Just a quick word on two marketing efforts I heard about over the last couple days.
Brilliant
A wager between two micro-brewries, one in San Francisco, one in Maryland. Depending on who wins the Superbowl, the loser town brewry has to serve for 1 week the beer of the winning town, plus wear the winning team's jersey. Both brewries win and get massive brand exposure and leverage the hype paid for by others.
Excellent!
Stupid
Research in Motion is rebranding itself...as Blackberry! A few folks have known all along that RIM is the maker of Blackberry. Most folks just think of and/or reference Blackberry, both as the company and as a product. For a company desperate to stay in existence, spending thousands of dollars to rebrand itself as what folks already know them as? Waste of time, money and good will.
Usually, a big marketing agency that is brought in to help 'save' a company defaults to the rebranding strategy - because they have gotten lazy and used to having large budgets with which to work.
No markter can (or should) be tasked with saving a company or getting sales to a certain number if the product is bad, doesn't work or isn't something the consumer wants.
Personally, I'll stick with the micro-brews!
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So here's an update on my company SEO nightmare - Local.com IS in partnership with Yext, which I already knew was not a company I would ever EVER deal with. I had, of course asked that question when I first interviewed local.com. They lied and said local.com had nothing to do with Yext. Now they are sharing documents and reporting that they are, in fact, partner businesses.
Well no wonder things went south fast!
To add to the joys, one of my clients unwittingly had his business' profile taken hostage. It seems to trace back to eLocalProfiles.com. They created a landing page and YouTube video, unathorized, went live with it, then started creating profiles all over the web with it...basically forcing him to pay eLocal/ elocalprofiles to get any ownership of the content, leads, etc. They have yet to ever respond.
Other companies are doing similar programs, each with a pay-per-call program. Thus, instead of driving traffic to his website and/or getting free calls to his company based on solid SEO and/or directory listings, he is having to pay random companies for leads on phone numbers he never authorized.
Now, I've just found that another company has taken over his Google Business Places web link and profile.
The web is not a friendly place these days.
If you, too, need to write "clear" notes to some offenders that we are dealing with, here are a few contact names and addresses. I find that contacting the "General Counsel" is usually effective.
LocalSplash.com
3540 Howard Way | Costa Mesa, CA 92626
RelevantAds
3540 Howard Way | Costa Mesa, CA 92626
eLocal Listing
28765 Single Oak Drive, Suite 250
Temecula, CA 92590
Local Corporation7555 Irvine Center DriveIrvine, CA 92618
Yext Office
75 9th Ave, 8th Fl
New York, NY, 10011
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Before I ever recommend or 'let' my clients use a new service, I test it with my own business.
I am glad I do, as none of my clients should have to face the nightmare I am facing from testing Local.com.
There are a number of businesses claiming to help you with your SEO by getting you listed on a lot of different directories. These directory listings are supposed to help you with your Search Engine Optimization, and make it easy for people to find your business.
Some of the services are Yext, CityGrid and Local.com.
Yext I do not recommend.
CityGrid I do not recommend, esp. as they are actually doing a pay-per-click, like Search Engine Marketing (like Google ads), but in what is supposed to be the free or "organic/natural" area. This goes completely against Google's model...and Google knows this is happening. I anticipate it won't be long before the punishment of CityGrid begins. I don't want my clients caught up in that, nor do I want them to pay for what is supposed to be free.
My main message today is to share that I would suggest everyone to AVOID LOCAL.COM.
​After putting together wrong information about my business, not using the information I repeatedly provided to them and very strong objections to their placeholder images and the request that they, in fact, use the images I repeatedly provided to them...against my explicit direction, they went live with the wrong information and the bad pictures.
After calling them on this, I would get one story after another, but they have all proven false.
We Will Rebuild
Years spent building our online presence has been undone in a matter of moments by Local.com.
We will rebuild. Better. Stronger. Faster.
Better us than you.
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In February 2008, we started ThatSocialNetworkingThing because we understood a few basic realities around the social web:
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Your reputaiton online would stay with you for the long term.
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You didn't always have control over what people said about you online.
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Most people didn't understand social networks or social media.
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Most people in professional roles didn't really care about social networks or social media.
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Most people who were on social networks or social media didn't come at them from a marketing frame of mind.
These same points still hold true, over four years later.
