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SMO On SNL. Social Media Optimization & You.

Posted on February 8, 2010, 6:27 pm, by Tom and received No Comments ».

I stayed up way later than my usual bedtime on Saturday night to catch Ashton Kutcher on Saturday Night Live.  I don’t celebrate Ashton’s entire career or anything, but I am intrigued about his use of social media to help companies grow.  As he soared through his opening bit, he dropped the term Social Media Optimization, or SMO.  It really got my wheels spinning and I think it’s important to point out exactly what I see Social Media Optimization (SMO) as:

SMO:
Social Media Optimization is the process of utilizing and IMPROVING social media campaigns to grow your online market share.  With the web, every campaign is different, every demographic is different, every objective can be different, therefore, it is mission critical to pay attention to what is happening with your own campaign.

Optimizing your social media campaign should involve some of the following practices:

  • Are you following the right people? Find out. If they are dead weight or spam masters, make them go away, and enjoy doing it. It’s fun and freeing at the same time.
  • Are the right people following you? If you find that every self proclaimed life coach in the universe is constantly growing daises on your Twitter home page, make them take their peace, love and joy elsewhere. You’ve got a business to run, not a commune.
  • Fine tune your message.  Who are you? What are you trying to convey? Over time and practice, you can crank out a consistent message without repeating the same words over and over.
  • Give it away. I’ve said it a million times, people will find what they are looking for online no matter what (for free…..) Use your social media optimization campaign to give stuff away and spread cheer amongst your followers.
  • Don’t disappear. Social media takes time and attention. You won’t have 12,000 followers overnight, build your tribe selectively and grow over time.

The most important thing I can stress is this: be real, be yourself, have a personality.  Your accounting firm doesn’t have to be all about numbers, your mechanic shop doesn’t have to be all about oil changes.  How can you set yourself up as an expert in your field and draw people to you seeking your leadership? Social Media.

Have questions about SMO? Give me a call to discuss: In Orlando 407-830-4550 or toll free Nationwide: 866-998-6886. Learn more about social media and Internet marketing at my web site: http://www.ontargetwebsolutions.com

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Social Media : You’ve Gotta Give To Get.

Posted on February 3, 2010, 9:08 am, by Tom and received No Comments ».

The largest mistake I see companies make on the web, in particular in social media marketing is that they remain self centered.  They post stuff ALL About themselves, they post stuff all about their products, they post stuff all about their boss and his morning cup of joe.  They should be posting comments about the most important people in their organization: their customers.

Social media is all about giving. It’s all about interacting, it’s all about sharing the love. I’m not trying to get all Utopian here, I wasn’t even born in the sixties, but hey man, it’s like totally groovy if you reach out to others, it’s all about the love, it’s all about the peace and harmony.  This truly applies to your business: how can you reach out to your customers? How can you show them the love? Consider the following social media ideas and just be like groovy man:

1.) Run a groovy contest and get help from your audience:
Engage your Twitter or Facebook audience and ask for their help: let them come up with the name for your newest work of brilliance.

2.) For Pure Flower Power, give something away man.
A Canadian web design firm recently ran a contest which would build their Twitter following and in return, gave away a shiny new MacBook Pro. The company’s online presence grew exponentially and the contest got them featured in Wired Magazine.

3.) Ask their opinion Man.
Companies spend thousands on focus groups when they could be getting plenty of focus from their existing customers via Twitter.

4.) If It Feels Good, Do It Man: Reach out to them.
Be social with your clients, ask them about THEM. People love to talk about themselves, let them.  Ask them the questions, get them involved, engage them about your products, engage them about your customer service.

5.) Don’t Sweat It Man.
If you goof, tell the world you goofed.  Use social media to fess up or at least be transparent.  Toyota ran a full page in the Orlando sentinel telling all of us that they goofed and that they will be correcting their recall issues ASAP. The truth will set you free, use social media to spread your confessions.

To learn more about how social media can help your company grow, call me: 407-830-4550. We’ll have a groovy conversation and I’ll show you how my company can help you grow your online presence.

Put Some Wow In Your Web Site.

Posted on February 2, 2010, 9:23 am, by Tom and received No Comments ».

