Social Media « Webmarketing123

4 Ways to Increase Your Blog’s Effectiveness

September 2nd, 2010

Blogging is definitely becoming a company-wide effort, so make sure you take note of how to participate effectively in this activity–whether it be for personal or professional reasons!

Update Blogs Frequently

It might seem obvious to update a blog regularly, but many blogs suffer from a lack of fresh content. There are many reasons to produce new content regularly for your blog, and, given the nature of blogs, they are much easier to update than a website. One of the biggest reasons to update is to keep your readers coming back. If a blog is never updated with new posts, readers will start to lose their incentive to check back for new content. Additionally, if the blog is hosted on your website, search engines will look favorably on all of the new content being added to your site on a consistent basis.

Provide Useful, Informative Content

It might be tempting to write a blog post hyping your newest product or promoting your company, but blog readers are looking for informative, sincere content. Most readers can tell the difference between a blog with useful information versus a blog that sounds like a marketing campaign or advertisement. Take this opportunity to connect with customers and provide them with honest information about new products, industry trends, or even job openings. However, stay away from blog posts that seem like they have a hidden motive; provide a real and honest voice on your blog that customers can relate to. A great way to get sincere and also fresh content is to encourage employees to write blog posts. This is often the best way to come up with new content and give more employees a personal voice in the company.

Utilize Keywords in Blog Posts

Many of our clients understand the value of keywords, as they are the basis of search engine optimization, but the importance of using keywords cannot be overstated. Keywords are search terms that customers use to find your site, your blog, or your product. Not using keywords within your blog content underutilizes a valuable resource. It is possible to use keywords as many times as it makes sense to in a given article, but make sure to not throw keywords in excessively. This is called keyword-stuffing; search engines consider this “spammy” and downgrade your rankings accordingly. A good baseline is to use all primary keywords two to three times each in a 250-300 word article, and any secondary keywords once in an article.

Choose Effective Titles and Calls to Action

In addition to keywords, there are many other opportunities in a blog post to be very specific in word choice. A catchy, attention-getting title might be the determining factor in whether someone clicks a link to your blog post. A great technique is to ask or answer a question in the title of your blog, prompting your readers to want to find out more about your subject. Examples might include “10 Tips to Increase Search Engine Rankings” or “Why isn’t my website ranking where it should be?” Now that you’ve gotten people to your blog post with a catchy title, where would you like for them to go next? Would you like them to click over to your website and do some research on your products? How about signing up for a newsletter or becoming a member of your blog? Whatever the goal of your blog, make that clear. A great place for a call to action is the footer of your blog. Here, you can provide a value proposition or call to action with a link to the next step.

I hope this information helps you and/or your company in writing upcoming posts, as well as providing structure to your blog as a whole!

-Alex

Tags: blog posts, Blogs, call to action, increase rankings, keywords, SEM, SEO, Social Media, useful content, Webmarketing123
Posted in Search Engine Optimization, Social Media | No Comments »

Where’s Your Social Media Citizenship?

August 9th, 2010

Here’s a really cool info-graphic that’s been floating around our office today. Recreated by Flowtown from an earlier XKCD design, this map is a great illustration of the world’s social media distribution, in a geographical layout. If the entire world was made up of social media countries and bodies of water, every nation would be represented here. From the various dating and erotic social media platforms, to the internet superpower that Facebook has become – everyone’s accounted for!

Take a dip in the warm waters of the “OMG WTF TTYL Ocean,” or paddle around the “Lake of Myspace Bands,” just below the land of “Defunct Social Networks.” Hike across the “Media Mountain Ranges” in the growing “Empire of Google,” and stake your claim on the “Rising Island of Google Buzz!”

In terms of sheer numbers, the user demographics for the more major social networks are pretty well illustrated and from this depiction it’s clear that Facebook has sped off and distinguished itself from the rest of pack.

However, we do miss snorkeling in the “Noob Sea” (not pictured in this map), so be sure to check out the original design by XKCD’s Map of Online Communities.

Peruse the design, tell us what you think and where you take your social media break. Just don’t get caught by your co-workers cruising the “Adultfriendfinder” coastline!

- Seth

Tags: adultfriendfinder, bebo, blogspotflixster, ebay, facebook, flickr, Flowtown, Google, google buzz, habbo, hi5, linkedin, match.com, myspace, phone apps, Social Media, social networking, social networks, The 2010 Social Networking Map, tumblr, twitter, wiki, wikimedia, xing, XKCD, Yahoo, youtube
Posted in Social Media | No Comments »

Do Facebook Fans Provide ROI for Social Media? We’d Put Money on It!

June 17th, 2010

What is the empirical value of a Facebook fan? This month Syncapse in association with Hotspex put out a study digesting the ROI of a Facebook fan, and examined why fans are a good indicator of brand and product health. It’s a lengthy 18 pager, but if you’re into nerdy marketer stats like me, then you’ll love it!

The Study:

Syncapse looked at the top 20 consumer brands on Facebook and paneled over 4,000 Facebook users around the US. The subjects were questioned on their consumer behavioral patterns, their perceived feelings of others (friends, family, etc.) in relation to their consumer behavior, and whether they were a fan of each of the 20 brands. The variables used for understanding the value of a Facebook fan were product spending, loyalty, propensity to recommend, brand affinity, media value, and acquisition cost.

