Website SEO Content: The Write Stuff!

Tips for Search Engine Marketing—September 22, 2011

Do economic pressures and a pinched budget have you contemplating writing or editing your own website content for SEO? Our company is helping a lot of people who came to us for Search Engine Marketing services after having spent considerable time, effort and money getting poor results—either by attempting to do it themselves, or by using someone with a related but non-specific skill set (such as their web designer). When it comes to writing content (or “copy”) for your website to strengthen your online presence, and ultimately your sales, I strongly encourage you to invest in a professional copywriter with solid SEO experience. The potential long-term benefits of good SEO copy makes it too important to skimp on. Here are some of the tasks a professional will accomplish for you:

• Increase website visibility: By the skillful use of keywords, links, social media and other (often proprietary) SEO techniques. A reputable SEO firm can boost your online presence and move your website up the search engine rankings, but be very careful! There are a lot of self-proclaimed “SEO firms” and “SEO gurus” out there selling snake oil. You can sort out the good, the bad and the ugly by reading, How to Choose a Valid SEOFirm, at www.incytemarketing.com/blackhat
• Write great copy that grabs attention, engages and converts visitors to sales. This is where style, tone and writing technique are crucial. It takes specialized knowledge and artful skill to write engaging content that keeps visitors on your site while weaving in effective keywords and links without compromising copy readability and flow. Brian Clark, founder of Copyblogger, says that using the right words in the right way will help consistently convert visitors to buyers and determine “how well you rank in search engines and how much traffic you get.” Simply “stuffing” your pages with SEO keywords can make content awkward and repulsive and it can backfire in another way—Google may penalize your site if it determines you are playing the system.
• Keep your online content fresh. According to a September 21, 2011 article, Is Branded Journalism Still Journalism? on www.socialtimes.com, “The static corporate website is quickly becoming obsolete, and many smart businesses owners have realized the importance of [frequently] generating relevant, community-focused content to keep their brand top of mind.” Your SEO copywriter should be keeping up with the most relevant topics, keywords and links that will help you progressively grow your online presence.

A retainer arrangement for ongoing services is usually recommended for sustained, long-term results. Here’s some of what you should expect from a reasonable and efficient retainer:

• Every few days: Write new content for your social media that is likely to spark conversations, sharing and sales (minimum of 2 hours a month). Visit our website and blog at www.incytemarketing.com for social media marketing tips.
• Weekly: Compose keyword-rich content for your blog and e-newsletters (minimum of 4 hours a month).
• Monthly: Compose keyword-rich articles, white papers and media releases for you—yes, media releases can boost your SEO (Minimum of 2 hours a month).
• Quarterly: Re-vamp your website content so it stays interesting, relevant and search engine-friendly (about 4-10 hours a quarter, depending on the size of your site).

All of these tasks will strengthen your search engine presence and provide interesting, educational and relevant information to increase your customer base and keep them coming back. Considering the important benefits professional SEO copywriting offers your business, it’s well worth the investment to do it right!

 

 

Kelly Walker, M.S. is Partner and Brand Communications Director for Incyte Marketing. For more information, visit www.incytemarketing.com 

How Consumers are Searching Today: What You Need to Know

Would you rather hunt for customers, or be seen right where they are hunting for you? By now you have probably heard of search marketing, or search engine marketing (SEM). SEM is the ongoing strategic process of making your business visible to your target audiences where they are searching for your products and services online. A lot of emphasis has been put on search engine optimization (SEO), the goal of which is to get your website listed on page one of Google, Yahoo and Bing for the main keywords people type into the search engines when searching for your products and services. Pay-per-click (PPC), whereby a business pays a search engine when its PPC ad (located above and to the right of organic results in Google) is clicked, is also very popular. While rating high on the search engines is very important, and a well-executed PPC may produce results, there are several other emerging trends in the way people are searching for businesses that you need to be aware of.

