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Twitter Trends – Another Way to See 2009 in Review

Written on December 16, 2009 by admin

Filed Under: marketing

Before we get into the meat of the article I have a challenge for you. Say “Top Twitter Trends” 3 times fast. Frustrating isn’t it. Every time I try it I end up saying “Top Twitter Twends” thus giving the Baba WaWa (Barbara Walters for you young kids) sound to it. As you have likely guessed I think I may have too much time on my hands so let’s get back to the real deal.

Twitter is one of the Top stories of 2009 because of its tremendous growth, the tremendous amount of media attention it has gained and the general feeling that 140 characters is more than enough to form a relationship with. What the folks at Twitter have done, in particular Chief Scientist Abdur (don’t these people have last names or when they come on board the Twitter team do they have to even shorten their names as well?) is take a look at the top trends that have been ID’d by Twitter users for 2009. Fun stuff. Not earth shattering but fun. At the Twitter blog Abdur says:

In 2009, Twitter’s Trending Topics helped us understand what was happening around the world showing us that people everywhere can be united in concern around important events; excited about a new movie; or geek-out about a major new technology.

Among all the keywords, hashtags, and phrases that proliferated throughout the year, one topic surfaced repeatedly. Twitter users found the Iranian elections the most engaging topic of the year. The terms #iranelection, Iran and Tehran were all in the top-21 of Trending Topics, and #iranelection finished in a close second behind the regular weekly favorite #musicmonday.

So while the blog lists the Top 10 in each category we here at Marketing Pilgrim have decided to shorten our presentation to the Top for each. Why? Because we are all about continuing the move toward abbreviated, half information that the world seems to crave. Oh, and by the way, if you are using Twitter for business purposes or if you are thinking that the users of Twitter are thinking ‘deep thoughts’ outside of Iran you can stop here. A look at the Top 5 people getting attention should be enough to tell you where the bulk of Twitter users minds are and that deep thinkers need not apply.

News Events
1. #iranelection
2. Swine Flu
3. Gaza
4. Iran
5. Tehran

People
1. Michael Jackson
2. Susan Boyle
3. Adam Lambert
4. Kobe (Bryant)
5. Chris Brown

Movies
1. Harry Potter
2. New Moon
3. District 9
4. Paranormal Activity
5. Star Trek

TV Shows
1. American Idol
2. Glee
3. Teen Choice Awards
4. SNL (Saturday Night Live)
5. Dollhouse

Sports (Teams, Events, Leagues)
1. Super Bowl
2. Lakers
3. Wimbledon
4. Cavs (Cleveland Cavaliers)
5. Superbowl

Technology
1. Google Wave
2. Snow Leopard
3. Tweetdeck
4. Windows 7
5. CES

Hash Tags
1. #musicmonday
2. #iranelection
3. #sxsw
4. #swineflu
5. #nevertrust

So there you go. The Top Twitter Twends (darn it…..Trends!) year in review. Your thoughts in 140 characters or less?

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Twitter Trends – Another Way to See 2009 in Review

Interview: Rick Mahn Land O’Lakes & SMBMSP

Written on December 3, 2009 by admin

Filed Under: book, marketing, seo

Minnesota is home to a tremendous amount of digital marketing and social media talent. The local Social Media Breakfast events are notorious for “selling out” in minutes and attracting upwards of 300 – 350 attendees.  There are over 1,200 members of the group’s SMBMSP social network. The founder of this group is none other than Rick Mahn.

Officially, Rick is the founder of Social Media Breakfast – Minneapolis/St. Paul, Social Media Strategist for Land O’Lakes, blogger, podcaster and author for Personal Branding Magazine. As part of Online Marketing Blog’s continuing effort to showcase social media movers and shakers in the Midwest, I connected with Rick for the following interview.

You’re a technology guy that now works as a Social Media Strategist at Land O’ Lakes. Can you tell us about the journey to that position?

It’s been an interesting one for sure. I’ve always been fascinated by technology, whether it was computers, phones, snowmobiles (hey, we live in Minnesota right), or anything else that presented itself as a puzzle. It made for a great career in Information Technology.

