Google Adsense

Creative Inspiration: Hyundai Uncensored and Halo’s Robot Arm

Written on August 25, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: book, marketing

Customer interaction is the key behind two new marketing campaigns that hit the web this past week, Hyundai “Uncensored” and Halo’s Robotic Arm. Let’s take a closer look and see if we can get inspired for a campaign of our own.

Hyundai’s “Uncensored” campaign has gained the interest of both consumers and the media. The idea behind it was to gather unsolicited and uncensored testimonials by putting hidden cameras in cars. The commercials have been airing on TV and YouTube for the past month and now Hyundai is using Facebook to drive their point home. They used their Facebook page to pick 50 participants for a one-month test drive. The drivers were asked to post their thoughts regularly on their Facebook page. They were also given cameras so they could record and upload videos. The assumption here is that most people will post kind thoughts even if it’s not the full truth. But anytime you ask people for an opinion, you’re bound to get complainers and Hyundai has several on their “Uncensored” Facebook page. One woman talks about a class action suit due to a gas problem and another wails on Hyundai’s customer service.

Is this a case of “no publicity is bad publicity?” By opening their virtual doors to both positive and negative comments, does that make Hyundai a more trustworthy brand? So far, it looks like it’s working for them.

Another interesting marketing ploy to pop up this week is Halo’s robotic arm. The story behind it is that the makers of Halo have a Kuka KR 140, robotic arm hidden in a warehouse in San Francisco. When fans of the game sign on at RememberReach.com, they can activate the robot which illuminates a point of light in honor of a fallen comrade. More than 50,000 points will be needed to create the completed work of art which will resemble the team in action.

CNET, Wired and a dozen other gamer and geek sites wrote about this marketing effort and if I’m reading the Halo page right, lots of people have already participated. I logged in (using Facebook connect) to give it a shot and found it totally underwhelming. I picked a spot on the screen, it lit up for a second then I got a message saying I’d be notified when my spot was permanently lit. If I imagine that I really made a robot arm in San Francisco move when I clicked the screen, then it is pretty cool. But it’s kind of like that episode of “The Big Bang Theory” where they turn down their stereo by sending a signal around the world through the internet. The theory is pretty neat, but the reality. . .not so much.

Have you checked out the Halo robotic arm? Creative idea or a just a lot of marketing hype? Or the better question is, does it matter as long as people are talking about it?

Read the original here:
Creative Inspiration: Hyundai Uncensored and Halo’s Robot Arm

SES San Francisco Keynote: BJ Fogg On The Power to Change Behavior

Written on August 18, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: book, marketing, seo

BJ Fogg, Director, Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University gave the opening keynote on day 2 of Search Engine Strategies San Francisco.  BJ is perhaps best known for promoting the concept of “captology,” a word he coined to describe the overlap between persuasion and computers.

In his book, “Mobile Persuasion,” BJ proposes the theory that the mobile phone will soon become the most powerful channel for persuasion, more influential than TV, radio, print, or the Internet.

A visual explanation of captology:

Following is a summary of BJ’s key takeaways from his keynote – Hot Triggers: The Power to Change Behavior:

The other day, BJ was in his office at home checking email and an email came across with a message that he had been tagged in a photo on Facebook.  He thought “awesome Facebook, I’ve been tagged in a photo.”  He went in and checked it out – but got lost in Facebook and spent a lot of time there, more than he planned.  How did this happen?  He was “triggered.”

BJ thought, well, let’s look on the bright side of this.  Facebook is doing something right – the way they are triggering our behaviors is through the following formula:  put “hot triggers” in the path of motivated people.  This has become his design mantra and is one of the most powerful formulas for marketers.  However, it’s actually not new.  Putting hot triggers in the path of motivated people is how it’s always been.

More and more, technology can deliver these triggers at the right time in a way that can be measured.  If you look at Facebook, for example, as a platform that triggers behaviors you’ll notice they have evolved the platform in a way that does this.  Facebook is (love it or hate it) the #1 persuasive technology of all time.

BJ taught a class on Facebook a few years ago and it was all about getting students involved.  In 10 weeks and with no budget, they were able to create student project applications which attracted 16 million organic users.  Their success was due to putting hot triggers in the path of motivated people.

What triggers via Twitter?  Short links being shared of the best information.  If people are following you, they are interested in some level in your content.  Email is the grandfather of hot triggers.

