Measuring Social Marketing

There’s enough reading with new blogs and articles on this topic to make ones head spin, but this is an interesting perspective worth sharing:

The Four I’s of Social Media Measurement

“Marketing’s New Key Metric: Engagement” by Brian Haven of Forrester Research identifies four areas of engagement that can be measured. Engagement is the name of the game when it comes to social media and measuring successes and failures.

  • Involvement: Just how involved is the community you’re engaging with? Are they visiting your site? Are they subscribing to your blog? How many video views do you have? Did they request information from your site or from a member of your team?
  • Interactions: How are your efforts working in the way of gauging interactions? Are fan visits to your fan page increasing? Have those fans started conversations? How many replies to a post in a forum have you received? How many comments are your blog posts getting?
  • Intimacy: Intimacy demonstrates the level of comfort/love/hate your audience feels with your company brands, products, or services. How much user generated content such as videos, photos, blog review sites or even threads in forums are being generated around your company? How many ratings are you receiving? What is the sentiment of your ratings or product/service comments?
  • Influence: Just how much influence are your efforts (or those of other influencers) having on your strategy? How willing are people to recommend you? Did you get a brand awareness lift with your efforts? Are influencers sharing their opinions and are they creating user generated content around your products/services?

Obviously open to interpretation but certainly a good point of view to take when engaging in Social Marketing.
As we explore the evolution of Social Marketing we’ll be sure to share key points of interest!

2009
08/31
CATEGORY
social marketing
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Image Search Optimization

When a web-user needs an image where do they go?  Second nature for us here is straight to Google, Bing, or photography sharing sites.

So why don’t folks optimize their images?!?
Head over to Google and search “snowboard,”  and your browser will likely return 18 images on page 1 out of over 5 million images.
“Snowboard” is a very popular word and image search term, with companies such as Burton, REI, Ride all lobbying for top results.  These companies know they have to optimize their images in order to compete for winter sports business.

If images are relevant to you, then consider a few basic “must do’s” to optimizing the files.
Relevant Images represent products and services that generate revenue.

1.  File Name.
Sure, no brainer.  But you’d be surprised how many web users snap a series of pictures, auto-name them during transfer and move on.  Effectively naming an image does wonders for Search Engine visibility.  Be sure the name is descriptive, not too text heavy and to the point.

2.  Placement.
Don’t let the image get lost in your site. Embedded in flash or mixed up in Search Engine confusing web design pretty much ruins image effectiveness.  If your intent is for the image to be found, be sure it is properly placed and presented for the Search Engines to find it.

3.  Relevant Text
Alternative Text is a must have for Search Engine Optimization.  Alt text refers to the content of the alt attribute, which exists to describe an image if not displayed by a browser or additionally by resting a mouse pointer on the image to bring up the text.  It is very important for SEO to make sure the alternative text is descriptive and relevant.

Quick Stat mentioned by Todd Schwartz at SES San Jose:  60 million searches produced more than 1 billion image searches.

Many of you won’t have an in-house web admin to boss around into optimizing images so consider talking to an Internet Marketing company to assist you with the execution.  Image Optimization is a highly relevant task if your products or services can be represented through images on the web.

Do your best to “Be Found.”

2009
08/30
CATEGORY
Internet Marketing
image optimization
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1099 or Hire?

So you’re coming around, realizing that your web presence is vital to sustainability and growth.  Excellent!  You’ve looked at budget forecasts, analyzed cash flows and are ready to execute a plan of attack.  But do you hire on a full time staffer or align yourself with an independent entity?

Most of you already have your process in place and will simply repeat the steps that have worked in the past.  We’ve seen companies in Dallas, Miami and Beverly Hills not think twice about simply “hiring it out” to get their OLM or SEO plans executed.  We’ve also been presented with the common challenge of companies that simply do not understand how professionals can handle a client account without operating as a full time employee with a nice desk, phone, and first initial last name company email.   Some of you want the full time loyalty, some of you just want to know the job will get done.

