For those of you running an online reputation management campaign you might have noticed that one negative listing your competing against, pissedconsumer.com, has disappeared off of Google. For my clients personally, I've seen it drop 5 pages or more (in some cases off of Google altogether).
It's hard to assess the exact cause of this, but PissedConsumer.com ran into some trouble about a year ago because they were trying to game the system. You can view info about it here and here.
Google's rankings have been fluctuating a lot due to Google Caffeine (which hasn't been fully launched yet) so I highly recommend staying on top of search results to see if PissedConsumer.com pops up again.
Anybody else experiencing this?
Monday, December 28, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Top Facebook and Twitter Trends of 2009
Came across some interesting stats that I figured I'd share. Below are the top Twitter trends of 2009 along with the top keywords incorporated into Facebook status updates of 2009. Some of these kind of surprised me.
Facebook:
To everyone who is celebrating, have a Merry Christmas!
Facebook:
1. Facebook Applications (Farmville, Farm Town, Social Living)
2. FML (F*&$# My Life)
3. Swine Flu
4. Celebrity Deaths (Michael Jackson, Patrick Swayze, Billy Mays)
5. Family
6. Movies (New Moon, Transformers, Star Trek, The Hangover, Paranormal Activity and Harry Potter)
7. Sports (Steelers, Yankees)
8. Health Care
9. FB (aka Facebook)
10. Twitter
11. Years
12. Lady Gaga
13. Yard
14. Religion
15. I
Twitter:
To everyone who is celebrating, have a Merry Christmas!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Brand Monitoring
I'm not going to make it a habit here to post links to my other blogs, but I wrote a blog post the other day that I felt was worth sharing.
You can view it here: The Importance of Brand Monitoring. To sum it up, I discussed why brand monitoring is important, how to do it properly, and how you can leverage the information to better your business.
This is a really important article for anybody who is implementing a Social Media campaign (especially ones that involve a listening program). If you're not seeing great results with your brand monitoring campaign, you aren't doing it right or there just isn't a lot of information out there pertaining to your brand. If the latter is the case, you can still benefit by monitoring activity relating to your industry and applying what was discussed in the blog post to help leverage your brand.
If you're not doing this, strongly consider it. Again, if done properly you will easily see the benefits.
You can view it here: The Importance of Brand Monitoring. To sum it up, I discussed why brand monitoring is important, how to do it properly, and how you can leverage the information to better your business.
This is a really important article for anybody who is implementing a Social Media campaign (especially ones that involve a listening program). If you're not seeing great results with your brand monitoring campaign, you aren't doing it right or there just isn't a lot of information out there pertaining to your brand. If the latter is the case, you can still benefit by monitoring activity relating to your industry and applying what was discussed in the blog post to help leverage your brand.
If you're not doing this, strongly consider it. Again, if done properly you will easily see the benefits.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Facebook Contests - Tips
This should be a fairly brief post. Also, I know that I said I would start blogging once a week at least which hasn't happened yet, but moving forward I will make sure that this is done.
I've see a lot of Facebook Contests run by companies through the "event feature" on Facebook (which I think is a great idea). However, I've also seen these contests fail miserably because they were not implemented properly. If you plan on running a contest through the events feature on Facebook please keep this tips in mind:
I've see a lot of Facebook Contests run by companies through the "event feature" on Facebook (which I think is a great idea). However, I've also seen these contests fail miserably because they were not implemented properly. If you plan on running a contest through the events feature on Facebook please keep this tips in mind:
- Be Specific: One of the main issues I've seen with Facebook contests is that people don't specify the exact details related to the contest. Assume that nobody has any idea on what's going on (which is probably most individuals involved in the contest). List how people can enter (really really important), prizes, rules / stipulations, and any other possible questions entrants might have. Of course you need to ensure that the copy doesn't become a novel, but by specifying everything related to the contest it will save a lot of time for you in the long run as you won't be inundated with various quesitons.