Today’s tech dramas are all about control over the hot triggers – all companies want to be the ones who have that power.  The cycle is as follows:

People who control the platform can offer triggers to users, those triggers can control behavior, and when you control the behavior you are in a position of power.  Once you control the behavior you can create new platforms and control new platforms.

• Twitter evolved from texting.
• Facebook evolved from email.

Older platforms offer opportunities for new.  Will new platforms like Foursquare become successful?  We’re not sure yet, but you know you’ve got a platform when people pay you to put hot triggers in the path of users.  It’s true for Google – look at AdWords for a simple example.

Considering the social sciences…

The landscape of behavior change is messy, convoluted and confusing.  In the social sciences, things are messy and this is a reality.

The question is:  what actually motivates people?  The good news is that most humans are (fairly) predictable.  It is the context surrounding us which makes us seem complicated.  A lot of psychologists might think I’m wrong, but it’s my theory.

The 3 dimensions that motivate people:

1.  Pleasure/pain

2.  Hope/fear

3.  Social acceptance/rejection

If you try to motivate too much, it gets ugly and can backfire.  Use the lightest touch that works for success.  Example companies using this well are eBay feedback numbers or LinkedIn connections.

MAT is the model:  motivation, ability and trigger.  All three must be present at the same moment for behavior to occur.  If one is missing, behavior will not happen.

Also a key point:  increase ability by simplifying, not by training.  Making behavior super simple is how you’ll achieve success.  Make it so easy people can’t move forward without doing what you’re trying to do.

Simplicity has the following elements:

• Time
• Money
• Physical effort
• Brain cycles
• Social deviance
• Non-routine

The user needs to be motivated and able to do what you asked them to do, but that’s not enough.  You need to have a trigger as part of the path.  Live with this concept, look at behaviors in your life and try to understand behaviors in terms of the MAT model.  It’s not just accurate, it’s a practical way of looking at the world.

Technology always changes, but human psychology stays the same.  Study human psychology in tandem with technology so you’re able to recognize how to achieve results.  Consider what’s working in successful platforms from a sociological standpoint and how can you integrate them into your projects.

Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank

It Isn’t "Old School SEO" If It’s Just Nonsense SEO

Written on August 6, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: searchengineguide, seo

by Stoney deGeyter

Remember the movie Old School with Vince Vaughn and Will Farrell? Yeah, me neither. That’s because, while I’m sure the movie has some funny scenes, it just didn’t have the staying power of, say… Tommy Boy. Of course Tommy Boy had a very distinct advantage out of the gate… it didn’t star Will Farrell. You really can’t come back from that kind of thing.

In the SEO world there is “old school” and then there is “old school SEO nonsense”. In case you haven’t figured it out, in my world, the “old school SEO nonsense” stars Will Farrell. In your world, it might star Colin Farrell, Lindsay Lohan, or the entire cast of Big Bang Theory–all viable alternatives.

Like the actors noted above, “old school SEO nonsense” gets a lot of buzz, but underneath the surface, there just isn’t anything there. People are drawn to it like a mosquito to a bug light because it feels safe. It looks easy. It’s simplicity wrapped in a complexity. But, in the end, it’s hollow, useless, and generally leaves you feeling a little bit ripped off.

Let’s look at a few common “old school SEO nonsense” tactics that keep coming back to bite anybody that’s still stuck in 1998.

Keyword Density

The idea here is that you need to have the perfect keyword-to-text ratio on your pages. A 7% keyword density means you have your keyword 7 times for every 100 words. “Perfect” keyword densities range from 5-10%, and if you just get that magic number, your rankings will soar. Of course, you gotta wonder what happens once 10 other people find the perfect keyword density, too.

If you hear someone talk about getting the right keyword density on your site, shut them down faster than you would a “friend” offering to rent the Will Ferrell disaster (yeah, I know, that was redundant,) Land of the Lost.

Keyword Count

Keyword count is the Step Brother of keyword density (see how I worked in another Will Farrell movie reference there?) The theory goes that there is a minimum number of times you have to have your keywords on the page in order to rank well for it. Doesn’t matter how much text you have, just get your keyword in there 3 times, 5 times, 7 times, or whatever.