Besides traditional searches, more and more people are searching with their mobile devices and via social media. According to a September 10 report by TMP Directional Marketing and 15Miles, Bridging the Gap, From Search to Sales, “Seventy percent of mobile users utilize their device for searches once a week or more. Sixty-four percent use social media for searches once a week or more. The report says that, “Both platforms outperformed search engines (61 percent) and local-search sites (49 percent). Print [directory] users are the least engaged with the medium; only 27 percent use it once a week or more.”

Consumers and businesses are searching across a variety of channels, including search engines, mobile searches (including phone directory apps Google Maps, and others), Facebook and Twitter search apps, and emerging channels. These search entities are focusing on local search, as most consumers buy within 15-miles of their location, and most searchers go offline once they find what they are looking for and pick up the phone or visit the storefront; in addition, most people who are searching with a mobile device are searching for the location of a specific local business.

While a national search engine presence (both “organic” results and pay-per-click) is important for some businesses—especially those doing business at a national level—the importance of a presence on local search cannot be under-emphasized; even big corporation are investing in local search. Local search results can take many forms: visibility on organic search results, targeted pay-per-click campaigns, and listings on Google Maps and Mapquest are a few examples. From the report:

“Non-search engines are outperforming search engines in terms of growth. Among search engines, Google, Yahoo!, Ask.com and Microsoft (i.e., MSN, Bing) are on the rise, with the most notable changes from Microsoft (up 77 percent). AOL is the only general-search site studied that experienced a decrease in usage (down 14 percent). Non-search engines demonstrated strong year-over-year search growth, fueled mainly by Facebook (up 210 percent) and Amazon (up 46 percent). These numbers prove that local search has become the industry’s focus, as major players have all turned their attention to enhancing their local products: Bing Maps, Google Maps and Places, and more. Undoubtedly, the local-search market share has been altered. Even non-search engines, such as social networks coupled with mobile penetration, continued their push into the local-search landscape, particularly with the launch of Facebook Places and Twitter Places. Expect more platforms to enhance their local solutions in the coming year, painting a bright future for online and mobile search and an uncertain forecast for traditional channels.”

The key takeaways from all this? “Develop your search presence across various online platforms, from general search to social media. Failure to do so could result in missing a major segment of your target consumers. Obviously, data supports the fact that consumers are searching with added frequency, but being unable to find you when (and where) it matters most could spell additional sales for your competition.” Also, be sure that you have a robust local search plan, executed across multiple online channels. If you have any budget left over, you can advertise in the print directories for the dwindling number of people who still use them.

Kelly Walker, M.S., is Partner and Brand Communications Director for Incyte Marketing.

Visit www.incytemarketing.com for more information on this and other relevant topics.

Social Media Marketing: Content is King

“The only thing we have to fear is a ninja dragon with elbow lasers.”

“I’ve been using an electric toothbrush, but I think I’ll go acoustic for my next album.”

“What’s that thing sneaking up behind you? No peeking!”

“Great minds think alike. I assumed you were thinking about Skittles, too.”

These are just a few posts on the Skittles Facebook page. Quite funny, and they highlight a point I want to make: When it comes to social media, content is king.

According to social media consultant, Jeremiah Staes, “People tend to tune out pure marketing messages in social media. The best way to break through that challenge is to be compelling, so that people in diverse yet somewhat connected social circles actually enjoy your stuff and share it themselves.”

Generally, social media content should follow the 80/20 rule: At least 80% of your posts should be informative, interesting or entertaining, and about 20% can be used to sell your products or services. If you can wrap sales copy in an attractive package (as the last post I included from Skittles does with humor), all the better. You should spend more time talking with people than you do talking at them—folks go onto social media for conversation, entertainment and education, not to read sales pitches. To be effective, content on social media needs to be appealing, relevant and regular. Otherwise, your audience will become bored, disconnected or confused—and winning back these people will be very difficult if not impossible.

Do-it-yourself social media without a content plan, including allocating the time to post at least weekly, and without dedicating a professional writer, is a recipe for frustration and anemic results. The problem is that most corporate people: a) are busy just getting their normal work done and don’t have time to regularly think up and write the kinds of posts people are likely to share b) most are not professional copywriters and c) even the best writers may not understand how to write specifically for social media. A lot of businesses set up Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and a blog because they know they “should” and because they don’t want to be left behind by technology. However, many don’t have a good content plan that will engage their audiences, build trust with their community and customers, strengthen their search engine ranking (SEO) and lead to measurable results down the road. (Go to www.incytemarketing.wordpress.com for more great tips on social media, blogging and search engine optimization.)

