Channels -- There are so many! How to choose??

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock somewhere, you’ve noticed that the number of TV channels has multiplied exponentially. 

Now, you can watch anything from Antiques Roadshow to the Vampire Diaries just about anytime you feel like tuning in.

 The same thing is true on the Web. But just because there are literally thousands (maybe millions) of places (or channels) to post your great content online doesn’t mean that’s what you want to do.

Just as you’re selective about what you watch (I hope), you also want to be selective about where you post your business description and content online.

It’s not that it’s necessarily bad to be listed on some sites. It’s just that it can be a freakin’ waste of your time, and it’s not something any old vampire or zombie can do. And of course the 80-20 rule also applies here: 80 percent of the time, your leads will come from just 20 percent of the channels.

Every time you post something online, make sure it’s 1) professional looking and consistent with your brand image and keywords, 2) going to reach your key audience, and 3) something you are committed to maintaining.

So that means you need a plan for where, what and when (how often) you will post your great content online. Need help? I’d love to help you figure out your social media and Internet marketing strategy. Get in touch and I'll get you plugged into some new customers.

Why do I love doing P.R.? Good question! Because it helps companies build credibility with their key constituents.

Most people have no idea when they're reading or watching their favorite news sources that folks like me have diligently worked behind the scenes to help get our clients “ink” or a “soundbite.” 

One of my favorite expressions was (and still is): “Advertising is what you pay for, P.R. is what you pray for.”

Credibility also builds trust. And people want to do business with people they trust. Period. I can’t think of a single time when I chose to do business or work with a company I didn’t trust.

Trust is ephemeral at best on the Internet – People want to trust you, but there are so many little ways in which you can lose trust. First – crawl around your website as if you were a new visitor. Are there any broken links? Typos? Pages that take a long time loading?

Now let’s get a little more sophisticated: Do you have enough content (see last week’s post) to build authority on your subject? Do you have ‘thin’ pages that have very little text or that don’t match up keyword-wise with your page titles and headings? That’s important, because you’re making it hard for Google to classify and rank your page for those all-important keywords.

Finally, are you getting your content out there in the webosphere? There are a multitude of places to rewrite and repurpose your content so that it’s seen by lots of people, including your propects, the media, industry analysts, etc. But that’s a subject for next week – the 4th ‘C’ of Internet marketing – Channels.

Content is king, queen and the entire court for that matter. Content is what helps you get found. And it’s what helps you connect with your audiences.  

But it can’t be just any content. 

First, it must be keyword rich. That’s what makes it a little tricky. When you start writing, you have to think about the keywords that your customers and prospects are using. Do they Google the word “solution”? Highly unlikely. It’s far more likely they Google the specific technology or service they’re looking for. So you’ve got to do your keyword research first. 

Second, it must say something. Content that lacks, well, content, is no good to your customers and prospects. It must be have some meaning or significance, and it must address your customer’s key issues.

The LinkedIn answers section is great for that: after joining the groups where your customers are hanging out, simply pay attention to what your customers are asking.  

Third, there must be enough of it (remember the first C – change) and it must be updated frequently. Gone are the days when you can put up a website and wait for people to come and find you.

In fact, in Google’s own SEO (search engine optimization) guide, they state: “Create fresh, unique content. New content will not only keep your existing visitor base coming back, but also bring in new visitors.”  

Of course, there’s lots more info. on this topic, and if you’re interested, here’s a great (but lengthy) article: http://www.toprankblog.com/2009/02/internet-marketing-content-seo/.  

Next week, I’ll talk about the third C: Credibility.

A Change Will Do Your Website Good

I’m becoming a list person. Heck, it keeps me more organized. It’s the way I like to take in information. Step 1-2-3. Top 10 List. The Four P’s of Marketing.

It makes it all seem so easy. Kind of like a recipe. By the time you’re done getting through all the steps, your carefully prepared dish promises to look just like the one in the photo.

So I’ve come up with my own list: The Four C’s of Internet Marketing.

The first one is: Change.

Remember last week when I said one of my favorite karaoke songs was “A Change Will Do you Good?” (Great Sheryl Crow song, by the way). Well, a change will also do your website good.

Gone are the days when you could put up a website, sit back and wait for traffic. Build it and they will come? Yeah, right – in your dreams.

Part of the trick is to build your site for search (that's a whole other topic). But a big part of how you will get found is by putting up content that is fresh, keyword-rich and timely. A blog is perfect for that, because usually the foundation of your site doesn’t change that often. But your perspective on your industry, its trends and the latest news does.

Next post: the second C of Internet Marketing: Content. 

Think you need a Facebook Page for your business?

Let me ask you a pretty basic question: Why?

Sure, Facebook Pages are great for some businesses – particularly those that cater to consumers – restaurants, stores, consumer products, etc. (The most popular page on Facebook after Barack Obama is Coca-Cola, with over 3 million fans). 

It's an ideal way to engage your customers, offer them deals and put referral business on steroids.

But let’s say you’re a small business that sells widgets, software or other products and services that would cause my eyes to roll back in my head if you were to talk shop with me at a cocktail party. Think you need a Facebook Page? Think again.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t jump on the social media bandwagon.

Just make sure you hit the hammer on the head and go to where your customers are really hanging out.

And guess what – they're probably not on Facebook if you sell products and services to other businesses (B2B).

But they ARE on LinkedIn. Most B2B businesses can find their customers in LinkedIn groups. And thanks to the six degrees (or less) of separation, you can likely find someone in your network who can introduce you to your key sales prospects.

