Creative Marketing Channel

SEO for Lancaster, PA and beyond.

“To stand out you need to be wherever those customers are looking and that means social, that means search, that means word of mouth.” – Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Online Marketing

A few weeks ago a tweet by Bob Tripathi, founder of Instant E-Training, alerted me to a fantastic video interview with Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Online Marketing. When it comes to search, social, and content, Lee Odden is the one of the best so I had to click, watch and listen.  Here are a few of my favorite takeaways from this content marketing strategy gold mine:

1. Create searcher personas
Searcher personas reflect people: They are the many faces of your customers. What are their wants, needs, and consumption habits? What are their typical online behaviors during different phases of the buying cycle? Answer these questions to determine their search behavior. Understand your personas and optimize your content uniquely for them.

2. Create relevancy
Meeting the needs of personas creates relevancy and is the first step in developing relevant content. Relevancy is the connection between what people want and what you want to sell. “Instead of optimizing for keywords ’cause they’re popular, we’re actually optimizing for keywords that we know are a reflection of where that customer is in the buying cycle, ” explains Odden.

3. Listen to customers
There are a variety of social media monitoring and data collection tools that allow you to collect information about your customers. Which social media channels they prefer, their buying habits, as well as common phrases or social keywords they like to use can be discovered with these tools. Another big benefit is this information helps you create socially interesting or relevant content.

4. Distribute and promote
Crappy content with a snappy headline will beat high quality content with a boring title every time. Package your content to purposefully inspire others to share it or link back to it. Distribute it on your platform, to social media and to other online publishing communities. An RSS feed and social sharing tools are must haves (for example Slideshare and Revver).

5. Create an engaging social community
People with common interests like to connect with each other so create a place where they can do this. If your community has the right climate your customers will happily share information and tips about your brand with one other for you. Don’t push your brand at your community; rather, encourage your community to enthusiastically share your brand.

6. Measure your results
Social monitoring AND analytics tell where engagement is happening. This information enables you to intelligently scale any approach up or down as needed. Evaluate both on a regular basis and refine your content marketing campaign as needed.

If this information piques your interest then Odden’s newly released book Optimize is a must have.  ”Optimize will provide you with the tools necessary to plan, implement, and scale an integrated content marketing strategy which will boost your relevance and increase your online visibility.”  I ordered mine and can’t wait to read it!

The Creative Marketing Channel specializes in optimized content marketing and distribution. Improve your Google rank, deepen visitor experiences, and increase brand awareness, leads, and conversions when you hire The Creative Marketing Channel to create your company’s content.  Connect with us on YouTube, Linkedin, Twitter, Google+and Facebook. Email us at cl@2designs.com.

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Social media marketing, part of digital marketing, is a great way to build relationships and grow your business. It’s no surprise Linkedin recently ranked as the second most popular social media platform in the world. If you’re not making the most of your Linkedin account, here are 7 steps to grow your business on Linkedin.

1.  Professional profiles only
Have you ever Googled your name? Nine times out of ten the very first thing you’ll see is your Linkedin profile. Linkedin has some powerful SEO mojo so think of your profile as your resume to the world.  Be sure it touts a decent photo of you, at least 5 glowing recommendations from others, and links to your professional websites.  Use keywords in your summary, link to your Twitter account if you have one, and link your business name to your Linkedin company profile listing.

2.  Regularly Share an update
Sharing an update is one of Linkedin’s best networking features. If you’re not using it, you’re missing out.   Why? Because every time you share an update your connections are notified via email as well as on Linkedin’s home page.  My recent update states, ” Training two PA and one MD company to blog using search engine optimized content.” In just a few words I let my connections know details about several services my company provides without the hard sell.  Social media is all about pull, not push marketing.

3.  Comment on an update
Respond to updates from others and show them you’re not always thinking about yourself.   Connecting with others is why Linkedin is social media. Remember, your comments mean something to the person who posted. Everyone loves to be noticed.

4.  Use a Linkedin app or two
For profile wow effect, as well as to better explain what you do, employ one or several Linkedin apps. If you have a Powerpoint presentation, load it to Slideshare and use the Slideshare app. If you blog, use the WordPress app.  Linkedin offers a variety of useful apps to choose from -  explore them and determine which best reflect you and your business.

5.  Join groups and interact appropriately
Although it’s a business oriented platform, Linkedin groups span both personal and professional interests.  A few of my favorite groups are Linked Locals Adams York, Martial Artists Black Belts, and Digital Marketing.  How does joining groups benefit you? Each group gives you the opportunity to meet new people who share your interests.  Often, group members pose discussion questions or post articles of interest. If moved, you should comment on group discussion posts as well as create discussion posts of your own. Avoid spamming, arrogance, or the hard sell. Social media doesn’t approve of these behaviors. Special bonus: After you comment on a discussion, Linkedin allows you to invite discussion participants to connect with you.  I’ve made a lot of interesting friends this way.