A professional social media writer is constantly studying and keeping up with the rapidly-changing trends and technical tweaks in the social media world and in your industry, evolving your content strategy accordingly. Not only that, he or she keeps up with the conversations on your sites and responds in a timely manner, with feedback that keeps the buzz going and growing. The professional knows how to use keywords, links, photos, and videos to boost online presence and SEO ratings. They will also skillfully comment, post on and link to outside social media pages and blogs to actively spread your brand messaging to a broader audience than just your fan base, and to increase your following.

Some of our new clients engage our services with the idea that they will take over their social media management once they “learn the ropes.” However, most observe the intricate strategy we put into a successful social media marketing program and how efficiently we work, and decide to leave it to the specialists; they see the potential returns of killer content combined with solid strategy as well worth the small investment.

I have to go now. Something is sneaking up behind me, and it’s either a ninja dragon with elbow lasers…or my 7-year-old son with a Nerf gun. Either way, I think I’m in trouble.

For more information, contact Kelly Walker at Incyte Marketing:

Kelly@incytemarketing.com

How to Boost Your Website Conversions

What is the overriding purpose of a your website? To gain conversions—to bring you sales and new customers. Increasing your online sales conversions requires more than just having a website, it requires that you employ progressive techniques that put you in front of the right people and make buying easy and attractive to them.

Here are a few keys to boost your website conversions:

1. Start with an effective website.

Your website is your storefront, and just like a “brick and mortar” store, your website needs to be clean and well organized. Potential clients will quickly leave a visually-cluttered website with too much information. Easy-to-navigate, professional design with a clear logo and attractive typography is crucial. Content is also very important. Include information about your products and services, prices and fees, written in a style your customers can relate to. Make it easy for your customer to make an immediate, informed decision to buy. Be concise and always include a call to action.

2. Optimize your site for the search engines

There are many techniques that need to be employed to get and maintain your website on page one of organic search engine results for both organic results and pay-per-click. I recommend having a professional run your Search Engine Marketing (SEM), as a successful program requires constant and specialized work. (And not just a web designer, but a real SEM specialist. Having a web designer run your SEM program is like having a tool manufacturer build you a house!) Every aspect of your website should be geared to increasing your search engine ranking. One major technique is to research keywords and incorporate them into the content of your site. Keywords with high search volume indicate what people want to read about, so focus on those topics. For more information on SEM, visit http://www.incytemarketing.com/seo.html and our blog at http://incytemarketing.wordpress.com/

3. Utilize the power of social media.

Social media relates directly to the power of your website to drive sales. The major search engines factor social media activity heavily in rating your website. That means that, the more action you have on your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, the better chance you have of landing on page #1. Be sure to publish your blog posts and articles on all your social media on a frequent basis, and encourage followers to comment. Search engines factor in shares and tweets when ranking content and they will improve your organic search ranking results. You must interact regularly with your followers and build your fan base to keep this beneficial conversation going. You can use your keyword research in your social media, to stay up on topics of interest to the public, as these can change dramatically for various reasons. People who are searching for “Christmas treats” in December, may be searching for “New Year’s diets” in January. For more tips, visit our Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/IncyteMktg

4. Point people in the right direction.

It’s a mistake to link everyone to your home page. Instead, provide links to the pages people are interested in. For instance, if you are discussing a product on Facebook, provide a link to that product page, not your home page. People will get impatient if they have to search your site for what they are interested in. The same goes for links you may include in ads and search engine results. Custom landing pages with clear calls to action are easy to create and can be very effective in converting sales.

For more information, contact Incyte Marketing at 541-419-9976 or 303-800-6523.

Check us out at on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/IncyteMktg or www.incytemarketing.com.

Why SEO Trumps Pay Per Click

You want your website to show up on page #1 of the search engines, but should you choose Pay per click (PPC) or organic SEO as your main strategy?

