SEO - Are you optimized?

SEO – So what is it?

Search engine optimization is what you do to help your webpages rankings. According to Google “search engine optimization is often about making small modifications to parts of your website. When viewed individually, these changes might seem like incremental improvements, but when combined with other optimizations, they could have a noticeable impact on your site's user experience and performance in organic search results” (Google, n.d.). 

According to David Meerman Scott in the “New Rules of Marketing and PR”, the place where most companies fall down is in building a landing page. He states “you need to build landing pages that have specific content to enlighten and inform the people who just clicked over to your site from the search engine” (Scott, 2015, pg. 402).

Keeping in mind content is what drives sales, each of the landing pages is where content is king and written for a target market.  Scott suggests that you think of it like the sales cycle. 

1     1)  Capture attention

       2)   Develop interest

3     3) Generate a sale

 

He recommends the following landing page guidelines;

•  Make the landing page content short and the graphics simple
•  Create the page with your company’s look, feel, and tone
• Write from the buyer’s point of view
• A landing page is communications, not advertising
• Provide a quote from a happy customer
• Make the landing page a self-contained unit
• Make the call to action clear and easy to respond to
• Use multiple calls to action
• Ask only for necessary information” (pg. 403).

So where do you start? 

Google’s guide seems to pull it all together

•       Accurately describe the page’s content
•       Create unique, accurate page titles
•       Use brief, but descriptive titles” (Google, n.d.)

What’s next?

•         Meta tags

Description meta tags are a short paragraph that gives the search engine a summary of what the page is all about. (Google, n.d.) Keep in mind this is part of the sales cycle – and you are trying to capture the user’s attention.

What tactics can you use to drive success?

There are many options available for driving success including the option of hiring an outside firm to aid in your SEO.  However, to grow your business and your brand you need a rudimental understanding of what it takes to enhance your SEO. Scott recommends that the best thing you can do for a site is to write great content. (pg. 398

1)    “Use your newsroom as (Free) search engine optimization –When new releases are posted on your site, search engine crawlers will find the content, index it, rank it based on words, phrases, and other factors” (Scott, 2015, pg.352).

2)    Search engine advertising-paid advertising which appears when a “user types in a particular phrase that the marketer has purchased” (pg. 396).

3)    Use specific search terms to capture the terms that people might search on (pg. 400)

4)    Create a unique identify within your name and make it easy to be found

5)    Build content driven landing pages- to tell your story as well and build your sales funnel

As Scott notes “the best search engine marketing comes from paying attention to and understanding your buyers…once you’ve executed a great content strategy, adding effective landing pages and focusing on the long tail of search terms will give you an even more powerful asset’ (pg. 406).

References

Googles search engine optimization guide. Retrieved from http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en/us/webmasters/docs/search-engine-optimization-starter-guide.pdf

Scott, D. (2015). The new rules of marketing & PR (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Whose watching you?

PRIVACY MATTERS

                                                                                 Google Images

Are you protected?         

 Where are your controls set?

Google Images

Privacy on the internet is almost non-existent and we give up control each time we shop, bank, and socialize on our favorite social media sites.  Facebook for example knows what you are doing online, the articles you are reading, videos you're watching, and content you are looking at. With this access they know what interests us and makes us tick. During an interview with Christopher Soghoian of the ACLU he noted "that's information they can leverage for advertising purposes .., its also information the government or divorce lawyers can come and ask for really at any moment" (Potter, 2016). We tend not to think about the vastness of how our online lives can be co-mingled with our everyday business.

Another question we need to ask is -am I being watched?? 

Soghoian also advised that the best thing we could do is to put a sticker over the webcam of our computers and noted how easy it was that "someone could take over your webcam  and collect footage without  the light even being turned on" (Potter, 2016). What I learned from this interview is that even though you have privacy settings "Facebook is watching you. Think of the like button ...as a pair of eyes" (Potter, 2015).  

                                                What about those Cookies?

In this weeks reading the Federal Trade Commission outlined consumer information regarding online tracking "how it works, how you can control it...and that the answer may be in the cookies" (Federal Trade Commission, 2016).  Cookies are stored by your web browser every time you visit a website and "by keeping track of you over time cookies can be used to customize  your browsing experience, or to deliver ads targeted to you" (Federal Trade Commission, 2016). Check out the link below to better understand how your information is tracked.