Somewhere around 2002 I started taking notice of more web-oriented ideas and technology. It was the beginning of ‘web 2.0’ and the idea of creating your own space online was just as fascinating as the technology it ran on. I found myself reading and following some of the early adopters and thought leaders like Dave Winer (a fellow techy guy) and Doc Searls. This led me to eventually start blogging in 2004 and continuing into today.

Somewhere along the way the interest in using web 2.0 started to develop into an idea about the social web. From there the learning and networking led to opportunities to share and teach. I guess without knowing it I developed a second career option outside IT and started transitioning somewhere in 2007.

At Land O’Lakes today, it’s an interesting challenge. I do perform a few functions I used to do – mainly identifying what the business needs related to social computing and work to find ways to introduce those ideas into the organization. We have our challenges as any large company does, from productivity & security concerns related to social media, to addressing the perception and demonstrating value. It’s a tough job, but invigorating at the same time because I see folks at many levels starting to have those ‘aha’ moments. That makes it fun and rewarding.

Not long ago, you started (along with some other forward thinkers) the now world-famous SMBMSP.org ala Social Media Breakfast – Minneapolis / St. Paul. From a few people meeting in a downtown Minneapolis Café to over 300+ attending sold out events, the momentum and value creation from SMBMSP is phenomenal. Can you share a bit about how that organization started and your thoughts on why it’s so successful?

When I started SMBMSP in 2008, there was only one other Social Media Breakfast event – the original created by Bryan Person in Boston. I had connected with Bryan almost two years earlier when following blogroll links from some other folks in the Boston PR seen. He had some great content on his blog and I started reading and commenting along with a few others.

About September 2007, Bryan had this great idea of getting those talented Boston PR folks out for breakfast and talk social media over coffee and such. That first one that they held in November was a hit with about 20 or so folks showing up. People like Doug Haslam, Chris Brogan, and a several others were there taking pics, live tweeting and making it look like a darn good time. In December they did it again, and I email Bryan after New Years and said “if you have contacts with anyone in Minneapolis, you should have them set one up here”. Bryan simply responded “why don’t you”.

And that’s about it – I took that idea and ran with it. Our first SMBMSP was held at Key’s Café in Minneapolis with about 20 folks showing up. Little did I know that most of these folks would end up being peers and mentors, sharing ideas and tweets for the last two years.

What’s in store for SMBMSP in 2010 and how will you manage its explosive growth? What do you have planned for content and events in 2010?

It’s been challenging to keep up. Earlier this year I invited Mykl Roventine to join me in organizing and hosting the events. Mykl has become instrumental in helping take SMBMSP to the next level. We’re able to divide and conquer on organizing, drum up sponsors, keep up with our various community resources and develop ideas.

In 2010, we have a number of things on the drawing board. We’re working ahead to get events planned further in the future, and secure larger venues with specific amenities that we’ve missed in the past. We know that the key to success for SMBMSP is the people who attend. They trust that we’ll have valuable content and many of them participate in sharing ideas and connecting us with resources.

I know that SMBMSP is also viewed as an educational resource as well, with folks just out of school, and many people transitioning jobs or careers looking for information that will help them land a good job. We want to help in that and have some ideas in the works. We’re working on some great content for 2010 and a couple of fun events as well. Stay tuned.

For companies that are trying to wrap their arms around the world of social media in the enterprise, especially when it comes to building a business case, what advice do you have?

Educate. I’ve found that misunderstanding of what social media is and how it is of value for an organization is a real stumbling block. Especially at middle management, it seems to help when getting them up to speed on the concepts and methods that social computing employs.

Also, I try to bring case studies on related or relevant businesses when building that business case. It’s sometimes easier for those folks who are unfamiliar with social media to show them how it works for a competitor, similar product, or sized company.

Obviously, one of the big things is to convey the concepts in an understandable manner. While social media purists like to say “you don’t own your brand, your customers do”, that tactic is the fastest way to loose believability. Start explaining how the collective opinions of consumers shared among themselves sways public perception of the brand and they begin to understand what’s happening. Remove the hyperbole and get back to the basics of business.

A lot of enterprise social media efforts are focused on listening, community engagement, content and measurement. What other actions should companies be paying attention to?