According to the e-book, SEO, PPC and Analytics by Search Marketing Now, “Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of generating traffic from free or organic search engine results. All major search engines, including Google, Yahoo! and Bing have such results, where web pages and other content such as videos or local listings are shown and ranked based on what the search engine considers most relevant to users. Paid search (PPC) advertising, on the other hand, are the search engine results that marketers pay for in an attempt to raise the ranking and visibility of their listings. Industry experts agree that SEO drives 75 percent of search traffic yet only 15 percent of budget; PPC gets 80 percent of budget yet generates only 25 percent of search traffic.”

PPC requires a monthly fee to the search engine—a fee per click—so you will need a substantial budget and a continual outflow of cash. David Blackburn, of Marketing Quotes, explains that, “Each click will cost you, and the clicks normally are not cheap. The cost of each click is determined by the popularity of the word/phrase. If it is very competitive (like car insurance) then each click could cost you up to $20. There is no money back, you pay for people to click (students, competitors, foreign companies) and there will be a high % of waste. Competitors that are researching will click on your links which cannot really be helped or blocked. Controlling who clicks on your adverts is down to chance.”

Our own firm’s SEO strategist, Mike Johnson, says that he “watched the cost-per-click (CPC) go from $0.74 for ‘Home Loans’ to $3.50 per click in one year. The following year, anything related to mortgages, home loans and the like were hovering around $18.00 per click for the top six listing positions (on the first page of Google).” He adds that, “there were over 6 million results for the term ‘adware and spyware’ when I worked with Symantec back in 2005. Today those same keywords produce over 35.7 million results. This is major reason why search marketing requires professionals who retain the experience to develop and manage both PPC and SEO campaigns.”

The vast majority of consumers are looking for organic results, not PPC ads. Eye studies show that only 10-20% of searchers even look at the PPC portions of search engine results, whereas 70% or more focus on organic results. In addition, there is a perception that the businesses the search engine pulls up are legitimate and trustworthy, while the PPC ads often don’t carry the same credibility. After all, ads are ads. Justin McGill explains in his blog entry, Why do SEO Professionals Dislike PPC? “Increasingly, users have become immune to obvious advertising, resulting in decreased effectiveness of PPC campaigns. This behavior can be attributed to higher levels of trust in the organic search results, natural aversion to the sales pitch, or expectations of better content on a page listed by Google as opposed to one listed by a paying advertiser.”

The goal of SEO is to get your website listed on page one of the search engines. It offers a higher ROI and better results over the long run than PPC, and you should see benefits for years to come. There is a cost associated with SEO and it may take longer than PPC to realize top search results, but once gained (where an ongoing campaign is managed properly) top listing results should continue to appear. Most, if not all, of your site’s pages will be easily found by search engines and consumers at a fraction of the cost of a PPC campaign over time. It’s difficult to maintain a PPC campaign over the long-term, and once you stop paying, you stop appearing. On the other hand, once SEO is in place, it will continue producing results for years to come, if properly managed.

Ideally, if you have the time and the budget, you can integrate both methods to put your website’s pages in front of the highest number of search consumers. It’s highly recommended that you hire a Search Marketing Professional for best results, since both PPC and SEO require specialized strategy and technical know how to get you and keep you on page one. PPC can be useful for short-term campaigns, but in the long run, organic SEO provides more bang for the buck.

Lessons from the Romans

The armies of the Roman Empire conquered the ancient world and virtually every army that took the field against them. There is one central reason that the Roman legions consistently defeated their foes, and understanding the “why” is crucial to your business’ success.

The Roman armies dominated because they operated according to a plan. The forces of the barbarians typically came at the Romans in an unorganized rabble, with each warrior seeking individual glory. The Romans, on the other hand, trained their armies to fight as a unit, repeating successful strategy time and time again. Let’s look at a few strategies that the Romans employed that will also help your business succeed in marketing.

