Archive - Marketing RSS Feed

We’re on Google+ (Plus Badge): How to Get Yours

By on November 28, 2011 in Marketing, Social Media with 0 Comments

Have you put your Google Plus badge on your site? It’s really quite easy (and important!)

Plus Badge for ConverStations

Once you’ve setup your Google Plus Page (even if it’s a Launch & Pause), you can get your “plus badge” and ready your site for +Direct Connect and better findability.

After you’ve placed the code generated on the ‘get your “plus badge” page just before the </head> tag on your site, you can then place the sidebar code where you want your badge to show, you can then link from your Google+ page to your site. Test the validity from the Rich Snippets tool.

Tip: When pasting your Google+ page ID into the “get your ‘plus badge‘ tool, just use the numbers in your profile (see URL in address bar when you are on your G+ page), not the “/u/0″ portion.

Plus Badge for Dialing 8

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta

Content Marketing Examples from Home Depot

By on November 23, 2011 in Marketing with 3 Comments

Like anything, there’s probably some gray area about what is and isn’t “content marketing” – though if you read Joe Pulizzi or attend the Content Marketing Institute via RSS (I do both), then the picture is a little more clear.

There are still a lot of business folks who think since “content is king” – it’s all about pushing their (the company’s) content to everybody, everywhere. This practice is closer to spam than content marketing.

You’ve heard it from me (and hopefully others) for years: Content is King, Community is the Kingdom it serves.

Home Depot gets this in a big way, and we’ll use some of their examples of content marketing (notice it’s not all online and not all of it is overt pitching of products):

Online Community: Home Depot Forums allow customers to ask questions about projects and repairs. By being accessible and by answering the questions in a helpful manner gains loyal customers (and sometimes, the customers are answering the question!)

YouTube Videos: These DIY helps and hints are valuable and seasonal. The content is produced and released in advance of when the customer may begin to think about it (this Hanging Your Lights came out mid-October).

Twitter: They share their own stuff, but also other valuable links on DIY too, and they talk a lot of football (catering to their intended audience).

Books: They have a line of books (like the one pictured above) on various repairs that come in handy at the right time. From wiring to plumbing – this is a must have for any DIYer.

Workshops:  Free Home Improvement Workshops are offered on weekends. In my view, this (and the books) are one of the best examples of  ”content marketing” – building the relationship with your customer and your products/services before, during, AND after the sale by helping them use the content (product, service, consumables).

I’m sure there are a lot of other things Home Depot does right with Content Marketing, but these should give you ideas about how you can helping your customers and prospects – from the ZMOT to the after-they-bought.

Enhanced by Zemanta

3 Plans for Dialing 8 Membership

By on November 21, 2011 in Blog Coach, Marketing, Social Media with 0 Comments

Dialing 8 Monthly Dialing 8 Quarterly Dialing8 Annual
Budget-Minded Testing the Waters Committed to Success

 

The Dialing 8 Project is designed to be a professional learning community, focusing on the profitable and simplified use of social media and social networks as an augmentation to your core business.

We build our learning around the Dial of 8 social media model, so that business owners can integrate social media into their business plan (and not have social media take over their business).

Members get full access to:

  • Core Content
  • Screen Cast tutorials
  • Membership Forums and Directory
  • Video Conference Workshops (twice each week)
  • Live Co-Working using Google Hangouts
  • eBooks & eLearning Modules
  • Templates & Organizers

The site is intended for small businesses, rural business, independent contractors, and solopreneurs. Join Dialing 8 Today – stay strong, last long. And at $271 year, you can’t go wrong.

Simplify the process
Amplify your voice
Monetize your efforts

Become a member of Dialing 8 today 

Enhanced by Zemanta

5 Things About Your Intended Audience

By on November 18, 2011 in Blog Coach, Marketing with 2 Comments

5 Things to Know About Your Intended AudiencePop Quiz:

  • What does your Core Customer think about most?
  • What is your Target Market talking about?
  • What does your Readership share most?
  • How does your Audience feel about _____?
  • What are the pain points and complaints they have?

Knowing the answers to these questions will put you in a position to recognize your customer and allow them to recognize – and engage more readily – with you.