- Contact Your Facebook Fans: Chances are if you're running a Facebook event contest, you already have a Facebook page. Don't just simply post the event information on your fan page wall, reach out to all of your fans alterting them on the contest. All you need to do is click on "edit page" and access the send update feature on the right side of the page. This will automatically ping your entire fan base. It amazes me how few people realize that this is an option considering how effective this is in increasing entrants.
- Invite Your Friends: A lot of people are hesitant to reach out to their friends on their personal profile because they feel it is intrusive. Keep in mind..people love free shit. Sending them an invite to a contest will not be considered "annoying" by any means.
- Facebook Advertisements: If you have the budget, run Facebook advertisements. You can target pretty much every demographic possible (based on profile data) including age, gender, location, and interest. Target individuals who represent your brand's target market (and what you're giving away) along with people who list "contests", "free stuff", and other keyword variations as an interest.
- Keep People in the Loop: Stay active on the event wall. Remind people how much time is left to enter, the number of entrants, address any common issues you've seen, etc. This helps to target people who might have joined the event, but haven't yet entered the contest.
Monday, November 9, 2009
I'm on Facebook and Twitter..Now What??
I guess this serves as my first "real" post. I promise to update this regularly (at least once a week for now..hopefully more often).
I've attended many events related to Social Media and one thing that really bugs me is how seminars are always so vague when it comes to Facebook and Twitter. A common theme is "you should have a Facebook Fan Page" and "you should be on Twitter", but rarely do events really stress how to use these social networking tools to your advantage. Granted I've been to some great events that are geared towards Facebook / Twitter (140conf is one that comes to my mind related to Twitter), but I've overall disappointed with what I've attended (even one that was hosted by Facebook staff).
It's hard to see the value of Facebook Fan Page or a Twitter account if you create it, ask you friends to follow / become a fan, and then leave it alone (which is what a LOT of people do). People aren't going to go out of their way to seek you out unless you are a well established brand / business. You need to work hard to build up your accounts (especially in the beginning) to see real results. Here is some advice that can help you improve your overall Facebook / Twitter success:
Content: It might sound obvious, but a lot of your Twitter success is directly related to the content that you are tweeting. A highly effective way of building up your Twitter account is by establishing yourself as a "thought leader". If you are tech company, for example, your account should appear as being an expert in the field of technology. Offer advice related to your industry, link up to insightful articles from credible sources, retweet other people's tweets that help you portray the "thought leader" image, and respond to individual tweets whenever they have a relevant question that you can respond to.
Tweet Structure: If you're tweeting about a great article don't just post "http://www.website.com". Very rarely will people click on it. Each tweet should include target keyword phrases so that they can appear within http://search.twitter.com. Hashtags (#) make words within your tweet a link. People often utilize hashtags to find Twitter accounts of interest to them. Search for a hashtag that is widely used and is relevant to your business.
Retweet Often: People are egomaniacs by nature and nothing makes them happier on Twitter than receiving new followers or somebody retweeting their posts. When you retweet somebody else's tweet it will increase the chances that they will help you out by retweeting for you. Try and retweet updates that are relevant to your account.
Offer a Custom Incentive: If you sell a product or sevice why not offer a Twitter specific coupon code. Make these a "limited time offer" to entice people to come back repeatedly (i.e. "15% off for all Twitter followers betwee now and Saturday"). Amazon.com does a great job with Twitter incentive by having a separate account dedicate to providing limited time "lightning offers".
Tweet Often: The more you tweet, the more people will follow you (as long as you keep offering interesting, relevant content). There is such a thing as going "too overboard" with this, but you should be able to easily find what works for you best.
I've attended many events related to Social Media and one thing that really bugs me is how seminars are always so vague when it comes to Facebook and Twitter. A common theme is "you should have a Facebook Fan Page" and "you should be on Twitter", but rarely do events really stress how to use these social networking tools to your advantage. Granted I've been to some great events that are geared towards Facebook / Twitter (140conf is one that comes to my mind related to Twitter), but I've overall disappointed with what I've attended (even one that was hosted by Facebook staff).