The Romans fought according to a plan, but knew the importance of adapting the plan to changing conditions. Roman armies employed a number of well-drilled tactics that were executed like clockwork upon command. However, they also adapted their tactics to the terrain and the tactics of the enemy. Your business must be guided by a professionally-created marketing plan, and that plan should be reviewed and adapted on an ongoing basis. At least once a year, devote time and resources to a complete tune-up of your plan, analyzing what worked and what did not over the previous year.

The Romans knew their competition. Roman generals employed spies and scouts to gather intelligence regarding their enemies. In the business world, we call this competitive analysis. It is crucial that you understand what your competitors are doing that you’re not doing. What strategies are they employing? Where and how are they advertising? Who are their customers and how do they communicate with them? Your business needs this kind of intelligence, and you should have a competitive analysis done every quarter so that you can stay ahead of the game.

The Romans knew their target audience. Even the great Julius Caesar understood the importance of good marketing and PR. When Caesar invaded the Gallic nations to the north of Rome, he wrote the ancient equivalent of a blog on the whole campaign: Commentarii de Bello Gallico, or Commentaries on the Gallic War. His aim was to convince the public that the invasion was a preemptive defensive action, when in reality the motive was to boost his career and provide booty for paying off his substantial debts. Caesar knew his target audience, and he used these insights to “market” his initiatives. You too should know your target audience. Among other information, you will want to be very familiar with your audience’s location, age, gender, income, occupation, marital status, activities, interests, opinions, attitudes and values.

The Romans used specialized weapons, uniquely suited for maximum effectiveness. It is said that the Roman gladius was the sword that conquered the world. Whereas the barbarians typically employed long, heavy swords for hacking at their enemies, the gladius was a shorter sword designed for stabbing. Typically, the barbarians would throw themselves at the Roman lines, chopping and hacking. The Roman soldiers hid behind large shields and marched forward, thrusting between the shields. This advancing stabbing wall was very effective. The Roman spear was designed to bend upon striking an enemy shield or the ground, thus making it very difficult for the enemy to throw it back at them. You need to know which marketing tools will be most effective for your business, and you need to use those tools as they were intended to be used. Radio, TV, print, social media, Internet, advertising—the choices are many. Which tools you use and how you use them should be carefully and strategically determined within your marketing plan, based upon information from your competitive analysis and research of your target audience.

The Romans conquered the ancient world by out-competing all others. They had a plan, they recognized their enemies, they understood their target audience and they knew which weapons to use. By employing the same principles, you can establish your own empire and dominate your field of business.

How to Kill an Ad

Why are you paying for advertising? What is it that you are hoping to gain? You may say, “new clients” or “more sales,” but let’s get more basic than that. Are you trying to get people’s attention? Well, yes, but the media is full of ads that get attention, but fail to engage or change people’s behavior. Aha, “to engage or change people’s behavior.” That’s what you’re paying for…or, at least, you should be!

Too often, businesses buy advertising as a commodity but fail to recognize the importance of the message within the media. You can buy the best advertising and targeted to it the right people, but if your copy doesn’t resonate, you’ve just wasted your money.

To get your money’s worth for the ads you purchase, you first need to know how to kill an ad. Here are three ways to ensure your ads are DOA:

1) Compromise and water down

“Some of my best and most compelling ads never made the airwaves. These favorite campaigns were shot down by the spouse, the partner, the next-door neighbor, or some other well-meaning friend of the client, and the word, statement, or phrase that had to be eliminated was usually the most powerful line in the ad. The result of this ‘editing’ is emasculating advertising…There is no plan so brilliant that it cannot be made utterly ineffective through compromise. ‘Yes, I can soften the ad. I can soften it so that it offends no one, says nothing, and sounds just like every other ad on the air. Please don’t hold me responsible when the ad doesn’t work.” Roy H. Williams The Wizard of Ads

To get your audience to sit up and take notice, you have to depart from the predictable. You have to break through the cognitive filters that allow people to tune out advertising. Don’t be afraid to be bold with your ads and depart from the ordinary. You may have to ruffle a few feathers to wake up the chickens. I’m not talking about shock value alone—which sometimes has its place—but rather the use of compelling thoughts and ideas. This may come in the form of humor, startling statements, irony, or other devices that jump off the tracks of ordinary thinking. How you derail routine trains of thoughts should be appropriate for your type of business, but be willing to push the edge.

