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Blog posts tagged Online Marketing
You posted a link — like or comment?
August 04, 2011
Facebook is the slightly less refined older brother of Twitter. They share a few of the same ideas, but with Facebook you can delve deeper into the conversation with your contemporaries and clients.
Here are some tips for using Facebook as a business tool:
- Updates are bigger (at least compared to Twitter). With Facebook, you can post significantly longer updates than the 140-character limit of Twitter. While the messages won’t be as succinct and catchy as shorter ones, more information can be given without needing to click through a link to get the whole story.
- New apps and tools are being developed all the time. Features such as questions allow you to ask a question to all of your friends, and are completely customisable. Whether you want to find out what your site is lacking or simply what device most of your fanbase use, questions are quick and easy, without the hassles of organising a survey in person.
- Likes and comments are where the conversation starts with Facebook. If someone likes your post for whatever reason, it will show up in their friend’s feed – and show their interest. Comments allow for rapid responses to questions or ideas you may have, and will allow you to shape your progress or business model accordingly.
- Have you noticed that one person in particular seems to love all your content? Why not continue the conversation in private, through chat or direct messages? These are even less limited than the already generous news feed, and allow you to start building more personal relationships with people easily. (Plus, messages are exciting – show me someone who doesn’t get a little pang of excitement when they see the little red notification icon, and I’ll show you a liar.)
- While even less customisable than Twitter, Facebook allows you to do a lot more with regard to your image/online persona. Pictures are easy to upload, and display proudly on your profile – so make them good. Pick whatever you like, but I recommend some more personal pictures – not your boss passed out after the Christmas party, I might add – but perhaps a view of your office, or a happy client shaking hands with your top sales guy. The personal touch can go a long way, removing the anonymity of your company, and making people feel more comfortable interacting with you.
James Walters is an expert contributor to Marketing Donut and is an Account Director at Inbound Marketing Consultancy, Tomorrow People.
Don't let the trolls get you down
April 20, 2011
When we received a particularly vile piece of feedback via our feedback button, I have to admit that my smile did fall for a moment… well, about the time it takes to eat a chocolate brownie actually.
And, then I saw a tweet from a lawyer who is doing great things in social media, saying how he had received some vicious feedback in a LinkedIn discussion.
It put me in mind of Seth Godin’s excellent advice on dealing with trolls in which he says:
Lots of things about work are hard. Dealing with trolls is one of them. Trolls are critics who gain perverse pleasure in relentlessly tearing you and your ideas down. Here’s the thing(s):
1. Trolls will always be trolling
2. Critics rarely create
3. They live in a tiny echo chamber, ignored by everyone except the trolled and the other trolls
4. Professionals (that’s you) get paid to ignore them. It’s part of your job.
“Can’t please everyone,” isn’t just an aphorism, it’s the secret of being remarkable.
Separate cruelty from constructive criticism
It is, of course, important to distinguish between trolls and genuine and constructive feedback. We do, occasionally, get negative feedback (I know, I admit it… we’re human). Usually this is really useful, and gratefully received. We can always improve — and that is exactly why we have a feedback button on our website. But, when it is vicious and unhelpful you need to find the strength to hit delete and carry on.
Brace yourself — it will happen
The thing is, if you put yourself up to scrutiny — which is exactly what you’re doing by having a website or posting a blog — then you will at some point encounter nasty people. Even bullies grow up and get jobs. If you engage heavily in social media, then I’m afraid to say that you’ll find them.
If you’re not expecting it, then an ugly side-swipe can really knock your confidence. Surround yourself with a group of people who you trust, and whose opinion you value. Get them to regularly feedback on whether you’re doing good stuff. And, if you are, then hold your head up high and brace yourself… at some point a mean-spirited individual will try to burst your bubble. It is amazing how much nastier people feel able to be through a remote connection, and even more cruel when hiding behind the mask of anonymity.
When it does happen, tick it off as a social media right of passage and congratulate yourself at having generated an emotional reaction in someone you don’t even know — that’s an achievement.
Bryony Thomas is an expert contributor to Marketing Donut and is Chief Clear Thinker at Clear Thought Consulting.
The fashion for keyword-rich domains - it will all end in tears
February 21, 2011
One or two clients have reported to me recently that some of their competitors are achieving good rankings on Google using sites with keyword-rich domains, like “motoring-widgets.com”. URLs like this have been favoured for some time by Bing, and by its predecessor MSN. But more recently they also seem to be delivering good results on Google for some keywords, though by no means for all.
As a result, there seems to be a bit of a rush to buy up and populate such domains. Which is perfectly understandable given the pressure to achieve high rankings on Google, and the benefits of doing so. However, I predict that this latest Google gold rush will end in tears, and much time and effort will be wasted for a little short-term gain.