It's hard to see the value of Facebook Fan Page or a Twitter account if you create it, ask you friends to follow / become a fan, and then leave it alone (which is what a LOT of people do). People aren't going to go out of their way to seek you out unless you are a well established brand / business. You need to work hard to build up your accounts (especially in the beginning) to see real results. Here is some advice that can help you improve your overall Facebook / Twitter success:
Twitter:
Content: It might sound obvious, but a lot of your Twitter success is directly related to the content that you are tweeting. A highly effective way of building up your Twitter account is by establishing yourself as a "thought leader". If you are tech company, for example, your account should appear as being an expert in the field of technology. Offer advice related to your industry, link up to insightful articles from credible sources, retweet other people's tweets that help you portray the "thought leader" image, and respond to individual tweets whenever they have a relevant question that you can respond to.
Tweet Structure: If you're tweeting about a great article don't just post "http://www.website.com". Very rarely will people click on it. Each tweet should include target keyword phrases so that they can appear within http://search.twitter.com. Hashtags (#) make words within your tweet a link. People often utilize hashtags to find Twitter accounts of interest to them. Search for a hashtag that is widely used and is relevant to your business.
Retweet Often: People are egomaniacs by nature and nothing makes them happier on Twitter than receiving new followers or somebody retweeting their posts. When you retweet somebody else's tweet it will increase the chances that they will help you out by retweeting for you. Try and retweet updates that are relevant to your account.
Offer a Custom Incentive: If you sell a product or sevice why not offer a Twitter specific coupon code. Make these a "limited time offer" to entice people to come back repeatedly (i.e. "15% off for all Twitter followers betwee now and Saturday"). Amazon.com does a great job with Twitter incentive by having a separate account dedicate to providing limited time "lightning offers".
Tweet Often: The more you tweet, the more people will follow you (as long as you keep offering interesting, relevant content). There is such a thing as going "too overboard" with this, but you should be able to easily find what works for you best.
Facebook Fan Page:
Integrate RSS Feeds: Have a blog or other RSS feed? Why not integrate onto your fan page with Social RSS. Social RSS is easy to implement and it provides frequently updated content onto your Facebook page.
Update Regularly: Similar to Twitter, make sure to update your page regularly. People will often become a fan of a page and forget that it ever existed. Let them know you're still around by populating your fan page with regular status updates pertaining to your business and industry-related advice.
Advertise: If you have the budget for it, run a Facebook PPC advertisement for you fan page. Facebook offers a highly targeted advertising platform and usually averages out to around $0.60 / click. You can target a variety of different demographics (based on profile data) including age, location, gender, interests / activities, education, workplace, etc. Facebook advertising platform allows you to see how many people "became a fan" of your page through your advertisement.
Send an Update to Fans: You can easily send an update to all of your fans by clicking on "send an update to fans" directly under your fan page profile picture. Similar to Twitter, you can provide your fans with a custom coupon code.
For both FACEBOOK AND TWITTER: Include a link to your Facebook and Twitter on your website and all of your marketing collateral. You can easily get a button for this here: http://www.socialmediabuttons.com. Put them on your e-mail blasts, e-mail signature, direct mailers, newsletters, etc. Make sure if you are putting it on your offline marketing collateral that you specific your Facebook / Twitter handle so people can easily find you.
This is really just the tip of the iceberg (I can literally jot down 100 more, but nobody wants to read that much of my rambling :)).
If you have another suggestion don't hesitate to add a comment. If you have a question, add a comment here and I'll gladly respond.
Update Regularly: Similar to Twitter, make sure to update your page regularly. People will often become a fan of a page and forget that it ever existed. Let them know you're still around by populating your fan page with regular status updates pertaining to your business and industry-related advice.