2) Create pretty ads with poor copy

“Too many ads today are creative without being persuasive,” says Roy H. Williams. “Slick, clever, funny, creative, and different are poor substitutes for informative, believable, memorable and persuasive.”

Don’t even think about buying ad space until you have a good copywriter on your team! Good ad design is important, as is the overall concept. However, an ad needs to touch what’s important to the listener or viewer, with a thought more interesting than what’s already taking up his or her mind space. Clever design may momentarily grab attention, but engaging messaging holds onto it and leads people to action. Marry strong design with compelling copy, and you will see results.

3) Make your ads sound like ads

For some reason, a lot of business owners get uncomfortable if their ad doesn’t sound like all the others out there. Perhaps it’s the herd mentality, but there’s this bobble-headed mindset that fears sounding different than all the other “advertisers,” when that’s exactly what you need to do! If you are going to break through the white noise, you need to come across as conversational, not slick and polished. Today’s interactive consumer is far too savvy to fall for a 20th-Century “push” advertising tone.

Scores of motels will tell you about their great rates and amenities; only one says, “we’ll leave the light on for you.” Need I say more?

Give your advertising mouth-to-mouth by going back to the creative table. A good copywriter can breathe life into your advertising with messaging that will engage, change behavior and ultimately get you those new clients and sales you’re hoping for.

For more information, contact Kelly Walker at Incyte Marketing:  (541) 419-9976.   Kelly@incytemarketing.com www.incytemarketing.com www.facebook.com/incytemktg

Social Media Marketing Industry Report Highlights

Knowledge is power. Social Media Examiner just released the “2011 Social Media Marketing Industry Report.” This document is so powerful that I want to share some highlights from the article with you. The report starts out with a great introduction by Social Media Examiner founder, Michael A. Stelzner:

“Social media has gone mainstream. And for businesses it represents an unprecedented marketing opportunity that transcends traditional middlemen and connects companies directly with customers. This is why nearly every business on the planet is exploring social media marketing initiatives…Two years ago, businesses were uncertain about social media. Now it’s here to stay and companies are rapidly responding to new social media opportunities.”

The report summarizes major findings, which I have quoted below. (Please note that comments outside the quotes are mine.)

“Marketers place high value on social media: A significant 90% of marketers indicate that social media is important for their business.”

There are good reasons why social media is so valued, and most business people see the potential. However, merely understanding the value does not always translate to reaping returns. Social media is not a silver bullet, and just publishing a page and making posts will probably not get you far. Like any other type of marketing, starting with a solid marketing strategy is paramount. Patience is also very important—it takes time to build your brand online and to get people conversing. The right messages that engage your audience and the frequency of communication (not too much, nor too little) will be huge factors in your success.

“Measurement and integration are top areas marketers want to master: One third of all social media marketers want to know how to monitor and measure the return on investment (ROI) of social media and integrate their social media activities.”

One of the great things about most social media is that it is very measurable; analytics tools are usually built into platforms so you can receive and configure feedback immediately. Integration refers to how well you cross-promote your social media across all your marketing (website, traditional advertising, etc.), as well as making your messaging consistent across all your communications touchpoints. Social media can be a powerful part of your marketing repertoire. ROI can sometimes be measured directly, but don’t underestimate returns that are less measurable but of immense value nonetheless: constant brand communication, good public relations, word-of-mouth and support of your other media.

“Social media marketing takes a lot of time: The majority of marketers (58%) are using social media for 6 hours or more each week, and more than a third (34%) invest 11 or more hours weekly.”

“Social media outsourcing underutilized: Only 28% of businesses are outsourcing some portion of their social media marketing.”

These two points impact one another in an important way. Successful social media marketing can take a lot of time if you do it yourself. However, a social media expert can accomplish a lot for you in much less time, often at a reasonable cost. Not only are these pros efficient, they can also be very effective in the creative messaging and strategies they employ on your behalf. Social media requires specialized strategies and messaging, and trying to learn as you go can hurt your brand. In most cases, I recommend that businesses utilize the services of a professional firm to manage their social media.