Yeah, your keywords should be in the page if you want to rank for them. But in truth, it doesn’t absolutely have to be. If you have enough incoming links pointing to your page with that keyword in the anchor text, that can get you the rankings you want in certain circumstances. But, in a competitive field, that’s usually not enough. There is no magic number of times your keywords should be on the page. Sometimes you use your keyword more frequently, while other times you use related words. It really just depends on the content.

Keyword Positioning

Where you position your keywords in your content does have some merit. (Yes, I’ll admit that I enjoyed both Stranger Than Fiction and Talladega Nights so I’ll give Will Ferrell some credit.) But as so often happens, a single good idea often turns into 20 really, really stupid ideas. (Bewitched, anyone?)

Yes, you want to use your keywords in key places such as your title tag, meta description, headings, and body content. But, does it really matter if your keyword is the third word in the first paragraph or the second sentence of the last paragraph on the page? Do you have to add an additional instance of your keyword in your third heading tag on the page even though it doesn’t really work? The answer is NO. It doesn’t matter, much like most Will Farrell movies.

Old School SEO Without the Nonsense

Old school SEO nonsense is just that. Just a bunch of blubbering directions that have no meaning other than to make the person uttering them feel smarter than you.

Real old school SEO is altogether different. It’s SEO that says, “we’re going back to the basics, back to what works.” There is nothing wrong with SEO that looks at a lot of fancy data. That’s all very important. But, old school SEO was true 10 years ago, and it’s still true today. The methods used to achieve SEO may change a bit here and there, but the same basic principles apply:

Write good content, work in your keywords, and build a quality site worth linking to. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Kinda like expecting a good Will Farrell… naw, too easy!

This post was inspired from The Princess Bride themed presentation I gave in early 2010 at SEMpdx’s Searchfest titled Inconceivable Content: The Dread Pirate Robert’s Guide to Creating Swashbuckling Content, Pillaging the Search Engines, and Commandeering a Treasure Trove of Conversions. If you enjoyed this post you also might enjoy other posts inspired from the same. Search for “inconceivable content” on this blog to find them all.

Be sure and visit our small business news site.

Read more from the original source:
It Isn’t "Old School SEO" If It’s Just Nonsense SEO

Guilt by Association: Do You Really Know Who You Are Linking To, Parts 1-12

Written on July 19, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: marketing, searchengineguide

by Stoney deGeyter

Note: Recently I’ve gotten some ribbing from friends and colleagues about my exceedingly numerous multi-part posts. In order to wean myself off my favorite form of not-having-to-think-about-what-I’m-going-to-write-about-next, I’ve combined all 12 parts of this series into a single post. Enjoy!

Part 1: Guilty of Crimes No One Committed

A lot of people subscribe to the “Guilt by Association” theory in online marketing. This theory suggests that you are who you associate with. I agree there is some definite truth to this mindset, but, like a lot of things, it can also be taken to a paranoid extreme. This fear leads some people into a paralysis that ultimately hinders their online marketing efforts rather than helping them.

“Guilt by Association” extremists work hard to keep themselves squeaky clean. They tread extra carefully with who they associate with in an effort to ensure that they are never found guilty of crimes they haven’t committed. In order to stay “pure”, they avoid having online relationships with some who they believe may have broken some rule at some point that, likely, nobody even cares about.

Part 2: Google’s Guidelines Don’t Rule the Web

With Google controlling so much market share, many business owners and online marketers are scared of doing anything that might seemingly violate Google’s Guidelines. We know Google looks at both positive and negative attributes, including your associations, when developing your overall trust profile. But we often do ourselves a disservice when we let Google’s Guidelines dictate everything we do on the web - even in areas that don’t have any specific connection to Google.

There is nothing wrong with keeping a clean profile and ensuring you don’t do anything that violates the search engine guidelines. There is also nothing wrong with making sure you associate your online profile with people you know will help you and not hurt you. But there comes a point where it borders on paranoia, at best, and counter-productive, at worst.

Part 3: You Have No Control Over Who Associates with You

One of the problems with worrying too much over your online profile is that you have little to no control over who associates themselves with you. Anybody can link to you, anybody can scrape your content, anybody can share your post with their friends, and anybody can retweet you. If you’re unhappy about who’s doing any of these things, your sole recourse is to contact them, ask them to stop, and then cross your fingers.

Google (and the other search engines) know this. They knew it back when they made links a part of their algorithms. They knew it when people started scraping and duplicating your content. And they know it now in an age of RTs, Likes, Mixxes, Stumbles, and whatever else we do with content we like.