So how do you decide?
Well…it’s your business; do what your intuition tells you to do (first) since that will be the nagging unknown in the back of your mind if you “ignore your instinct.”  You’ve done well enough to date, don’t doubt yourself; proceed confidently and you will succeed.  If you act with your business instinct and things just don’t seem to work out it is simply time to try a different angle.  One must not begin to question the importance of improving the company web presence.  The Internet Marketing must go on, the methodologies can adapt.

For obvious reasons we would like to say “1099 us, we’ll get it done.”  While true that the job will get done and done right, we’re non-biased in our approach to true client needs.  You may actually need that full time staffer.  Depending on the work-load you could find that subbing this responsibility out isn’t as cost effective as having an employee at the ready.  That doesn’t eliminate the occasional benefit of a peer review of your process.  We also assist with the review of potential hires.  Why?  Because we know what types succeed and what types flat-line and work for the paycheck and not the goal!  We know what questions to ask to gauge appetite for challenge.

The plain truth here is that 90% of Internet Marketing is best left to a dedicated company that you trust and are willing to invest in for the long haul.
A great benefit to working over the internet is that cost of business can be kept low, smart proprietors can operate lean and efficiently.  We believe our responsible approach to our own business growth and scalability helps us better align with client needs by eliminating business model liabilities that could corrupt the client relationship. We’re not going away.

Let’s face it, we’ve all had our failures and successes.  Best together are companies that respect the path one another has traveled and team members that are willing to learn from each other and grow together cohesively.  This should not be an ideal! This should happen every day in small doses or big steps.

Choose wisely, and remain dedicated so long as the statistical data and campaign can prove successful.

1099 Us for the long haul, or contact us for a review of your current program.
Yes, we will help you analyze your current Internet Marketing program through our Peer Review Process.  We offer a Complimentary Site Analysis.  What do you have to lose?

1099 or Hire, just do what you have to do to “Be Found.”

Let’s do an impromptu experiment, please cast your vote below to help us figure this one out!!
Feel free to provide constructive criticisms or thoughts for future blogs, thanks :D

[polldaddy poll=1916407]

2009
08/25
CATEGORY
Internet Marketing
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How do YOU search?

The process has been over-simplified:  You need something or want to know something, and the search engines find it for you.

Whether you use Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc., our desire for information and knowledge almost always begins with ‘www’.  But “what” really takes place when a web user decides to answer their questions via the web? First, they have a favorite search utility.  Mountains of data exist to break down who uses what and what they’re looking for.

So how does one search?  A fair guess is that we all view things differently and must, in a sense, search differently.

How would you search for a new cafe in your area?  Your town + cafe is a given,  your desired lunch or location?  What about pricing, ownership, menu or hours? The reality is that if you sit down 10 web users and ask them to find a cafe online to go to lunch, they very well may all be eating alone at their own newly discovered cafe.  Let’s Google “Upper Michigan Cafe“.  (click the link, we’ve Googled it for you) It is rather unfortunate that of all the cafe’s in “Upper Michigan” only two cafe websites actually show up on page one!  Sure, there are an endless number of “marketing & community” sites that will sell you an “ad” or promote the cafe, but this is 2009, and your website needs to be visible!  Instead of spending money to, frankly, promote another company’s web presence, don’t you think it wise to allocate funds to improving your own site presence? We care about your presence, and we work within your budget, not the other way around.

What’s the point?
Keywords, search phrases, competition behavior, web user data, etc. are all factors in where your business shows up in “The Search”.
It may seem a bit convoluted, but keep in mind the challenges your business faces are met by the competition as well.  An online marketing campaign shouldn’t just “keep up with the Jones’”, it should keep up with the customer.  Search terms, buzz words and menu items constantly evolve for a cafe and their campaign focus must evolve as well.  Back to a cafe thought, remember The Atkins diet?  How about every time Oprah or Kirstie Alley decide to push a different meal plan?  Then there’s Jared from Subway, Tropical Smoothies or The Smoothie King, Red Bull and Coffee competition with Starbucks and beyond.  A million books are written and read on marketing and business intuition but unless you’ve written a book about your business none of them will tell you what works for you.  Anyone suggest, few execute and monitor with real-time data.