6.  Share blog posts with your groups
I consider this my best kept secret (until now). If you’re a blogger, share your blog posts with some or all of your Linkedin groups.  A notable one quarter of my blog traffic comes directly from Linkedin.

How do you use Linkedin to grow your business?
Linkedin is not a simple platform; rather, it is complex with many options and so I ask my readers this question:  How do you use Linkedin to grow your business?  Sharing your answers here is good for everyone, including you. 

About The Creative Marketing Channel
The Creative Marketing Channel belongs to oz 2 designs LLC – a small, flexible, full service digital marketing agency.  Inquire about hiring us. Connect with us on Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook. Email us at cl@oz2designs.com.

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Small businesses know “… the current shift in geotargeting, mobile marketing, and online reputation management require small businesses to modify their plans and surpass competitors.”  – Susan Gunelius, Reuters. Companies on the losing side of digital are under great pressure to claim some online territory.  Yet, catching up to one’s competition takes months of time, precious budget dollars, and real skill.  Last month I published a two parts of a three part Digital Marketing Study Primer for C.E.O.s.  Part I explains the fundamentals of social media marketing and Part II teaches C.E.O.s how to vet a social media marketing agency. The bottom line, C.E.O.s cannot make smart digital marketing decisions if they don’t grasp the basics.

Part III:  What should you expect to pay for social media marketing? Here I defer to longtime social media expert Mac Collier who researched and wrote, “How much does Social Media cost companies in 2011?” Collier explains, “These figures come from rates shared with me by fellow consultants and agencies that specialize in social media marketing, in addition to my own research, as well as what I charge for similar services. ”

Here’s the prices:

Blog:

Launch a blog from the ground-up, outsource all content creation (including customer interaction, handling responses to comments, etc) – $1,000-$12,000 a month

Most Charge – $3,000 – $5,000 a month

Launch a blog from the ground-up, outsource some content creation – $1,000-$8,000 a month

Most Charge – $2,000-$3,500 a month

Restructure an existing blog to improve your efforts – $1,000-$5,000 a month for 3-6 months

Most Charge – $2,000-$4,000 a month for 3-6 months

Ghostwriting blog posts – $50-$500 per

Most Charge – $100-$250 per

Twitter:

Launch a new presence on Twitter and outsource all content creation and customer interaction – $1,000-$7,500 a month

Most Charge – $2,000-$4,000 a month

Launch a new presence on Twitter and then provide ongoing training for company – $1,000-$6,000 a month

Most Charge – $1,000-$3,000 a month

Restructure an existing Twitter presence to improve your efforts – $1,000-$4,000 a month for 3-6 months

Most Charge – $1,000-$2,500 a month

Limited coaching to improve your existing efforts on Twitter – $1,000-$4,000 a month

Most Charge – $1,000-$2,500 a month

Facebook:

Launch a Facebook Page from the ground-up, outsourcing all content creation and customer interactions – $2,000-$9,000 a month

Most Charge – $2,500-$5,000 a month

Launch a Facebook Page from the ground-up, with limited ongoing training – $1,500-$7,500 a month for 3-6 months

Most Charge – $2,000-$4,000 a month

Social Media Strategy:

Comprehensive Social Media Strategy Creation, assuming outsourcing of all content creation through all channels(minimum 2) – $3,000-$20,000 a month

Most Charge – $4,000-$7,000 a month

Comprehensive Social Media Strategy Creation, assuming limited outsourcing of content creation and/or ongoing training –$3,000-$15,000 a month for 4-12 months

Most Charge – $3,000-$6,000 a month

Audit of existing Social Media Strategy Including Recommendations for Improvement – $2,000-$10,000

Most Charge – $2,000-$5,000

Social Media Consulting:

Hourly rates – $50-$500/Hr

Most Charge – $75-$200/Hr

Note: These prices are based on buying just one hour of a consultant’s time.  Many consultants also offer their consulting time in blocks of time.  These hours are usually offered at a discounted rate.  For example, a consultant might charge $100 for one hour of her time, but if you buy 5 hours of her time, she’ll give you a 25% discount to $375 for 5 hours.  Progressive discounts are sometimes offered as the volume of hours bought increases, with final discounts being as high as 33-50% off hourly rates.

On-Site Training/Workshops (All fees excluding travel expenses)

1-2 Hours – $500-$5,000

Most Charge – $500-$2,000

Half-Day (4 hours) - $1,000 – $10,000

Most Charge – $1,000 – $4,000

Full-Day (6-8 hours) – $2,000 – $50,000

Most Charge – $2,500-$5,000

Note: Keep in mind that consultants (at least the ones worth hiring) will invest several hours of prep time in assembling and customizing their training materials for you.  So while you might buy a full-day workshop, the total time investment for the consultant (including the workshop) could easily be 20-40 hours.  Plus they will likely lose at least a full day in travel to and from your company.