In the past, site owners have used all sorts of tricks to get sites to the top of Google without actually providing the quality content that Google craves. And Google has been equally proactive in blocking them. The meta keywords tag used to be very popular, until spammers started using it to cheat the search results. Today, Google completely ignores it. The search engine also acted to reduce the effect of so-called Google bombing – driving sites to the top of a search with numerous keyword-rich links. Domain spam is a trick of the same order, and it can be only a matter of time before the big G acts against it.
My daughter and son-in-law recently spent a few days in Naples. They were amazed by the sheer number of illegal street traders operating in the city. They all seemed to have spotters watching out for passing police, and as soon as the police appeared, the traders melted into the side streets.
Spammers are online traders of the same order — always having to move on when the search police turn up and change the game. These people invest huge efforts in a quick sell which works for a few months, after which all their investment goes down the pan, and they have to start again. No doubt some people enjoy this kind of life, living by their wits and constantly trying something new. But if you want to build an online business that delivers a dependable living, then invest in developing a site that has bona fide, worthwhile content, and relationships that lead to good quality links from good quality and reliable sites.
Bruce Townsend is an expert contributor to Marketing Donut and online marketing specialist at Actinic.
Google rings the changes
February 16, 2011
Google has made two big announcements recently that could have a huge impact for online businesses. An algorithm change could promote better customer service with the rumoured possibility that positive customer ratings may result in a more favourable search page ranking on Google.
The second announcement is a new partnership with Twitter to display the social networking site’s paid advertisements within Google’s own search results. Here’s what these changes could mean for you.
Rewarding positive feedback
As with all things Google-related, the search engine kingpin is being decidedly ambiguous on the subject and although they have publicly stated that positive merchant ratings could be taken into consideration when deciding on rankings, they have yet to actually admit they are definitely using ratings as a ranking factor.
But Google does appear to be closely monitoring customer ratings and feedback and there is a high likelihood that the Google algorithm has been updated to include merchant rating when populating SERPs.
One online store publicly revealed that they had previously been manipulating customer feedback to improve search engine rankings. Basically, the website owner fuelled negative customer response and it is alleged that the sudden tirade of comments and feedback led to the website gaining greater online exposure and an increase in its search engine rankings.
The new algorithm may have changed that that. Whether these tactics did improve the retailer’s ranking is debatable. But Google took notice and admitted to an algorithm alteration. Now the website in question appears to have slipped down the rankings since the algorithm change.
Google has suggested that they were concerned about beneficial ranking results from negative feedback and that any recent algorithm alterations were intended to provide a better customer experience. However, there is some speculation that Google is now monitoring positive merchant ratings as well using various sources such as: actual website feedback, consumer websites, and Google Checkout.
This is a positive move if true. If the Google algorithm now includes a feature that monitors and rewards websites receiving beneficial consumer feedback it is great news for any online business providing quality service. If a reputable online business can see an improvement in their search engine rankings due to positive consumer feedback, this will provide a real incentive for businesses to increase their level of consumer service and satisfaction.
Sponsored Tweets
Social networking behemoth Twitter has finally bowed under pressure to monetise the site. It has been on the cards for a while now and Twitter has responded and decided to fill its cash coffers by means of paid advertising.
Promoted tweets are similar to Google Adwords. Promoted tweets will appear at the top of Twitter searches and already some major companies have signed up to appear on Twitters search pages. There is also an opportunity to purchase slots in Twitter’s Trending Tweets feature. At the moment, this new feature is being trialled in the US (it was rolled out in April last year) and has already attracted some major players. The plan is to offer this monetised feature to the UK soon (possibly early this year but no actual date has been confirmed).
So how has Google become involved?
Twitter comments already feature regularly within Google’s search engine pages. The recent emphasis on providing relevant, up-to-date, real-time content within search results has led to a massive increase in the amount of blog, forum, and social media posts featuring in top positions in SERPs.
Google has realised the potential of Twitter’s Promoted Tweets monetisation and both market leaders have joined forced to create an advertising golden team. Google will now feature Promoted Tweets from Twitter search results on its own search result pages. The format will be very similar to how it already displays its own Adwords listings, except the Promoted Tweets will be clearly labelled as Ads by Twitter.
The two companies will share the revenue earned form these paid promotions.
How does this affect businesses?
Any business with an effective online presence campaign should already be using the power of Twitter for marketing and consumer interaction. Many businesses are running successful Adwords campaigns and have seen the success they can achieve. Now, not only can a business generate extra interest from Twitter users, any Promoted Tweets they have in place stand a great chance of appearing on the first page of Google for their specific keyword(s). It is almost a two for one offer.
Twitter has already had talks with many interested companies working the UK market and some of the more prominent businesses showing real interest include: Sky, Vodaphone, Sony, O2, Ladbrokes, LoveFilm, and Capital One.
Keeping up with Google
Google introduces new features at fairly regular intervals and keeping on top of these changes can be crucial to maintaining a positive online presence for businesses. These new developments could be very important for many businesses looking to increase their target audience and online visibility.