Are you a telecom vendor? Join the Telecom Professionals Group (140,000 members strong). Does your company offer quality assurance and testing? Join the Software Testing & Quality Assurance Group (43,000 members).

Even if your company offers something as esoteric as mortgage software, your key staff could join the Mortgage Professionals Worldwide Group (7,000 members).

Then jump in and join the discussions. See what your customers are asking. Answer their questions and become a valuable resource for them.

I promise it’ll be a whole lot more worthwhile than trying to figure out what will engage your mercurial Facebook fans.

Free software release notes anyone?

I think I’ll take a pass.

I love kickboxing. Three days a week, I take a break mid-morning, move my computer to a different part of the house, plug in a kickboxing video and throw punches in the air.

 The good thing is that I’m motivated to do this without a membership, a class or a personal trainer.

The bad thing is that I have to listen to the exact same banter and prompts. Some of it motivates me, and some actually has the opposite effect.

Which statement actually demotivates you?

 1)    Dig deep, we’re with you all the way!

2)    Find that motivation and think about your goals!

3)    Don’t give up; it would be a shame to finish now!

When they say “don’t give up,” I think: I wasn’t even considering giving up. Now they put the possibility of not finishing the routine into my head.

I wish they hadn’t done that.

Whether you’re doing kickboxing or working on your business, don’t even consider giving up. That’s the last I’ll mention it.

Instead, find that motivation, think about your goals and dig deep.

I’m with you all the way!

The word copywriting (“copy”) always bothered me. I mean, who wants to write “copy?” It just doesn’t sound very original to me.

Today, we’re hearing the word “copy” less and the word “content” more.

That’s because the word “content” connotes not just online “copy” and all of its various forms – everything from tweets to websites to e-books – but also a variety of other media, such as photos, podcasts, screencasts and video.

 I’m all for content over copy, for two really good reasons:

1)  Like most people (I heard 65%), I’m a visual learner. Don’t just tell me, show me!

2)  Also like most people (and especially Gen X, Gen Y and probably Gen Z when they arrive on the scene), I want you to entertain me, not bore me.

The word “copy” used to apply to the printed page. But the style of writing for the web is far, far different from writing for brochures and printed materials. In fact, it can be a lot harder, because if you don’t captivate your audience, they’ll simply click away. Most web surfers suffer from acute ADD.

Writing for the web also requires the writer to keep it short and simple (the KISS theory is alive and well on the web), and punctuate the text with short, snappy keyword-rich headings. That’s actually a lot harder to do than to drivel on and on.

Thank goodness the days of unoriginal drivel (or copy) are mostly gone. Good-bye copy. Hello content!

I have an old friend, Hollis Polk, who’s a psychic in San Francisco. Over the years, she has read my “chakras” (kind of like energy fields), helping me tune into my true desires and open my mind to new possibilities.

 As talented and clairvoyant as she is, she still has a hard time finding new clients. So she came to me for advice. And here’s what I said:

 Just as she helps her clients envision lives they love, she needs to envision the kind of clients she loves to work with. What are their issues? Why do they come to her for help? What questions do they want answered by a psychic?

And then we found the sweet spot.  

Can you blog for a CEO?

I’m usually surprised by that question. The answer is: of course I can!

But doesn’t it mean that the blog isn’t genuine?

Ummm, no. Not as long as the blog truly represents what the CEO wants to say. 

I’ve been doing P.R. for years. All along, I’ve ghost-written quotes, speeches and articles for CEOs. I’ve put tons of words in CEOs' mouths. Was it what they wanted to say? Absolutely! Is it exactly how they might have phrased it? Probably not.

Frankly, it’s usually a whole lot more eloquent and understandable ("real speak") simply because I’m a writer, a wordsmith.

While most CEOs are very articulate, they don’t have the time to sit down and carefully craft an article or a quote that’s “on message.”

Now that blogging has become de rigueur for most organizations, the CEOs I know certainly don’t have time to blog every day or even every week (which is the minimum frequency in my book).

So I’ve developed a little routine. Interview the CEO first – ask what he/she wants to blog on – I usually get a top of mind kind of idea. I dig into their perspective (the best blog posts have a little “attitude”). This interview usually takes around 15 min.

I then draft the blog and get it approved. This usually takes about 45 min. I’ve just saved the CEO at least 45 min. with this routine, while still communicating their perspective to their core audiences.

To me, that’s a whole lot better than silence from the corner office.

Last week, I gave a presentation on social media for 15 CEO’s of small businesses down in Faribault, Minn.
 
Their reactions ranged from engaged to downright resistant, bordering on belligerence. “What’s a blog?” asked one CEO. “Can you Tweet on a blog?”
 
It occurred to me that “getting” social media is all about having the right attitude. If you’re determined to NOT get it, guess what? You won’t.
 
Age has absolutely nothing to do with it. Sure, a lot of my contemporaries still do marketing and P.R. the old-fashioned way – writing brochures and sending out press kits in the mail.
 
The good news for me is that they then ask for my help when their clients ask them to set up a Facebook page, do keyword research and optimize their news releases and website content. I’m just as old as they are, but I have a different attitude: I am totally jazzed by the social media revolution and want to be a part of it.
 
Conversely, Gen X and Gen Y or the Millennials may be super comfortable with technology, since they’ve been on the web their entire existence. 
 
But while they know how to post their last frat party photos on their Facebook wall, they don’t know how to use Facebook and other social media sites to help businesses get found, connect with customers and increase referral business.
 
In short, if you want help developing a social media strategy to grow your business, find someone who has both the right attitude and the right stuff.