Understanding these five things about your “intended audience” will help you stay on track to writing, producing, serving, and attracting readers, followers, and most importantly – customers.

Remember there’s a difference between your intended audience and an attending audience. We all have two crowds.

Conversations around these types of things are often a topic within the Dialing 8 Project community. To become a part of this growing professional learning community, visit the site or, join in a ConverStations Google+ Hangout on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday afternoons.

Enhanced by Zemanta

RePurpose Your Content: Using Slideshare for Week in Review

By on November 12, 2011 in Blog Coach, Marketing with 0 Comments

One thing we try to do is teach folks to repurpose their content. One way we can do that is with “Weekly Review” SlideShare.

ConverStations: Week in Review 11/12/11
View more presentations from MIke Sansone

From here, you can do a few things

  • Create each slide as you go throughout the week (saves time)
  • At end of week, post to SlideShare or do voiceover and upload to YouTube
  • Turn each slide into a single image and upload on Flickr or Google+
  • Use Fotobabble for a voice over of each slide
  • After several weeks, turn images into a Themeefy  magazine
  • Use the slides for offline lunch & learns (or Hangouts on Google+)

Always make sure to include

  • links back to your site
  • give attribution
  • end with contact info.

Because we believe in a these 5 Tips for a Killer Presentation, doing this will keep your content fresh, organized, and more widely spread. And who knows, maybe when someone calls you to do that Lunch & Learn, you’ll already have your deck.

We’re all content producers now. What ways do you repurpose or refresh your content?

Authorship and The Mystery of REL=Author (Clean and Patient)

By on November 11, 2011 in Blogging, Marketing with 1 Comment

If you haven’t heard anything about the hurdles of the “rel = author” snippets, it’s still new (part of HTML5) and Google is using it for several reasons. It is, however, an important issue – and one you need to look at implementing.

You folks that know me have heard me say, “I’m talk-nology more than technology” so here’s the business reason (not the tech reason) you want to know about this and get authorship on your site:

Faces

Here’s the search result of a post I did earlier today on Google+ Hangouts for Business:

A few things to notice:

  1. Amy-Mae Elliott’s piece on Mashable shows up with Amy-Mae face in a byline. Along with Google+ Circling options.
  2. Every result has a +1 button (I clicked this one)
  3. My face shows, but only because I clicked on the +1 button. If others in my circles or contacts do likewise, I will see their face as well. Those who +1 that are not in my circles – I won’t see their face.
  4. Interesting, +Denis Labelle shared my bit on Google+ – and he shows up close to the top as well.

From what I’ve read, having the proper authorship isn’t going to give you a better search position. Yet, you and I both know that people will be drawn to the faces in the byline. And those “circle” options. So convenient.

There’s another important part of this though: Patience

A few folks are pulling out their hair over or investing many hours on getting this right (I have no hair left, so I’m stuck on the latter).

Don’t try to game a system. Throw away the conspiracy theories. Last night I found that maybe clean code and patience is what’s necessary.

Dialing 8 member and Real Estate pro Craig Kamman saw his byline start to appear in search results recently:

Now Craig’s domain is pretty new. He did use a plugin found on Robert Dempsey’s site. So clean code (site is new + a trusted plugin). Patience (I think Craig put that into place a few weeks ago).

Clean code. Patience. Face in a byline. That’s rel = author.

You’ll need the Rich Snippet Tool. And the help page that guides you through it.

I’m still in patience mode:

Here are some great helps from others who’ve got it right thus far:

- Scott Hanselman
- AJ Kohn
- Joost de Valk 
- Jim Connolly

 

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta

Framework Your Google+ for Business Page

By on November 9, 2011 in Dialing 8, Marketing, Social Media with 0 Comments

You have your Google+ Page for your business. Awesome. Good job on the Launch & Pause. Now what?

There are some logistics and verification we’ll attend to, but we’ll get to that in another post. Let’s think about how we’ll use this new bit of real estate on the web.