Any online merchant should count customer satisfaction as their number one goal. But with the possibility that Google is monitoring and potentially using these consumer ratings to determine search page rank, positive customer opinion is now more important than ever.
Using social media as an influential marketing tool is nothing new, but while Facebook and other social networking giants already provide a platform for paid advertising, Twitter has never offered this prime opportunity. But with Promoted Tweets they have finally offered marketers a much-welcomed advertising platform and it should be available to UK business very soon. With the news that Promoted Tweets will also be featured in Google search results, it is a very exciting prospect indeed.
Daniel Offer is a partner in the Facebook messaging application Chit Chat for Facebook
Is social media right for your business?
December 01, 2010
Social media has been big news for a while now. You can’t read a trade mag, newspaper, business blog or pretty much anything else connected with business without tripping over some evangelical social media bod ushering you onto the social media train (and I do realise I’m one of them). Yes social media is one of the most effective communications tools we’ve had at our disposal for a long time. Yes it’s a huge shift in how we engage with people. And yes, it can deliver great results. However, it’s not necessarily right for every business.
There are a number of considerations to think about before you jump aboard. Here’s a checklist that will help you to understand a little more about what’s involved and whether it’s right for you.
Is social media appropriate for your line of business?
Are your customers, clients and the people you want to connect with using social media? Are your competitors active in this space? Have you searched to see if people are already having conversations about your business, your industry niche or even your brand? If the answer is yes, then it could be a very useful tool for you.
There are some great free tools you can use to find what conversations are happening now. Social Mention is a tool that searches for brand names or keywords mentioned across the web. Twitter search is a nifty little tool that offers a variety of ways to search for brand names or keywords on Twitter. Google Blog Search does as the name suggests, let’s you search across the blogosphere. And of course, don’t forget good old Google Alerts, which allows you to set up alerts that are emailed to you when a keyword is mentioned.
Do you have the resources for it?
Do you have someone that can dedicate on-going time to social media? Are you able to restructure a member of staff’s job description to allow for it? Can you commit to this time and not take this person away from their social media activities when it gets busy? Remember, you can’t open the door to social media and close it when workloads increase.
Do you have the time for it?
Social media is a marathon not a sprint, so don’t expect results overnight. Are you prepared to invest the time with little output at the beginning? Are you prepared to put in the groundwork even when you won’t see the return on your investment straight away? Do you have the patience for it?
Is it a priority for you?
Do you have a quality, fully optimised website you can direct people to from your social media profiles or blog? Make sure your house is in order so that it will be easier to integrate social media with your other activities.
Do you know what your objectives are?
Do you know, and understand, what you want to achieve with social media? Are you clear what it can achieve and what it can’t? Have you tied this into your business plan? You need to be certain of your goals before you start, otherwise you’ll waste a lot of time and effort on something that isn’t targeted to your specific needs.
Gemma Went is a Marketing Donut expert contributor and the founder and director of Red Cube Marketing.
Do you know where your marketing money is going?
November 29, 2010
As government spending continues to come under scrutiny and the axe begins to fall in the public sector, the ripple effect on consumer confidence is already being seen. In early November, research by Nielsen for the British Retail Consortium found a six per cent increase in people who thought the outlook for their personal finances was “not so good”, and in people who thought job prospects would be “bad”.
As household budgets come under more pressure and consumers become more careful about their spending, businesses will need to apply exactly the same scrutiny.
It was John Wanamaker who famously said some years ago, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half”. The great thing about online marketing is that you can find out fairly easily where money is being wasted; the data is available. But how well do we use it?
Most companies will have some kind of web analytics in place – Google Analytics is particularly popular with SMEs because it’s free, yet relatively powerful. Some ecommerce applications such as Actinic, from the company I work for, provide deep integrations that can be set up in a few mouse clicks, yet provide a tremendously rich set of data. For example, it’s possible to see how much revenue is generated from individual phrases via search engines.
Often, though, there is a flurry of effort in setting up the analytics; but examination of the data becomes more cursory over time, under pressure from other things. Now is the time to revisit those stats and look in more detail at which investments are generating the best return. Here are a few things that are specifically worth checking.
Do you include tracking codes in every clickable link, whether it be on your website, on social media sites, or in emails or other campaigns?
Do you regularly check the results from each online marketing medium?
Do you have a monthly report on your key stats, and do you study it in depth?
Do you check your website for the worst performing pages? E.g. the top exit pages, the least visited pages, and pages with the shortest average visits.
Do you look at revenues and not just visitor numbers?
Do you have the courage to invest more where you are seeing the best return, as well as cutting activities that don’t justify themselves economically?
The businesses that invest their marketing spend most wisely will gain a significant competitive advantage as economic pressures continue to bite. For some, pruning out ineffective spending could mean the difference between life and death.
Bruce Townsend is an expert contributor to Marketing Donut and online marketing specialist at Actinic.
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