“Video marketing on the rise: A significant 77% of marketers plan on increasing their use of YouTube and video marketing, making it the top area marketers will invest in for 2011.”

“Marketers seek to learn more about Facebook and blogging: 70% of marketers want to learn more about Facebook and 69% want to learn more about blogging.”

Video engages your audience and adds interest to your social media and website, often translating into more page views and sharing of your content. Blogging is an interactive form of social media that can and should be integrated with your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and website. (Go to HYPERLINK “http://www.incytemarketing.com/blog”www.incytemarketing.com/blog to read a recent blog I wrote about blogs!)

“The top benefits of social media marketing: The number-one advantage of social media marketing (by a long shot) is generating more business exposure, as indicated by 88% of marketers. Increased traffic (72%) and improved search rankings (62%) were also major advantages.”

“The top social media tools: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs were the top four social media tools used by marketers, in that order. Facebook has eclipsed Twitter to take the top spot since our 2010 study.”

If you’re not yet using the top four media tools, it’s time to begin. If you’re using them and not yet reaping the top benefits, it’s time to discover the reasons and seriously consider employing the services of a professional. Start by asking your chosen social media expert to write up a marketing strategy that integrates these tools.

I encourage you to read the entire 41-page report, which can be downloaded here: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/social-media-marketing-industry-report-2011/

For more information, contact Kelly Walker at Incyte Marketing:  (541) 419-9976 or kelly@incytemarketing.com.

Social Media Panel Follow Up

The Bend Chamber Business Success Council recently presented a seminar to educate local businesses about Social Media Marketing (SMM). The event was informative and interactive, and we received great feedback from attendees about the valuable instruction. There’s just one problem—you want more information.

You’ve asked for more details, more guidance and more hands-on help. In response to your requests, the Business Success Council is discussing a follow-up event in the next few months. In the meantime, I’d like to offer you a few tips for launching your business into the social media arena, or strengthening your presence if you are already Facebooking, Twittering, using LinkedIn, etc.

1) Formulate your strategy.

You wouldn’t enter a job interview without a polished resume (and perhaps a haircut), yet many businesses jump onto Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn without appropriate preparation. Effective marketing requires strategy in any arena. Ask yourself the following two questions. What do I want social media to do for my business? Who is my target audience?

Know your goals and know your audience. Then make sure you have a clear brand message and a plan for how you will communicate that message—not just once, but consistently. You must engage your audience on a regular basis. If you rush into SMM but cannot maintain momentum, the people who lose interest are not likely to come back (even if you get your act together later).

2) Grasp the essentials.

Michael Jordan said, “…get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.”
Mr. Jordan illustrates my point beautifully. In order to play the SMM “game” effectively, you’ve got to study the game itself, understand its rules, find yourself a good coach, and practice.

For free tutorials and tips about Facebook, I recommend social media maven Mari Smith. Just go to  HYPERLINK “http://www.facebook.com/marismith”http://www.facebook.com/marismith. Click “Free Facebook Resources” on the left of her page. The best place to start for Twitter is at    HYPERLINK “http://support.twitter.com/”http://support.twitter.com. Just go to “Twitter Basics” to get started. For LinkedIn, go to  HYPERLINK “http://learn.linkedin.com/”http://learn.linkedin.com.

Next, examine other businesses that are doing it right. Round Butte Seed   HYPERLINK “http://www.facebook.com/roundbutteseed”www.facebook.com/roundbutteseed, CE Lovejoy’s Brookswood Market   HYPERLINK “http://www.facebook.com/celovejoys”www.facebook.com/celovejoys and Roy’s Adventures  HYPERLINK “http://www.facebook.com/roysadventures”www.facebook.com/roysadventures are three business right here in Central Oregon with which Incyte Marketing is working. Although these are young Facebook sites, notice the frequency and conversational tone of the posts, the use of photos, videos and special offers, and the customized pages for selling products and services. Read the comments and discussions that are being generated. Talk to these fellow chamber members and find out what they are learning. While you’re at it, please “Like” their pages and follow them as they develop successful social media presences.