Google will not hold you responsible if someone promotes you and then goes off and violates Google’s Guidelines.

Part 4: You are Responsible for Who You Associate With

If there is one constant in the world of online promotion, social media profiles, and search engine rankings, it is that you do have some responsibility for who you choose to associate with. In the real world, it is often said that you can tell a lot about a person by the friends they have. If you’re associating with thieves, liars, spammers, and cheats, you don’t have to be a thief, liar, spammer, or a cheat to get the reputation of one (or as an enabler of one). Either way, your associations affect you.

Part 5: You Are Not Responsible for the Entire History of Who You Associate With

There is some truth, both in real life and on the web, that you can learn a lot about a person by who they associate with. But it is also true that you cannot not be held accountable for the actions of every person you’ve shaken hands with.

In the social sphere of the web, retweeting or liking someone’s single message is not an endorsement of every tweet, post, thought, or blog they ever published. Even the worst offenders do something right! Making note of the positive doesn’t suddenly hang all their negative around your neck as if you’ve endorsed it all.

Parts 6-10: yada yada yada

Part 11: Everyone’s Got Some (Negative) History

No matter how squeaky clean you want to keep your social media profile, the only way to stay squeaky clean is to not associate yourself with anyone. The only person who does not have something negative in their profile is likely the person who has no profile whatsoever.

Or you can check the complete historical profile of every person before you RT, Stumble, Like, or whatever. Of course, even with those who pass the test, what guarantees do you have that they won’t do something shady in the future? Not only do you have to check the historical profile before you connect with them, you have to keep checking back to make sure you still want to be connected with them.

Part 12: We Are All Violators

Sooner or later, whether you like it or not, you’re going to violate some guidelines somewhere, including Google’s. It’s inevitable. Which is why we can’t live and breathe by every guideline that Google puts out.

Keep in mind, those who try hard to stay violation-free are often those that violate guidelines the most. They just hide it better.

And the search engines likely know this too.

Be sure and visit our small business news site.

Go here to see the original:
Guilt by Association: Do You Really Know Who You Are Linking To, Parts 1-12

Google Testing Skype Challenger?

Written on April 8, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: marketing

Google Voice has become a fan favorite for its ability to handle voicemail and have it follow you wherever you need it to. Very handy. You can receive and manage voicemails through Google voice from various numbers and have separate messages for certain callers etc etc etc. The one thing it has not provided, however, is an endpoint for calls so while a good tool, it has been limited.

In November 2009 Google purchased Gizmo5 and the rumor mill started humming about what Google had up its sleeve with regard to the use of their newly acquired VOIP tool box.

Since that purchase was all of 5 months ago that seems like several Internet lifetimes to not move the needle on that rumor. Well, TechCrunch is reporting that there is something to talk about.

Gizmo5 fills some of the holes in the Google Voice product, particularly providing an endpoint for calls. Currently Google Voice users must assign their Google Voice phone number to an actual phone to make and receive calls.

Google never commented on how they might use Gizmo5’s technology. But we’ve confirmed that they have now built a Google Voice desktop application to make and receive calls. From a user perspective, this will let Google Voice users take calls right from their desktop.

According to TechCrunch sources, this application is being tested by Google employees internally.

So if you are Skype, this news can’t be good. Of course, if you are Skype and you see Google making a move to become a player in yet another business there are options. In fact, you are likely to start revving up the law team of “Dewey, Screwyou, and How” to see how you can most effectively cry monopoly and get the feds involved. That’s just my theory but if this follows suit (pun intended) with other offerings Google has looked to roll out (AdMob) this will end up in a legal battle as much as it will a competitive one.

So if you are a Skype user does this make you think you may have another option or are you content with your Skype service? Let us know.

Excerpt from:
Google Testing Skype Challenger?

39% Trust Their Login Credentials to Google; Twitter Not So Much

Written on April 8, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: book, marketing

You’ve probably noticed a trend over the past couple of years of sites allowing you to login using your an existing credentials from Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

According to a survey of 170,000 web sites, JanRain says that Google is–surprise, surprise–the login of choice for many web users:

While it may look like another area of total dominance by Google, the login of choice changes when you look at those logging-in to media or technology platforms:

So what can we take from this data? Not much actually. Who knows why we prefer to use Facebook when logging into technology sites, but prefer Google overall? I suspect that technology and media sites may have more of an aversion to letting users login with big-brother Google, hence more occurrences of Facebook, Twitter, and other sites deemed to be less of a threat.