The internet, like nature, abhors a vacuum. If you don't tell people what you want them to know about you, your work, your company, etc., that gap will be filled in by whatever is available on the first page of Google. Someone dislike something you once said or did to them and they posted it online? Someone with your name wanted by the police? These are real situations that have hurt peoples careers and livelihoods.
Would you rather control that message, or let your detractors?
Managing your online reputation, your "personal brand," is no longer optional. Even those folks who tried avoiding facebook, twitter and the like are caught up in those and other online spaces as no one lives in isolation. Your friends, your families, your co-workers - they are active online. The company you work for, the school you attend - they are active online. And they are putting messages out there that impact YOUR personal reputation.
There are ways to take back control.
"The best defense is a good offense." From the beginning of our personal brand manangement services, this has been our foundational approach. Because we started as a marketing agency with specialities in Search Engine Optimization, we understood that SEO is an intregal part of managing your personal brand. Most of the companies which have developed since have adopted this same approach.
There is more, though, than just being 'everywhere' for high SEO - strategy. Just like we do for our corporate clients, having a plan for message, target audience, multi-channel and frequency when it comes to your perosnal brand is key.
Random activity results in random results. You don't know what is working and what isn't. If something isn't working, how do you fix it? Are you being consistent? Are you creating a comprehensive picture of your self? Are you in front of the people whose opinions most matter to you and your industry/ profession? Do you have a plan for how to keep your profiles and presentations current to reflect your most recent and ground-breaking work?
Take advantage of the new year to develop a new plan for keeping your brand relevant and managed.
Need help? Contact us today!
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SKQU6UGXAZXQ www.alwaysvisiblesigns.comLike us on
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Happy New Year! While some folks are skittish about a "13" year, I'm confident that this will be the best year yet for your business. This is the year of discipline and focus. This is the year you work ON your business, not IN your business. 2013 is the year that you put into action the thoughts and ideas you've noted on napkins, planned on post-its and sketched in spirals for years. 2013! This is it!
So, how exactly will you put your brilliant ideas into action? Have a plan and a schedule. Accept that you'll be making some sacrifices this year, but be confident that those sacrifices will pay off big. The peace of mind, the contentment, the pride and the ongoing motivation of seeing your dreams become reality...that makes it all worth it.
10 Tips to Help Entrepreneurs Grow Their Business
- Pick one place where you record your "to dos."
I, for example, use Google calendar. Most of my life is ruled by a calendar anyway, plus it's searchable and accessible on any device I might be using. If it needs to be done, followed-up on, investigated, delegated, etc. - it goes in the calendar.
- Designate certain days of the week for certain types of work.
As the civic group I'm active in meets on Thursdays, that's my day to work on those projects. By blocking off time, I can:
- manage people's expectations of when things will get done,
- manage MY expectations about how much time I can dedicate to certain volunteer projects,
- create and communicate production schedules and deadlines to the team,
- know when I will be working on items, helping keep the projects on track internally,
- save on production charges by allowing enought time for revisions, proofs and non-rush costs.
These same 'rules' apply for paying bills, working on certain client work and running errands.
- Schedule time each day for particular tasks.
Social media is part of my business, so remaining active on social media sites is critical. The second thing I do each day is review Facebook activity overnight, then post some items myself. This way, I know it's done. If I can do more during the day, great!
- Leverage the Cloud.
Whether it's Evernote, SpringPad or another cloud-based application, productivity software can help you be, well, productive. Several of these applications will have clipping tools that integrate into your browser tool bar. With one click, you can capture articles, references, etc. from various websites. Add tags so you can find them again easily. And by being in the cloud, they are accessible anywhere and from just about any device. Plus, you save money and help the environment because won't have to print a copy of the document or file it.
- Manage your expections.
Just like with dieting & exercise, if you say you'll never eat chocolate again and you'll exercise 1 hour every day, when you currently eat everything in site and your only exercise is grabbing the remote from the other end of the couch - you'll fail. Set realistic expectations for yourself...you'll get on one (not all) new social media site (e.g., Pinterest) and post 3 times a week for 6 months. Get into a habit, work it into your schedule, get comfortable with one medium, before committing yourself to more. If you say "I will be the king of social media this year" when you still haven't set up a Twitter account - the only thing you have set up is yourself.
- Outsource.