3) Take action!

Talk with local social media professionals to acquire specific advice on maximizing the power of your social media presence. Consider hiring a reputable firm to actively market and manage your social media. While researching firms, look for a group that’s well-versed in marketing strategy, creative communications (they must produce appealing marketing copy!) and integration of social media with traditional media. Remember this: technical knowledge of Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn won’t build a business. Your marketing representative must be able to manage your SMM with the big picture in mind.

Lastly, have fun! After all, that’s why most people use social media. If you are having fun with your company’s social media, so will your customers!

Modern Marketing Mistakes

Part One: Blogging Blunders

Are you making mistakes that are hurting your marketing efforts?

Marketing has changed drastically over the past decade, with more and more attention being given to online marketing strategies. It began with websites (everybody had to have one) and with email and email marketing campaigns. From there, as the Web expanded and developed, more opportunities came into existence: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, blogs and more. More marketing attention and budgeting is going online because consumer attention is so focused in that direction. According to a blog by Lisa E. Phillips, “Trends in Consumers’ Time Spent With Media”:

“eMarketer recently conducted a meta-analysis of data from dozens of research firms using a variety of methodologies. The result is a series of estimates of how much time consumers spend with all major media, regardless of multitasking or simultaneous usage, from 2008 to 2010…The internet’s share of media time increased over the period, from 21.5% to 23.5%, as did mobile’s share, from 5% to 7.5%. The share of time spent with magazines and newspapers fluctuated between 8.5% and 11.5%, while radio and all other media—video games, moves in theaters, outdoor media—declined.”

As time spent on online media continues to increase, it is important for companies to not only know the technical nuts and bolts of the various online vehicles, but to also use them wisely and avoid common mistakes.

This is the first installment in a series of articles written to address mistakes to avoid, beginning with common blogging errors. Here are four of the most commonly-made blogging blunders, and how best to avoid them.

1. Talking about yourself too much: People don’t go to your blog to hear about how great you are or how miraculous your products are. They want to read something educational, interesting or thought-provoking. If your sincere motivation is to educate and assist your readers, that will convey and your blogs will gain a following. Blogging isn’t really about selling, though statistics show that good blogging typically does lead to sales conversions. Blogging is about serving your audience and helping them to make educated decisions. Potential customers tend to gravitate toward to non-threatening, non-aggressive educators when they are ready to purchase.
2. Failing to engage: Blogging is social, which means that the conversation needs to be two-way. Encourage your audience, which includes potential customers, to participate and be heard. One way to engage is to ask questions within your blog entries. Ask your readers for their feelings and opinions, and if they have anything to add that may benefit other readers. Make sure you regularly respond to feedback, keeping track of conversations. Use your readers’ comments as a guide for future blog content—this will show your readers that you are listening and responsive, and will make your entries more relevant to them.
3. Not integrating: Is your blog linked to your website, social media and advertising? It should be. You need to “advertise” your blog across your communications channels in order to gain and maintain a following. You can also share portions of your blog in Facebook and Twitter posts as teasers to encourage people to follow your blog. Some of your customers will experience your company via your website, social media and other channels, so make sure your communications are consistent and linked together.
4. Writing too infrequently: If you have a blog, you need to keep the conversation going. According to HubSpot’s 2010 State of Inbound Marketing Report, 46% of companies that publish a business blog have acquired a customer from a blog-generated lead. In addition, there is a direct correlation between the frequency of blogging and customer acquisition. The report further detailed that 90% of businesses that blog daily have acquired at least one customer from their blog, whereas only 38% of businesses who blog on a monthly basis have acquired one new customer. For those blogging less than monthly, only 13% have attained a customer as a result of the blog. Your goal should be to blog at least once a week with meaningful content.

Good blogging is about regularly engaging your listeners in an ongoing conversation that generates interest in what you have to offer. It is NOT about selling, self-promotion or “pushing” your business. Avoid these four mistakes, and start reaping the rewards of good blogging. In our next article, I will be discussing some common social media mistakes and how to avoid them.