Usability. Make it easier for those customers to share what they love about the product or brand. We’ve got so many nifty tools and networks to do this, but for the vast majority of people on the web they don’t have time or the inclination to experiment.

Mashups are the other thing to watch for. We’ve seen many in the past year, but I think rather than the next Facebook or Twitter, its creative combinations of these larger tools and networks. Look at the number of short video services leveraging Twitter. All the apps on Facebook that tie back to other networks, blogs, multimedia hosting services, and such. This is the semantic web that many folks were describing a year or two ago – this is where we’ll see a lot of new ideas come together in the next couple years.

Do you have a sense for how often companies create their own applications vs. using third party tools? Do you have a model for deciding, for example, when it’s better to create your own social network vs. leveraging something like Facebook or LinkedIn?

I don’t know that I have a model, but I have a few guidelines in mind as I work with companies regarding this question. First I try to figure out what their needs are – otherwise you end up trying to pound that square peg in the round hole.

Once I understand the needs, it makes that decision easier. Second, I determine if there is a “white label” service or tool that would work – i.e. can I customize Ning into something that will fit their needs. If the business need is unique, it then becomes important to understand what portions need to be custom built, and then find ways to bring in those third party networks and tools.

The faster I can find a path to use existing services and functionality, the sooner and cheaper I can get them engaging their customers. For example, why write a custom login & user database when we can simply have them log in with Facebook?

There are many companies that, when asked, will say they’re already “doing” social media. But there’s a difference between having accounts setup on Twitter and Facebook and actually using those tools to better connect with customers and grow a business. How do you explain the value of digging deeper into social participation to companies (or individuals) that equate personal use of social tools with effective use to meet business goals?

That’s a great question because its an easy mistake to make. Just because any of us use social media personally, doesn’t coincide with a business strategy for social media. This is especially interesting for those with a strong personal brand that work for, and represent a strong commercial brand.

Simply getting a c-suite individual on Twitter isn’t a strategy, but developing a framework and guidelines for adding Twitter as a customer support tool is. Making sure that the use of social media by individuals in their professional capacity is in alignment with the goals of the organization is key here. There needs to be a purpose, a reason, otherwise an organization won’t accomplish anything other than being “cool”, which doesn’t necessarily mean that they “get it”.

It goes hand in hand with the business case. Understanding the goals of the organization, finding the right combination of engagement methodologies within the social web, and defining a corporate strategy and usage guidelines to get that done is what the business needs. It’s not easy, nor is it as sexy as one thinks for a social media professional. When all is said and done, we’re here to support our customers in new ways and that is simply doing good business.

What social tools do you use most often?

I’m fairly predictable. I’m on Twitter most of all, along with Facebook of course. I am still a heavy user of RSS feeds in Google Reader and have found several add-ins for Firefox to help manage the load of content I read every week. Also, I’ve been fiddling with Foursquare of late, but outside of letting people know what I’m up to, I don’t find the game aspect interesting.

What are 3-4 resources (blogs, books, podcasts, web sites, newsletters, conferences, etc) for staying on top of social media?

There are many blogs, books and newsletters that I keep up on. Somewhere around 200 at last count in Google Reader. I know many of these folks personally, though I can only call a couple true friends rather than simply connections. There are too many to really give a good sampling but here goes:

• Chris Brogan & Jason Falls (Social Media Explorer)
• Mashable & Tech Crunch
• Small Business Survival & Successful Blog

Minnesota is a treasure trove of companies and talent in the digital, interactive and social media space, yet a bit of a “best kept secret” compared to the coasts. Please describe what impresses you most about the Twin Cities digital community.

Lee, you touched on a good one with this question. The folks we have here locally truly are a hidden secret. They’re talented, open minded, vocal, and very active in the community. I think having those Midwestern values that exist here in Minnesota also plays a role in that.

Going off the SMBSMP community that I’m most familiar with – the folks involved come from all professions and love to share. They look out for each other and trade information on opportunities as well as “how to” tips on social media. We are lucky to have a vibrant economy in the Twin Cities, which allows us to have some of the best minds in PR, Marketing, Web Development, Information Technologies, Business Management, and many more.