                                                                                       
                                                      (Ebay Australia, 2016)

https://www.youtube.com/hotonyourtrail

So now that you know what they are - what can you do about them?

Browsers have different ways you can limit or delete cookies and your security software can also assist in managing cookies. By deleting cookies and your past browsing history, "companies may not be able to associate you with past browsing history, however they may be able to track you in the future with a new cookie" (Federal Trade Commission, 2016). Also, if you block all cookies, your browsing experience may be limited and not as personalized.  (Federal Trade Commission, 2016). 

So what does the future hold?  What about virtual reality privacy risks ?  

"Imagine, virtual shopping with advertisements strategically popping up in this reality; advertisements that were chosen by marketers who already know everything about you and have used this knowledge to predict your shopping patterns. This personalization within the virtual experience alone could control the way users shop, mold user interests, detect user preferences, and convince users to buy products by making users think they need something" (Susanalli2017/Boston College, 2016). Check out this shopping experience:

                                                            (Reveal, 2013)                                                                           
                     

                                        https://www.youtube.com/VRshopping

This weeks discussion focus is about social media security and privacy and how to protect yourself.   What about companies? There is much to consider in respect to a brand.

1) Discuss your company's social media policy and if it doesn't have one, why it should?

2) Discuss how you have changed the way you look at privacy and some best practices to protect your online identity.

References

Ebay Australia. (2016, May 18). The World's First Virtual Reality Department Store - brought to you by eBay and Myer [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAuiXhJPnr8


Federal Trade Commission. (2016, June). Online Tracking | Consumer Information. Retrieved from https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0042-online-tracking

Potter, W. (2016, August 9). Why online privacy matters — and how to protect yours |. Retrieved from http://ideas.ted.com/why-online-privacy-matters-and-how-to-protect-yours/

Reveal. (2013, September 30). Hot on Your Trail: Privacy, Your Data, and Who Has Access to It[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqWuioPHhz0

Susanalli2017/Boston College. (2016, March 19). Virtual Reality… Privacy Risks??? | ISYS6621: Social Media for Managers. Retrieved from https://isys6621.com/2016/03/19/virtual-reality-privacy-risks/

Believe in the "Golden Rule"

                                         


                                             Believe in the Golden Rule!

How does a brand separate themselves and rise above the messaging noise?

Photo by Pixabay


The answer is outlined in many marketing books, but as Scott notes, the most important thing to remember is to devote attention to the buyers of your products if you want to stay on track and reach your goals. (Scott, 2015, pg.161)

What are your goals?

• Keep in mind that marketing and PR goals need to align with the organizational goals of “profitable revenue growth” (Scott, 2015, pg.163).

Create Buyer Persona Profiles

• A buyer persona represents the target segments of consumers that have an interest in your product. By segmenting buyers in the various groups you can identify marketing efforts to best reach them. (Scott, 2015, pg.165)

Companies that Delight

I can think of no other company that exemplifies luxury accommodations than the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. They consistently exceed guest expectations and have a very robust social media presence. In an interview with the Pursuitist, Felicia Yukich, Social Media Marketing Manager for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts had great things to say about their approach. “We’ve always been a consumer-centric culture, so the shift to adopting the way guests and clients lead communications for Four Seasons has been rapid” (Parr, 2016). She went on to say “Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts continues to incorporate social media into its day-to-day business, the company sees real time interactions as a natural extension of its service model” (Parr, 2015). Having had the opportunity to travel and stay at Four Seasons, they truly practice service in person and online. Their social presence spans a multitude of platforms and they actively curate content for YouTube to attract the luxury traveler. (Parr, 2016)

What risks do brands face if they ignore the golden rule?

The golden rules notes that you should do unto others as you would have done unto you and applies whether the brand is interacting in person or on social media. In social media we know that you should not do the following.

1)"Don't ignore social media users
2) Stop duplicating posts across all channels
3) Shameless sales promotion rarely works
4) Mis-information provides social media ammunition 5) Generic responses are not welcome” (Cooper, 2015).