For years, smart businesses have seen Google as a tool that lets everyone become better:

  • Google does its best to provide better and relevant search results (or lose users to other search tools, less users = less revenue)
  • Companies and organizations do their best to be more findable (or lose prospective customers to the businesses they find)
  • Users & Consumers find what they’re looking for (or keep looking elsewhere)

And money is part of the heart of things for each of the three. But the better each party gets at those goals, the happier we all are.

Consider this as a framework for thinking out your plan for Google+:

  1. become more findable
  2. once you’re found, keep eyeballs and mouse clicks (while they last) moving to one of your CTAs (Calls to Action)
  3. give people motivation to share your page with others (Google has made it simple)

Google+ Pages will become a place where customers can initiate engagement with companies and organizations they want to connect with. Since “Plus Pages” do not allow for the initiation (either by circle or comment), it’ll be more important than ever to offer compelling content or resources to engage the people that find your page.

So, a few thoughts on how you might use Google+ for Business:

  • Your Backstory: A cafe might show short videos on how things are prepared; A dry-cleaners might show how they maintain their machines. What’s the back of your baseball card read?
  • Pictures tell Stories: A dog groomer might show pictures to tell stories of how to care for your dog; a home staging consultant might share design ideas and drawings on the back of napkins;
  • Be the Neighborhood Resource: Be the Resource! Especially valuable for local (customers and visitors). What’s going on with other businesses or local events? Make use of Google Maps to show how to get to these places from your location (or reverse:-))
  • Celebrate Your “Plussers”: Those who’ve circled you (and even those who haven’t yet) and are active on Google+ – give them props with a “plus” mention. Help them be more findable
  • Echo What You’ve Said Elsewhere: Automate your messages . . . No! Don’t do this. Anywhere. It doesn’t help anyone, not even you. Saying the same thing everywhere is like bidding against yourself at auction. It’s a different audience, use a different message.

What other ways are you thinking of using your Google+ Page? And how will you keep engagement flowing into your blog or site to the point of transaction?

Long term vision? Social, Local, Mobile (Commerce) or SoLoMo(co). But that’s another discussion.

Conversations like these will go deeper and more specific at The Dialing 8 Project. Grab a cup of coffee and join us.

Enhanced by Zemanta

The Dialing 8 Project: Intro Video

By on November 6, 2011 in Blog Coach, Blogging, Dialing 8, Marketing, Social Media, Video with 0 Comments

This video is now up on Dialing 8 (launching on 11/13/11) and on the sidebar here at ConverStations

Time to Get Your GoMo On. Improve Your Mobile Presence

By on November 2, 2011 in Cool Tools, Marketing, Mobile & Local with 0 Comments

If your site isn’t mobile friendly, you’re losing business. And it’s going to get worse unless you get better. Time to get your GoMo on with the help of Google’s new mobile initiative:

There’s a free test of your current site with GoMo Meter. The GoMo Meter will display how your site looks on a mobile device. With four different types of business purposes to choose from, go through the simple handful of test questions and let Google help determine your Mobile-ity score.

Time to test your site today.

Aside: ConverStations received a 4 out of 4 (thanks to WPTouch plugin)
Wishlist: WPTouch Pro for the holidays:-)

Does Your Intro Catch the Eye of Google+ or Google Reader?

By on November 2, 2011 in Blog Coach, Blogging, Marketing, Social Media with 4 Comments

Most copy pros will say your leading line is the most important. How many words do you have to catch a reader’s eye? How many characters? If you look at Google+ or Google Reader …

That’s it. That line above is about 35 words, somewhere between 180 -190 characters.

The introductory line above is what should show up in Google Reader after the Title. It’s what Google+ will most likely default to in a description when someone shares with a +1 (although you should check and see if this is true for your site).

Those copy pros know what they’re talking about regarding that first sentence. But here’s something they may disagree with:

Write your post first, then craft your Headline and Intro.

Most of us aren’t copywriters. And unless you’re real quick on headlines – and the kind of quickness I’m talking about took thousands of hours of hard work first – you’ll never get a post published.  As you’re writing, Headlines and Intro lines will appear.

Write, and write away – but watch for those 35 words you can put up front.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Page 5 of 24« First...«34567»1020...Last »