I have to say I’m honored to be able to help bring them together and learn from them. That’s probably the biggest thing I respect them for – they participate as a community in every sense.

What are your plans for 2010 and what will you be doing next?

Let’s see if I can come up with a good guarded reply. Exciting opportunities for many folks in social media exist, so I’m not alone. I plan on expanding the offerings of Social Media Breakfast here locally, and working with the group nationally to make some interesting things happen. I’m looking forward to next year to try out some new ideas and hopefully get a few new projects moving that I’ve been thinking on for the last few months.

Thanks Rick. Find more about Rick Mahn on the social web here:

• Twitter: http://twitter.com/rickmahn
• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rickmahn
• Blog: http://rickmahn.com

Tags: cities ,development ,digital ,enterprise ,events ,goals ,interview ,land o’lakes ,learning ,marketing ,rick mahn ,smbmsp ,social ,technology ,thoughts

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100+ Search Marketing Resources to Learn SEO & PPC

Written on September 22, 2009 by admin

Filed Under: Advertising, book, chat, marketing, searchengineguide, seo

How do new marketers learn SEO and Pay Per Click? How do professionals stay current with search marketing tactics considering the sheer volume of social media distraction?  Last month we ran a poll of Online Marketing Blog readers to discover preferences for learning and staying up to date with current search engine marketing strategies and tactics.  Below are the top categories selected by readers. However, we’ve taken it a step further and listed over 100 different resources for marketers to start, maintain or advance their level of SEO, PPC and any other type of search based marketing. Enjoy!

Search Engine Marketing Blogs

• TopRank’s BIGLIST of over 400 Search Marketing Blogs (updated weekly/monthly since Jan 2007)
• invesp Ranked List of Top SEO Blogs
• Daily Blog Tips Top 25 SEO Blogs
• HuoMah Big Ass List of SEO Blogs
• FutureBuzz Essential List of Marketing & SEO Blogs
• SEOmoz Ranking 50 Top Blogs in the Search Space (2006)
• SEOBook SEO Blogs and Search Engine Blogs (2006)
• Fantomas SEO / SEM Blogs (2005)

SEO/SEM Blog Aggregators:

• SEOmash
• SocialBRoll
• SEOalltop
• Original Signal SEO Blogs
• SearchBrains

Testing Tactics on Your Own Web Sites

• A/B Testing resources: (Google Website Optimizer, 7 Free Resources)
• Multivariate Testing service: (Omniture)
• Heatmap Testing tools: (CrazyEgg, Clickdensity and Eyetools)
• Web Analytics tools: (Google, WebTrends, Omniture SiteCatalyst, Unica NetInsight, Lyris HQ,  Clicky, Yahoo, BLVD Status)
• Ranking Software: (Advanced Web Rankings, WebPosition, Web CEO)

Search Engine Marketing Forums

• WebmasterWorld
• Google Webmaster Help
• Sphinn
• Bing Webmaster Community
• Search Engine Watch
• High Rankings
• SitePoint
• SEOChat
• Search Engine Roundtable
• Cre8asite Forums
• Search Engine Forums
• WebProWorld
• Digital Point
• syndk8

Paid Subscription SEM Communities

• SEOmoz
• SEOBook
• WebmasterWorld Supporters

Search Engine Marketing Webinars

• Search Marketing Now
• Search Engine Watch Free Webcasts/Webinars
• SEMPO Webinars
• Hubspot Marketing Webinars
• MarketingProfs Online SEM Seminars
• Marketing Experiments Web Clinics

Search Marketing White Papers, Research, Special Reports

• Marketing Sherpa Search Marketing Benchmark Report 2009-10
• Econsultancy SEO Best Practices Guide 2009
• Google SEO Starter Guide (pdf)
• Bing SEO Guide for Webmasters
• DMNews Essential Guide to Search Marketing 2009
• Internet Retailer 2010 Search Marketing Guide
• Shop.org Research & Reports