Social media is built on relationships and communicating with your customer with honest, authentic, and engaging content is key to the continued grown of your brand and brand equity. Remember - “social media is more successful when thought about as an experience and not a necessity" (Cooper, 2015).










Photo: Pixabay



Believe in the golden rule – and go for the likes!


References

Cooper, J. (2015, September 22). Brand social media annoyances that deserve the dislike | Strawberrysoup. Retrieved from https://www.strawberrysoup.co.uk/journal/brand-social-media- annoyances-that-deserve-the-dislike/

Parr, C. (2016). Luxury Hotels & Social Media: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts - Pursuitist. Retrieved from https://pursuitist.com/luxury-hotels-social-media-four-seasons-hotels-and- resorts/

Scott, D. (2015). The new rules of marketing & PR (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Social Media - Are You Listening?

                         Social Media – Are You Listening?

According to Dave Kerpen, author of likable Social Media, “companies can no longer afford to ignore their customer’s specific needs or complaints when the conversation can so easily be made public. Instead they must listen, understand the issue, and respond appropriately” (Kerpen, 2015, pg.14).

Did you hear me?
Brands have an amazing opportunity to connect and engage with their customers.  Social media offers a window into not only their customers, but also their competitors customers.  The analytics that you can glean by listening helps you “understand how your customers use your products (or don’t use them) can help you make critical changes in your offerings and in your communications with your customers” (Kerpen, 2015).

It’s important to have an authentic approach and believe in building your customer relationships. With that you have to be prepared for the good and the bad comments and have a plan on how to address them before they become a viral social media nightmare for the brand. If you truly value relationships, honest feedback and comments should be welcomed and responded to which in turn helps build trust and loyalty.

However, we all know that not all brands are prompt in their social media responses and we’ve seen some of the fiascos that followed.  One example was a customer services complaint that British Airways failed to respond to in a timely manner.  Sarah Burke  at getspokal.com captured in her article  http://www.getspokal.com/examples-of-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly-of-customer-service-on-social-media/   the following Tweet and wrote “Hassan Syed paid to promote a Tweet complaining about British airways’ customer service after they lost his father’s suitcase”

                                                    (Burke, 2016)

“The tweet was seen by 76,000 users.  To make things worse, BA failed to respond to the promoted tweet for eight hours” (Burke, 2016) British Airways responded that their Twitter feed operated between 0900-1700 GMT. (Burke, 2016) The lesson:  A global company needs to be monitoring these feeds and be prepared to respond instead of allowing the tweet to go viral. This goes for small and large businesses as well and there are many tools out there to help you manage and monitor your social media sites.

When faced with negative comments Carole Billingsley @YouSeekSocial listed out the top 5 ways not to respond:

1. “Ignore them:  The ‘Head in the Sand’
2. Delete them:  The ‘If No One Sees It, It Didn’t Happen’ approach.
3. Respond in kind:  The ‘I’ll show you!’ approach.
4. Placate with a hollow apology: The ‘Gosh, Sorry You Feel That Way. We’ll Try To Do     Better.’ Approach” (Billingsley, 2012)

None of these approaches will have a positive outcome.  Instead she notes that it is best “to Offer an apology AND a solution:  The ‘We Hear You and Value Our Customers. We Will Make This Right Immediately!’ approach. This is your opportunity to turn a disgruntled customer into your brand’s evangelist!” (Billingsley, 2012)

You can read article at http://www.seeksocialmedia.com/respond-negative-social-media-comments/

Monica

References

Billingsley, C. (2012). 5 Ways Brands Respond to Negative Social Media Comments (Hint: Only One is Effective). Retrieved from www.seeksocialmedia.com/respond-negative-social-media-comments/

Burke, S. (2016, June 14). Examples Of The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Of Customer Service On Social Media! Retrieved from http://www.getspokal.com/examples-of-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly-of-customer-service-on-social-media/

Kerpen, D. (2015) Likeable social media (2nd ed.). M

Maine = Vacationland

          Maine is truly vacationland.  This photo was taken last summer off the coast of                  Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

Humpback Whale