post! Broken links are the ultimate worst on the embarrass-o-meter. No excuse!!!

June 9, 2009 2:35 PM  
Anonymous Alphabet Arm said...

Nice article. Just yesterday, a music management company contacted us about branding a number of their clients and sent us to the management website. Beyond looking like it was designed by a 16 year old, each of the artist links went to the wrong artist...classic!

June 9, 2009 4:48 PM  
Anonymous Kevin Flavin said...

Howard, what a great post! Sometimes it's the obvious mistakes that we overlook, the ones that are right there in front of our face. Of course, I'm guilty as everyone about spelling errors, so I use Qumana to make my blog posts. As for Old Content. /raised hand. I'm very guilty. I've been working on client work and posting to the American Marketing Association blog, so I haven't even posted to my own yet!

Your post is a shot to the arm (or a kick-in-the-butt!) I'm off to make a post or two on my site.

One thing that I have seen but I haven't addressed on my own site is the 404 and 403 pages. They should be customized with more information than just "it didn't work". This is an excellent place to put your brand, point the visitor to another place, be more helpful, etc.

June 9, 2009 5:09 PM  
Anonymous @studionumber9 said...

nice work covering the basics howard.

some companies don't seem to realize the importance of all of the above when it comes to making the right impression on new and current clients.

of course some of the above will have to bend or break depending on the site (i.e. not every site is a product or service site that wants to be contacted and having older posts on your site not only can show experience in the realm your posting about but add to customer confidence that you know what your doing ), but for those not out to make an artistic statement they're all pretty standard.

just to make your broken link job a little easier, try a tool like the w3c link checker:
http://validator.w3.org/checklink

June 9, 2009 7:57 PM  
Anonymous Ellena said...

Read http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/1758-rediscovering-jakob-nielsen for some interesting ideas on keeping your site so good, it actually looks new when it may not be.
Many of the links provided in the post are useful.

June 9, 2009 9:48 PM  
Blogger Aaron Strout said...

Howard - great recommendations. One other thing that I would add (and you knew this was coming) is some type of social engagement. Obviously, this is a newer "requirement" of a good site but having ways to engage one's audience in conversation via blog posts, discussion forums, ratings and reviews or an idea catcher is quickly becoming a must.

As the head of marketing for a medium-sized business, I look forward to reading more of your recommendations!

@aaronstrout

June 10, 2009 9:45 AM  
Anonymous John Maver said...

Howard,
I know that many sites set out with the best intentions, but often fail to keep up with new content as things get busy. Having a blog calendar where the work gets divided up among several people can definitely help with getting new content. There are also places that can help with supplemental content, including full production. So, lack of time doesn't have to be a showstopper.

I totally agree with easy to find contact information. What good is a web site for your business if no one can figure out how to do business with you?

June 11, 2009 10:41 AM  
Anonymous Tom said...

Great advice regarding the use of "Contact Us" as an SEO keyword opportunity!

June 29, 2009 12:39 PM  






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