The Highlights:

There are key points of difference between Facebook users who are “fans” and are not “fans.” Fans voluntarily categorize themselves as brand advocates, and are extremely valuable for both campaign-based and long term business efforts.

Fans are your brands captive audience.

•They exhibit more affinity and loyalty to the brand than those who are non-fans.

• Fans are 28% more likely to continue using a brand than non-fan consumers.

• 81% of fans said they felt a connection/empathy with the brand, compared to 39% of non-fans.

Fans spend more.

• On average, fans spend an additional $71.84 on products for which they are fans compared to those who are not fans.

A Fan’s word of mouth -the best lead generator.

• Fans are 41% more likely than non-fans to recommend a “fanned” product to their friends.

•The act of “fanning” has incredible influence for converting non-fans to fans.

38% of the subjects paneled said they would likely become a fan of a brand if they saw a friend or family member do so.

34% reported they would likely become a fan of a brand if it was a person known though Facebook rather than a family member. That’s only a 4% difference!

So what is the ROI magic number? Using the metrics of the 5 variables mentioned above, Syncapse calculated the average value of a fan as $136.38. But take note, the fiscal value of a fan has remarkable variance as some fans are extremely active and some are inactive.

As Facebook user base continues to grow, so will the need for a brand to understand, connect with, and influence the growing audience. Brands need to adapt from traditional marketing strategies and shift in the direction of social media platforms. Communication to your colleagues of the rationale for the shift is as essential as the shift itself. We’re all trying to understand the ROI on social networks. And sure at times while reading I felt the “well duh” moment (ex. Fans feel more connection with a brand then non-fans), I also thought the report did a great job with validating why we should spend marketing dollars on Facebook.

It’s clear; there is empirical value in a Facebook fan. I’m on board, are you?

-Mary “watching the World Cup in my cube” Baldwin

Social Media Account Manager

Tags: facebook, facebook fans, ROI, SMM, Social Media, world cup
Posted in Social Media | No Comments »

Spiders on Caffeine!

April 7th, 2010

Remember health class, or drug prevention week? That was the first time I saw the webs of spiders on various mood-altering substances, distorted and holey compared to the classic orb design. In today’s webinar, New SEO Fundamentals in a Google Caffeine World, I learned, much as I suspected, that Google spiders were not included in the experimental data.

Google spiders thrive on Caffeine, much like the rest of us. The new Caffeine algorithm they use to index webpages works faster and more thoroughly. Imagine a denser web that attracts more flies and catches a greater percentage of them.

The caffeinated spiders want fresh content, and lots of it. They want to have the content grouped together with a logical flow, like a morning paper separated into sections for news, sports, and entertainment to go with their morning coffee. Of course, they’re checking their favorite blogs at the same time, not to mention keeping up with Twitter and Facebook. You can give them what they want by optimizing your pages to appeal to them with keyword-rich content and organized silos of information. You can catch their attention with new posts and tweets. They’ll reward you with higher placement in the rankings.

But, much like many folks after too many double espressos, the spiders can be a little jittery. If your pages take a long time to load, they don’t have the patience to wait. They’ll skip to something that they can see right now.

What to do? Pay attention to content and architecture on your site. Get involved with social media to get yourself placed in the real time listings on results pages and to engage others talking about your services or products. And, perhaps, pick up a cup of coffee.

Tags: Blogs, Google, Google Caffeine, Google spiders, Social Media, Webinar
Posted in Google Updates, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Webinar Highlights, Webmarketing123.com | No Comments »

Go Outside and Play

March 24th, 2010

That first recess at a new school can be awkward. Do the kids play the same games here? What are the unwritten rules for the swings? Do the big kids meet on the blacktop or under the trees by the fence? And, most importantly, will anyone want to play with me?

Social media marketing, for many companies, feels about as comfortable as that new playground. Some companies suddenly feel the urge to hide in the library until recess is over and the understandable, bell-regulated classroom time begins again. But hiding won’t make it go away.

The good news, as Barbara mentioned in the webinar, Social Media Marketing and ROI, is that you don’t have to jump into the middle of the playground right away. It’s a good idea, in fact, to linger at the edge of the tanbark and watch what the other kids are doing, listen to what they’re saying, and begin to play once you know where the hot lava monster lives. From a social media perspective, this means checking out what other companies are doing, soaking up the culture, and only then joining the conversations and starting your own.

It can be a challenge to companies who are used to dealing in websites, which are, as Barbara says, like resumes, clean and professional, to switch to the casual style of social media. You don’t want to play tag in your suit, so to speak, and if you try, you may not get the results you want (although the embarrassment it would cause might make an engaging blog post…). Social media requires a new level of integration between the professional and the casual, the business person and the everyday person.

School would be unbearable for even the most dedicated student without some time to play four-square. Similarly, company marketing strategies need to add social media to their mix along with their other approaches to ensure a happy, healthy outcome.

Tags: Highlights, SMM, Social Media, Webinar, Webmarketing123
Posted in Social Media, Webinar Highlights, Webmarketing123.com | No Comments »

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