At the same time, if social media, for example, isn't your thing, why should you do that in-house? Accounting - leave for those who are really good at that. Learn what you can delegate to others, find good people, give them appropriate instruction - then let them go to it. Your business will not grow if you never let others do part of the work. Stay informed and stay involved, but learn to trust others to do what they are good at so you can focus on what you are good at.
- Commit to one networking event a month.
Hopefully, you are doing more than that. But when time is limited, it is easy to pass on the networking. Don't. Out of sight, out of mind. Know in advance what sort of business contact you want to make at the event, then keep introducing yourself to folks until you find the contact that matches your objective (e.g., in a certain industry, at a certain level in the organization, has contacts at another target business, etc.). Then spend the rest of the time talking and listening to that person. Don't sell! Make the connection and start building a relationship. Before saying good-bye, let the person know you'll follow-up to set up a coffee meeting - then do so the very next day.
- Prioritize your passion.
There's a reason why you went into this line of work. You're good at it, there's a need for it and you enjoy it. People are desperate to find people who are passionate about what they do. Usually, those individuals really care about doing a good job, are up on the trends and developments in their field and will truly partner with you, rather than just think about billable time. These people are, in the end, worth the amount you pay for their knowledge, their insight and their integrity.
- Focus on what makes you money.
I'm fascinated when meeting with clients that so few know what parts of their business actually are revenue producing! You can have loss leaders, but have a schedule and map of how to convert those into profitable customers. Watch what percentage of your clients come in through those channels, and what is the lifetime value of those customers. Or where do you spend your advertising dollars? Marketing something might get folks in the door, but frequently what you advertise doesn't even cover the cost of the promotion! (Think Groupon for many!) Be smart about your marketing. If you need help, see #6 above.
- Try something new.
It's the new year - time for new beginnings. Whether it's giving a new application a good, solid try, rearranging your office, bringing in a new assistant or putting into action on of those napkin ideas you've been carrying around for years, give it a go. If you keep doing the same thing you've always done, life - and business - will pass you by. Innovation drives business. Don't be left behind.
With wishes for a Healthy, Happy and Profitable New Year!
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A little white "f" sitting in a field of blue. It doesn't seem like it should be that important, yet Facebook can have an amazing impact on your brand's perceived value.
But is a "like" of your Facebook Fan Page a goal unto itself?
Apparently, some people...even agencies...think so. I do not, however, share that opinion.
I was recently 'justified' when I found a Facebook Fan Page for an agency that puports to be experts in social media. This Fan Page was strictly to promote one's own fan page, and to encourage other fans of that page to "like" new Fan Pages when added on this page. In otherwords, the link building 'strategies' that are now considered "black hat" for SEO are being encouraged within Facebook. Okay, fine, they can get people a number of quick likes...but what is the point?
I had a client whom was taken in by that agency's promises of all things wonderful and a social media highway paved in gold. That agency said that, just by signing up with them, my client's facebook fan page would get a whole lotta "likes" really fast. To the agency's credit, they did get the client 179 likes in the first week. HOWEVER, the Facebook Fan Page these folks were liking simply had the brand name, one random graphic - that's it. No about info, no cover photo, no posts - no nothin!
So what, exactly, were these 179 people "liking?"
In my opinion, the best one could hope for was that these are paid people who get, say, 5 cents per brand they like and follow...an extra cent if they are willing to have the ads and feeds show that they "liked" the page. Their credibility is wanting and their behavior has no impact on others. AND, best case scenario, these folks, some of whom might actually be within the brand's target market, will forget that they ever visited my client's facebook fan page or whose page it was.
What if, though, this client's target market DOES end up visiting this vacant page. What message is being conveyed, if 179 people would 'like' a page without anything on it? Is that the company one wants to keep? Do you expect anything of value to appear on this page in the future? I know I wouldn't.
Social media's role in the advertising, marketing and public relations mix is, I suggest, partially the subtle peer pressure and competitive nature of social groups. Who is the first to hear about something new? Who is the last, and what is the social consequence of being the last to know? Just like lawn signs in political campaigns create a feeling that there is a groundswell one way or another, having a lot of people "like" a facebook fan page can have a similar momentum.
But just because one person jumps off the cliff and likes a blank facebook fan page, does that mean others should, too?