Advertise: If you have the budget for it, run a Facebook PPC advertisement for you fan page. Facebook offers a highly targeted advertising platform and usually averages out to around $0.60 / click. You can target a variety of different demographics (based on profile data) including age, location, gender, interests / activities, education, workplace, etc. Facebook advertising platform allows you to see how many people "became a fan" of your page through your advertisement.
Send an Update to Fans: You can easily send an update to all of your fans by clicking on "send an update to fans" directly under your fan page profile picture. Similar to Twitter, you can provide your fans with a custom coupon code.
For both FACEBOOK AND TWITTER: Include a link to your Facebook and Twitter on your website and all of your marketing collateral. You can easily get a button for this here: http://www.socialmediabuttons.com. Put them on your e-mail blasts, e-mail signature, direct mailers, newsletters, etc. Make sure if you are putting it on your offline marketing collateral that you specific your Facebook / Twitter handle so people can easily find you.
This is really just the tip of the iceberg (I can literally jot down 100 more, but nobody wants to read that much of my rambling :)).
If you have another suggestion don't hesitate to add a comment. If you have a question, add a comment here and I'll gladly respond.
Monday, October 19, 2009
New Blog, New Direction
I guess the reason for this post is to establish the purpose of this blog and what I will be writing about. I recently deleted most of my 20-something blogs and have decided to focus most of my attention to this one. I've kind of lost sight along the way of the true meaning of blogging and am looking to rectify this.
Just to give you some insight on who I am, I am the social media manager for a well respected Internet Marketing company. I manage all types of clients ranging from cosmetic surgeons, fragrances, online photo books, engagement rings, among dozens of others. I truly believe that social media should be integrated in every company's marketing efforts in some capacity. It is only growing in popularity on a daily basis and companies who aren't taking advantage of this great branding tool is truly missing out.
In the past, I had blogs focused around myself, my clients, blogs that I made believe were for myself but were for clients, supposedly "viral content", advice-oriented blogs, etc. You name it, I probably had a blog for it. Through my years of testing different strategies I've discovered that to truly be successful with social media, you need to be transparent in your approach. Social Media isn't about being deceptive in order to maximize revenue (it doesn't work), it's about building relationships and building up your brand image (the word "branding" will probably show up at least twice per blog post).
With this blog, everything will be completely transparent (which I failed to do in the past). I will be providing advice related to social media (and other Internet Marketing / general marketing strategies as well) with the hope that you come away with some great insight on how to enhance your business. I might not have the best grammar (who gives a shit though right?) and I might be very blunt and to the point at times, but I guarantee you will learn at least one valuable thing by reading this blog.
All the Best,
Dave
Just to give you some insight on who I am, I am the social media manager for a well respected Internet Marketing company. I manage all types of clients ranging from cosmetic surgeons, fragrances, online photo books, engagement rings, among dozens of others. I truly believe that social media should be integrated in every company's marketing efforts in some capacity. It is only growing in popularity on a daily basis and companies who aren't taking advantage of this great branding tool is truly missing out.
In the past, I had blogs focused around myself, my clients, blogs that I made believe were for myself but were for clients, supposedly "viral content", advice-oriented blogs, etc. You name it, I probably had a blog for it. Through my years of testing different strategies I've discovered that to truly be successful with social media, you need to be transparent in your approach. Social Media isn't about being deceptive in order to maximize revenue (it doesn't work), it's about building relationships and building up your brand image (the word "branding" will probably show up at least twice per blog post).
With this blog, everything will be completely transparent (which I failed to do in the past). I will be providing advice related to social media (and other Internet Marketing / general marketing strategies as well) with the hope that you come away with some great insight on how to enhance your business. I might not have the best grammar (who gives a shit though right?) and I might be very blunt and to the point at times, but I guarantee you will learn at least one valuable thing by reading this blog.
All the Best,
Dave
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