SEO & SEM Email Newsletters

• Search Engine Land Search Cap
• WebProNews
• Search Engine Watch SearchDay
• Bruce Clay
• High Rankings Advisor
• Around the Net in Search Marketing – MediaPost
• SEO Geeks
• Search Insider – MediaPost
• BtoB Hands On Search
• Chief Marketer
• SearchLine – Direct
• Masters of eCommerce – eTail

Online Groups for Search Marketers (Facebook, LinkedIn, Ning)

• Facebook: SEO
• Facebook: PPC
• LinkedIn: SEO
• LinkedIn: PPC
• Ning: SEO
• Ning: PPC

The Big SEM Conferences

• Search Engine Strategies
• WebmasterWorld Pubcon
• Search Marketing Expo
• Affiliate Summit

SEM Consultant/Agency Advice

• TopRank Online Marketing – That’s right, we put our own agency  - The reality is, your current SEO/SEM agency or consultant should offer some kind of ongoing education and/or training on top of ongoing consulting services. If not, call us!

Print Magazines

• Website Magazine
• Search Marketing Standard
• SES Magazine
• OMMA
• Internet Retailer
• BtoB Search
• DM News: Search Marketing
• Target Marketing: Search & Social

Offline Networking Groups or Meetups

• SEO Meetups
• PPC Meetups

Books on SEM

• Search Engine Marketing Inc, 2nd Edition – Mike Moran & Bill Hunt
• Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day – Jennifer Grappone & Gradiva Couzin
• The Truth about Search Engine Optimization – Rebecca Lieb
• Search Engine Visibility, 2nd Edition – Shari Thurow
• SEO: Search Engine Optimization Bible – Jerri L. Ledford
• Search Engine Optimization: Your Visual Blueprint for Effective Internet Marketing – Kristopher B. Jones
• Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition – Steve Krug
• Building Findable Websites: Web Standards SEO and Beyond – Aarron Walter
• Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords – Perry Marshall & Bryan Todd
• Winning Results with Google AdWords, 2nd Edition – Andrew Goodman
• Google Advertising Tools – Harold Davis
• Landing Page Optimization – Tim Ash
• Always Be Testing: The Complete Guide to Google Website Optimizer – Bryan Eisenberg & John Quarto-vonTivadar
• Website Optimization: Speed, Search Engine & Conversion Rate Secrets – Andrew King
• Best Selling “SEO” books on Amazon
• No, SEOBook is no longer available

Niche or Regional SEO/SEM Workshops

• PPC Summit
• IM Springbreak
• Online Marketing Summit
• Scary SEO
• SearchFest
• thinkvisibility
• SEM Training London (Incisive)
• SMX Advanced
• SEO Events on Upcoming

Search Marketing Industry Web Sites

• Search Engine Land
• Search Engine Watch
• Pandia
• SEOBook
• SEOMoz
• Practical Ecommerce
• SEO Chat
• Search Engine Guide
• iMedia Connection: Search

SEM Workshops, Training & Certifications

• Web Analytics Association Courses
• Bruce Clay Training
• High Rankings SEO Classes
• DMA Search Marketing Certification
• SEMPO Institute
• Market Motive
• Online Marketing Institute
• Search Engine College

Search Marketers on Twitter

• 30 Must Follow SEO Twitter Users
• 200+ Internet Marketing Gurus on Twitter
• Follow the Top 40 SEO Experts on Twitter in One Click
• UK  Based SEOs on Twitter
• SEO Tips

SEO & PPC Focused Podcasts

• SEO Rockstars – Daron Babin
• Office Hours – Vanessa Fox
• Webcology – Jim Hedger & Dave Davies
• PPC Rockstars – David Szetela
• SEM Synergy – Bruce Clay

What did we miss? Please share in the comments.

I took a quick poll on Twitter for some of the resources and want to thank those that made suggestions: @chrisgarrett, @scottclark, @danperry, @katemorris, @jonnytee, @Phil_EH, @steveplunkett, @chiropractic, @pratt, @kennyhyder, @kalena, @goglobalwebs, @scottdeto, @thashow.

chrisgarrett

scottclark

danperry

katemorris

jonnytee

Phil_EH

steveplunkett

chiropractic

pratt

kennyhyder

kalena

goglobalwebs

scottdeto

thashow

Tags: book ,ecommerce ,events ,facebook ,guide ,marketing ,online ,online marketing ,search ,search-engine ,search-marketing ,seo training ,training

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How to Network at an SEOmoz Seminar After-Party

Written on September 8, 2009 by admin

Filed Under: Object, book, seo

Posted by audiore

This post was originally in YOUmoz, and was promoted to the main blog because it provides great value and interest to our community. The author’s views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of SEOmoz, Inc.