Rather, just like in other advertising and marketing media, knowing whom your target market is and focusing your efforts on qualified leads, building a solid brand and laying the foundation for future, long-term growth - these are the keys to a successful social media campaign. Make sure you have good, frequent and valuable content. Think of your Facebook Fan Page as your customer service and training departments - you exist on Facebook to offer service, NOT as a sales department. Don't depend on Facebook to be the one, quick fix to your business success. Social media should be, for most companies, part of your marketing mix. Rarely, though, will it suffice as the sole medium for your marketing plan.
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Just was the 'victim' of another great application of Retargeting.
Retargeting, for those not aware, is where a cookie is dropped on your computer when you visit a website. There may be different cookies dropped, based on where on the website you are (what landing page, shopping cart, home page, etc.). Then, as you surf the web, you will see ads from (gasp!) that same company on whose site you were visiting.
For me, I was recently checking out Zazzle.com for a client. While there, I indulged and checkout out the Harry Potter items available. So, today, when visiting a political blogging site,
ads promoting Harry Potter stuff at Zazzle.com.
I'm already primed, because I was already looking at these items just yesterday. The company and these products I'm already interested in. Zazzle isn't making a cold call - they are nurturing a warm lead.
This is such a great way to grow your business, and rates are very reasonable. I'd be happy to work with folks to develop a plan that works for you, or even just explain in more detail how it can apply to your business.
Your returns are higher if you can close a deal you've already invested in than just keep starting over with a new pool of potential customers.
As for me? Gryffindor t-shirt awaits.
(BTW, with the picture above? My vote's with George Allen!)
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Thanks to Google Alerts, I saw that a YouTube video and a directory listing were made about my client...with the wrong phone number. Upon digging deeper, I learned that YellowBook hires elocalprofiles to create directory listings and videos for clients...using the phone number that YellowBook uses to track (and charge) calls to their customers.
I've been uncomfortable from the start with customers and potential customers not having my client's real phone number. But if it's just in the phone book (and, possibly, at Yellowbook.com), I was willing to let it go, if it was actually generating sales.
This, however, is unacceptable and, I would argue, unethical.
My client invests in SEO. We work hard to be consistent and to have profiles and listings, legitimate link building - we even have a new video plan ready to be launched. Yellowbook does NOT have my client's authorization to post web pages or create listings or videos or anything on his behalf. Especially, when it is providing contradictory information (the phone number) which gets cached, limits our ability to post profiles on these same directories AND will cost him money if anyone calls via that number. And if he cancels his arrangement with Yellowbook? Folks have a phone number that goes to another company...even one of his competitors.
When I called elocalprofiles.com, the customer service person initially said he couldn't do anything, as Yellowbook had contracted the service. After repeatedly explaining why that wasn't good enough, he said he'd 'make a request' to have the page taken down or the number corrected to my client's actual phone number.
How can a company be allowed to create profiles and listings for a company they don't own, with wrong information, for the purpose of making money for themselves, and the actual business owner not have any rights to have the information taken down, corrected and to have to fight to have the customer service person say 'I'll see if we can do anything?'
(For Technorati followers, this claim code should look familiar BRTKR67MUADA. Don't know what I'm talking about? Don't worry about it!)
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A Passion for Lists
H. Allen Smith (1907-1976), noted American journalist, once said, “The human animal differs from the lesser primates in his passion for lists”.
I would have to agree – we do love our lists! Some of us have bucket lists, a lot of them still in progress. Or you can buy a readymade bucket list like 1000 Places to Visit Before you Die. There are all sorts of books with lists and even a series called the Book of Lists. Also there are wildly popular online lists like Craig’s List or Angie’s List.
We make lists when we go shopping for groceries or Christmas presents. We make a list when we are planning a long vacation. When we are peeved we make mental lists of what we think is wrong with our partner in life or business.
I have a list of social media apps, platforms, and widgets that I would like to try out and put to use. I want to see what’s worth keeping and what should be crossed off. This list is dynamic because I will be watching out for new things to add to it.
My blog, The Social Media List, will be about each app, platform, or widget that I check out. It will be from my viewpoint as a social media hobbyist (who still has a lot to learn).
Maybe you would like to follow along and learn with me.
This starts a new and improved series from guest blogger, Judy Szewczyk. She will be exploring a variety of social media platforms, what they are and how to use them. Follow her at clearlyderby.blogspot.com.
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