Regardless of the motives, you can expect these OpenId-esque login options to proliferate. Heck, maybe one day you’ll be able to login with your Pilgrim ID.

P.S. I’m actually shocked that Twitter is not a higher percentage and wonder if it’s because there’s so much talk of phishing attacks, that we simply don’t trust the security of our Twitter logins.

See the rest here:
39% Trust Their Login Credentials to Google; Twitter Not So Much

Beauty is Rare - Elusive so it Can be Easily Sold

Written on April 8, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: book, marketing, seo

A couple years ago my wife and I had our big wedding in the Philippines (we even had the mayor of Manila show up). She was so beautiful that day. And lucky for me she is just as beautiful when she wakes up each day.

But she can be hard on herself and if she gains a single pound she worries. Truth is I am the chubby one who needs to drop weight.

Beauty (and the perception of it) is a wonder commodity to sell because there is no limit. Almost everyone could be in better shape or be stronger or eat healthier or not have this or that birthmark or the odd finger that bends backwards.

We are imperfect beings by our very nature.

We get sick.

We break.

And we all fight the battle of aging one day at a time - every single day!

But no matter where you go, whatever is rare is typically considered desirable & beautiful. This is not done as an accident, but as a way to generate profits. If the human condition is flawed (and can’t be fixed) then the person selling a bogus solution to that problem is going to make a lot more money than a person who sells something which is actually attainable.

And so we live in a world where we treat symptoms, rather than problems. Anything to make the numbers look good and make the sale. From there you are on your own! If you feel bad, we can give you more drugs!

Spending too much time at the computer and eating unhealthy has made me a bit too chubby. No good in obese America! But did you know that in the certain times & cultures being fat was considered a sign of beauty, like when few people could afford to be fat!

There is too much high fructose corn syrup in the typical American diet for obesity to be considered beautiful:

“Our findings lend support to the theory that the excessive consumption of high-fructose corn syrup found in many beverages may be an important factor in the obesity epidemic,” Avena said.

The new research complements previous work led by Hoebel and Avena demonstrating that sucrose can be addictive, having effects on the brain similar to some drugs of abuse.

In the United States many girls not only label anorexia as beauty, but some go to tanning salons so they can darken their skin to look beautiful, at least until they get older:

Long-term exposure to artificial sources of ultraviolet rays like tanning beds (or to the sun’s natural rays) increases both men and women’s risk of developing skin cancer. In addition, exposure to tanning salon rays increases damage caused by sunlight because ultraviolet light actually thins the skin, making it less able to heal. Women who use tanning beds more than once a month are 55 percent more likely to develop malignant melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer.

A service which has no lasting positive tangible value AND certainly has a lasting negative tangible risk can grow to become a multi-billion Dollar industry

Anything to be beautiful! This is what beautiful people do. I want to beautiful.

The above never really made sense to me and always felt a wee bit scammy. There was an odd odor to it, but it was hard to appreciate how scammy it was, until…

When it really hit home for me was when my wife and I were in the Philippines. Many of the department stores sell skin whitening soap! Having a lighter skin tone is supposed to be a sign that you are from a wealthier family. And since wealth is concentrated that is rare. And so that is what is considered beautiful.

Original post:
Beauty is Rare - Elusive so it Can be Easily Sold

Google’s Issac Newton Apple Tree Logo

Written on January 4, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: Object

Those who visit Google.com today will be reminded that it is Issac Newton’s birthday today. Issac Newton came up with the theory of gravitation and the story behind it. In short, the story was that Newton was sitting by or under an apple tree, when an apple fell from the tree. That [...]



….

The rest is here:
Google’s Issac Newton Apple Tree Logo

My View From SES Chicago

Written on December 11, 2009 by admin

Filed Under: searchengineguide

by Sage Lewis

I have this theory that at every Search Engine Strategies conference there is a particular theme. I often times have a feeling for what I think the theme will be early in the week. I didn’t really know what it was for much of the week. I think I finally figured it out. Watch to see what I think.

Check out our small business news site.

More:
My View From SES Chicago

This Week in Search for 11/26/09

Written on November 26, 2009 by admin

Filed Under: seo

Posted by Sam Niccolls