Audiore is an in-house internet marketer for Bill4Time - a time billing company.

Ok, fellow SEOmozzers, this is my very first YouMoz post and I’m pretty nervous about it. It’s just like songwriting where you compose something from your personal perspective and cringe a bit as you put it out there for everyone to see. (And if any of you are even thinking about checking to see if I know what I’m talking about, let’s make it easy for you.)

Now, this post is coming from someone who is not much of a socialite butterfly. I admit, I procrastinated 30 minutes before I gathered enough courage to get in the door.

Tags: business ,events ,friends ,movies ,networking ,opinion ,party ,people ,person ,personal ,presentations ,seo ,shoes ,street ,wedding

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7 Reasons Social Media Is A No-Brainer For Passionate B2C Brands

Written on September 3, 2009 by admin

Filed Under: Advertising, book, marketing, seo

Social media is fast becoming a standard element in the marketing mix of major consumer brands.  And with good reason: never before has such a creative landscape existed for people and the brands they love to interact, share stories and build relationships – in all directions.

With social media marketing spends predicted to grow at an annual rate of 34% according to a report from Forrester Research, analyst trends support these thoughts.  Yet, not all companies are sold, with many taking a “wait and see” approach as they believe the landscape to be risky and unproven.

Just the opposite is true – waiting may prove the riskiest move of all as brands who wait too long only succeed in yielding ground to agile competitors.  This may prove especially damaging in the B2C space.  When consumers pledge allegiance to favorite brands, they may stick with those brands indefinitely and outright ignore competitors.

At this point, the rewards far outweigh the risks, especially for brands following a social media roadmap, something which sets themselves up for success.

Still questioning the value?  The following are 7 reasons engaging in social media marketing is a no-brainer for any passionate B2C brand:

1.  Take your communications directly to consumer

While traditional media is shrinking and digital media continues to experience growth, huge opportunities are afforded to companies embracing the direct to consumer model for their communications.  For a stunning example of this at scale, consider that if the Official Google blog was a newspaper, its subscriber numbers would put it in the top 10 for daily circulation right between the Houston Chronicle and the Chicago Tribune (hat tip to Noah Brier for the observation).  Google not only delivers content directly to consumer, but as a by-product of that their messages resonate beyond other blogs and frequently into tech, trade and mainstream media.

2.  Avoid a negative groundswell

By being active in social media and having your finger on the pulse of what the world is saying about your brand, you may be able to hedge negativity before it spirals out of control.  We’ve all heard the stories about negative brand experiences from consumers which resonated in the social web, but we didn’t hear about a backlash against Priceline.  That’s because Priceline was paying attention and able to respond to a potential groundswell by alleviating the situation before it could spread.  David Armano noted the details but the consumer’s reaction in her own word’s speaks volumes:

“I opened Aaron’s email around 12:00PM PST I posted a Blog on Google describing the events and then sent a Tweet Blast around 2 if my tweets are logging PST, which is possible as I have no sense of time.  Then I specifically re-tweeted to people with larger follows to help make sure I was heard. Aaron called me at 4 PM PST which is 7 in North Carolina and said that,  “Priceline had called about an hour ago and offered to refund the money!”

The old saying of satisfied customers tell three friends, angry customers tell everyone becomes exponentially more potent in social media.  Shouldn’t you be there to concurrently help your customers and practice digital reputation management?

3.  Own your presence in popular platforms

Your brand may not be active in platform-specific networks such as Facebook or Twitter at the corporate level, but make no mistake that your biggest fans are already doing this on your behalf.  International Dairy Queen had an interest in getting involved in Facebook (and social media as a whole) and upon digging into the situation they discovered hundreds of others had already created Facebook fan pages on behalf of the brand to share their love of an American classic.