An effective Internet Marketing team can streamline the process.
Forget about social media sites for a moment.  They are but a fraction of the true infrastructure behind Internet Marketing.
You need to think about a long term commitment to improving your company presence in an ever changing market place.
Internet Marketing was in place long before the birth of Facebook, Myspace or Twitter.
Regular, focused discussions with statistical data reviews will allow informed decisions to be made regarding everything your company does, says or sells on the web.  Getting clients into your “cafe” leaves closing the deal to you and the hard work you’ve put in to offer a great service or product.

Don’t run half the race.
Your business didn’t come this far to simply “exist”.  Complacency kills marketing initiatives and an efficient Online Marketing Team will help guide you and your company through the present and future challenges of virtual business.

Your Business Deserves to “Be Found.”

2009
08/25
CATEGORY
Internet Marketing
web presence
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Local Area benefits from U.P. Overland

25 vehicles with almost 50 attendees made an impact on the local economy purchasing camping supplies, fuel, eating at local restaurants, staying at hotels before and after the event, etc.

The Falling Rock Cafe in Munising, MI donated bags of their Great Lakes Coffee Company coffee for the group raffle.  On Friday afternoon the group came to a stop Northeast of Melstrand, MI.  With poor weather preventing a good camping experience several members decided to go into the Falling Rock for lunch at the recommendation of some local members.  All told almost 20 people had lunch at The Falling Rock and close to 10 others explored Munising and The Pictured Rocks.

The group also stopped in Grand Marias, at Crisp Point Light House, Whitefish Point and the Soo to fuel up and purchase supplies.

The significance:   The internet brought them all together.

Your company Web Presence IS vital!

2009
08/24
CATEGORY
web presence
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Upper Peninsula Overland

TV6 news aired a brief segment on the Upper Peninsula Overland 2009 trip that took a group of adventurers from the tip of the Keewenaw Peninsula all the way to the Soo Locks in Sault Saint Marie, MI.

The trip proved to be a great success despite less than tolerable weather conditions on Friday.

What does this have to do with Online Marketing or your business on the internet?

The Overland attendees are a mixed group from all over the Midwest. As far as Montana, to Virginia and several Chicago residents attended.
Occupations ranging from business owner to surgeon, attorney to students, mechanical engineers and beyond.

The relevance is that they all met online. Oddly enough the concept of “meeting online” has a rather shady stigma that often comes from media exposure trying to sell a “story”. The reality is that close to 50 people gathered and spent almost an entire week Overlanding through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula thanks to the communicative utilities of the internet. Without the forums, facebook page, blogs & emails this event would not be possible.

This particular group is a free event for attendees, but is cut off at 25 vehicles to keep it manageable for camping, etc.

The tie-in for business can come from many different angles. Simple sponsorship for mention on the forums, blogs, or website. Donation of business products or services for the raffle day ( this year’s raffle was a great success thanks to the donations from multiple area businesses ) that will be spread across the diverse group.

If this can all be done, tied to your website, twitter, friendfeed or facebook there is a good chance you will become attached to a highly circulated U.P. Event that appears to only have clear skies and strong support ahead of it. And this group operates under the Tread Lightly rules of Overlanding, leaving their sites clean and even picking up trash left by others as they make their way across the Upper Peninsula using only back trails in their 4×4 overlanding equipped vehicles.

We plan on conducting a follow up with Kristian Saile, the groups organizer to learn more about how this group plans to grow.
Check back or subsribe to be kept in the loops!

2009
08/24
CATEGORY
Uncategorized
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