As with volume discounts on hourly consulting rates, many consultants will charge more at an hourly rate for workshops shorter than a full day.  For example, one consultant might charge $2,000 for a 2-hour workshop, and $5,000 for an 8-hour workshop.

A final word about prices: Don’t be afraid to negotiate.  If the quoted price is past your budget, ask for a break, especially if the project will be longer than 3 months.  A consultant might not be willing to give you a 15% discount on a 2-month project, but they might for a 6-month project.

To contact oz 2 designs LLC to handle your social media marketing email Catherine Lockey at cl@oz2designs.com.

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“As the global economy struggles to correct itself, and social media marketing becomes a strategic imperative, companies will have exciting opportunities to expand in new directions this year…the current shift in geotargeting, mobile marketing, and online reputation management require that small businesses modify their plans to surpass competitors.” – Susan Gunelius, Reuters.

“Still Waiting to Commit to a Strategy…You’re Going to Lose” – Adam Singer
Gunelius is correct; current trends point businesses toward a holistic digital marketing strategy but, the fact is, if your business hasn’t made a commitment to digital yet, surpassing your competitors (even with a gigantic budget) probably won’t happen. Those who’ve already implemented a smart digital marketing strategy are so far ahead of their competition it’s disturbing.  Renowned digital marketing blogger and PR expert Adam Singer exemplifies the seriousness of this type of loss with a simple runner’s graphic.  In it, the newcomer to digital is running uphill struggling to make it to the top while his competition has already crested the hill and is enjoying the benefits of his win.  Stop looking for an easy way out – there isn’t one. Singer writes, “Figure out how the digital channels can best serve your brand. The net result should be a focused strategy that is based on your overall business objectives, economic value to the organization, and a tactical plan.” If you’re in the C-Suite, do your homework and understand digital marketing now, because it’s already too late.

Figure it out!
Here are some social media marketing fundamentals.  Social media starts with content and compelling content is predominantly found on blogs and websites with blogs.  Compelling content is a viable marketing tool. Gunelius on Reuters explains, “Amazing content is essential to break through the noise.” Yes, social media includes Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Delicious, Buzz etc. but before we go there it’s imperative you see the following key distinction: Your blog and your website are YOUR brand. Facebook and Twitter are not your brand – they are Facebook and Twitter’s brands. The goal is to get your friends and followers to link back to your brand.  Have social media accounts but no blog? You’re losing.  Fill your blog with compelling, keyword optimized content which inspires others to share what you write on Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Buzz, and more. This is how you boost your brand’s visibility on search.  Are you posting weekly on your blog?  Is your content interesting enough to share? Do you regularly add fresh content to your website? Your answers to all should be YES.

Search engine attention and author authority
Compelling blog content combined with the creative use of Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and other social media channels is a good start.  Specifically, you build communities on various social media platforms, share valuable information with your communities in an interesting way, then maybe they’ll share your information with their communities.  Sounds simple, right? It isn’t. Rand Fishkin of SEOmoz writes, ” We now know that those link sharing activities on Twitter and Facebook are evaluated based on the person/entity sharing them through a score Google calls ‘Author Authority,’ and Bing calls ‘Social Authority.’” Recently both Google and Bing confessed they give more search engine attention to links tweeted and retweeted by authoritative Twitter users. Know how to leverage social and search.

Time is not on your side.
You won’t get instant gratification from a newly implemented digital marketing plan. It doesn’t matter how much money you throw at it, the fact remains, a good digital marketing plan needs to be up and running at least six months before you’ll see any benefits.  At least.  A year is a much more realistic time frame.  If you study up you’ll understand the daily commitment,  knowledge base, and creativity required to make it work.  Ready to learn more?  Keep an eye out for “A Digital Marketing Study Primer for C.E.O.’s – Part II” and find out how to vet a social media marketing agency and discover how much you should pay them.

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“The worst thing I can be is the same as everyone else.  I hate that.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger…
Senior level talent, unprecedented flexibility, and one-on-one attention are three reasons smart virtual firms have fast become the B2B customer’s top choice.  How do you transform your virtual firm into a top pick? How do you choose the right partners and manage large projects?  Heathere Kenan-Evans and Katie Coates Ageson shared this and more at PRSA’s 2010 global conference session, “Beyond Solo Consulting: How to Effectively Build and Work with Project Teams, Subcontractors, and Staff.”  Below is my summary of their inspiring advice. Read the rest of this entry »

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Successful online commerce means knowing critical new business practices which result in online success. Dawn M. Yankeelov, president and founder of Aspectx, shared these practices and so much more in her session “Customer Retention : Learn Critical Factors for Maintaining Online Commerce Success” at PRSA’s 2010 global conference. Below are the pearls of wisdom I gathered from her exceptional session. Read the rest of this entry »

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