DQ was able to analyze what fans were doing and strategically establish their DQ corporate Facebook presence right alongside fan pages, where it has quickly grown to six-figures organically and become the major hub for the brand in that network.  With hundreds of comments and likes on each post engaging with DQ’s blog content and promotions, it is an active, vibrant digital asset (full disclosure:  DQ was previously a client I worked on at my former employer).

4.  Truly understand your demographic

Social media presents the ultimate focus group because you can naturally observe how people behave and interact – specifically the demographic you’re interested in reaching.  But it goes beyond merely watching.  By engaging with your demographic directly through social communications tools, you will learn details about them you may have not previously considered.

It is risky to miss the mark in a connected world, as witnessed by the Motrin Moms fiasco last year.  Had they been actively involved in a dialog with their target demographic, they may have created a promotion which resonated positively, instead of something still getting referenced for rubbing their consumers the wrong way.  The web as a medium is extremely referential, so you will live with the good and bad.  By having an understanding your chances of being known for something positive increase exponentially.

5.  Social media / SEO intersection

As Online Marketing Blog readers are well aware, there is a clear intersection of search and social media.  As we discuss this intersection quite frequently, I’ll sum this point up quickly with a quote from one of Lee’s posts on Mashable:

By involving SEO insight in a social media marketing effort and vice versa, marketers, public relations professionals and advertisers can extend the value of their investment. Well optimized social media content marketing efforts can attract new network participants via search. News content that experiences distribution via social news and bookmarking channels can facilitate links to company website content directly and indirectly. Advertisers that fund social media campaigns can continue to realize the traffic benefit from keyword-optimized interactive content long after the campaign has ended.

6.  Real-time market research

Once you’re active in social media and begin to attract a following for your brand, your opportunities for engagement and to gain actionable data from your audience will become limited only by your creativity.  You can crowdsource new product ideas directly to those most interested in purchasing, get feedback on making current products better and work to find out what it is your consumers really want.  Focus groups in controlled settings are out, real-time data “in the wild” is in.

7.  It’s nearly 2010 – consumers expect it

Last but not least, our world is quickly moving to a society where digital media is the dominant player.  A study by PEW confirms this:  more people say they rely mostly on the internet for news than cite newspapers, and nearly six-in-ten Americans younger than 30 (59%) say they get most of their national and international news online.  Also, the percentage of people younger than 30 citing television as a main news source has declined from 68% in September 2007 to 59% in 2008.  Digital media share of voice is only going to continue climbing while other channels lose ground.

Can you really afford to ignore the new medium of choice for consumers?

Tags: Advertising ,b2c marketing ,book ,brand ,events ,internet ,investment ,marketing ,media ,rewards ,social media

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Best Thing About Search Conferences

Written on August 12, 2009 by admin

Filed Under: book, seo

Posted by jennita

Every search conference is filled with sessions, keynotes, site reviews, clinics, and the like. If you’re not at the conference you can follow the blogs and Twitter to get your daily dose of conference fare. These help keep you up-to-date on the sessions and general goings on.

The unfortunate part of not being here is that you miss out on the social aspect of the conferences. For me one of the biggest draws of these conferences is the chance to network and get to know people within the industry. (Plus, no one knows who I am so I can roam around fairly incognito without having to shave my head to do so.) Last night at SearchBash (from WebmasterRadio.fm - great party by the way!) I had several Pro members approach me to tell me how much they enjoy our tools and feedback. How much does that rock?! Yep. A lot.

But when it comes down to it, what is REALLY the most important part of coming to a conference? Is it the sessions or the excellent networking? Although both are extremely valuable, the one part of the events that seems to get overlooked is one of the most important (or at least the most fun) aspects of the conference. The Free stuff people! FREE stuff! If a company does it right, then they have hundreds (thousands?) of people walking around with their T-Shirt on, or sanitizing their hands with their branded sanitizer (heh, yep).

So let’s take a walk through the SES San Jose Expo Hall to see who stands out…

Tags: book ,conference ,events ,facebook ,home ,iphone ,most ,orange-soda ,people ,post ,search ,sessions ,social ,tools ,yahoo

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