Everyone talks about creating the wow factor nowadays in business, but many companies fail to translate the wow factor to their web site: here are a few pointers to carry the wow factor into your web site:

1.) If your web site sells products (e-commerce) and people abandon the web site, before they check out, have your web site send them an email offering them a discount if they come back within a certain time frame. Sure, you may lose 10% of a sale, but it’s better then losing 100%.

2.) If folks register at your web site, ask them for their birthday. Have one of your customer service reps call and wish them happy birthday personally.

3.) Surprise them. If you have regular web site visitors, send them an email and offer them a discount on their next purchase.

4.)Keep people guessing.  Offer a random weekly special and be sure to let your loyal clients know what it is before it’s public.

5.) Reward them. If folks send your web site a unique visitor who ends up purchasing, reward them both: the referrer for sending you business you wouldn’t have had and the new customer for being a new customer.

There are a million ways to wow people, take some time, look at your web site and ask yourself, how can I keep people coming back? People love to belong, help them belong, bring them into your world and make them feel special.

My company helps you create the WOW factor on your web site…. Call me today and let’s discuss how to make your prospects customers for life. Call 407-830-4550 or toll free: 866-998-6886.

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A Web Designer Wearing A Tie?

Posted on February 1, 2010, 8:00 am, by Tom and received No Comments ».

I met with a higher profile client about two weeks back, a very professional company, and I was essentially coming in to get some design inspiration and to hear their story.  The second I sat down, one of the well dressed businessmen said to me, “I didn’t expect to see a web designer sitting in here with a tie on.” My response, “that’s because I’m not a web designer, I’m a marketer…. ” They were a bit confused and I had to explain… There is so much more to building a web site than hiring a code jockey or a Microsoft Certified IT Technician who also dabbles with filling ink jet cartridges on the side.

A true web site sells. It compels, it lives, it breathes, it grows and most importantly, it opens a dialogue. If your web site isn’t talking to your prospects and engaging them, why are you online?

Before you hire a pimply Hollister T-shirt wearing Web designer, consider the big picture: a web site is a marketing piece. If your web designer has never asked you about your target market, it’s time to find an Internet Marketing firm.  If your web designer has never asked about your products and their benefits, it’s time to move on.  If your web designer has never asked you what your corporate vision or story is, it’s time to reconsider that relationship.

In order to make it online today, your company NEEDS the expertise of a marketing firm who ‘get’s it’. Call me today to discuss your Internet marketing plan: call 407-830-4550 or toll free: 866-998-6886 or visit my web site to learn more about Internet Marketing & Web Design.

Bob, Bill Collectors, Bosses & Social Media.

Posted on January 27, 2010, 12:14 pm, by Tom and received No Comments ».

Be careful what you post on your Facebook or Twitter wall….

Consider Bob.  Bob is in debt up to his eyeballs.  He owes everyone and their brother money, he owes the credit card companies, he owes his credit union, he owes his mortgage company, heck he even owes Cousin Ralphie for that thing with the guy and the rabbit AND he keeps asking his boss for a big fat raise. Bob loves the finer things in life…. Lavish dinners, the latest Apple Products, a nice cigar now and again, weekend getaways, fine wines and whiskey. Bob also loves bragging about all of his purchases on his facebook wall:

Example:
“Bob Smith just spent the night at the Gaylord Palms, ate dinner at the Ritz Carlton, visited Disney, drank a pint of Johnnie Walker Red, smoked a case of Cubans, went to the clubs, tipped the doorman a few bills, bought Trixie a new diamond necklace, and visited the Apple store to pick up a new AppleTV and wants his Boss to know that I think he is a doofus.”

What Bob doesn’t know is that everyone of those bill collectors are paying attention.  They read Bob’s Facebook posts. They are annoyed that Bob hasn’t ponied up or taken any of their harassing phone calls. Even more fun, Bob’s boss is a friend of Bob on facebook and sees all of his posts, so while Bob is whining for a raise, Bob’s boss can see why. Bob’s bill collectors and Bob’s boss are building quite a case against Bob and could use it against him to collect debt or even fire Bob. Bob could be in trouble.

When you post your compelling wall updates on Twitter and / or Facebook please note the following: People are watching, listening, paying attention, taking screen shots and will use it ALL against you.  A bit of common sense goes a long way, a bit of self control can help you keep your job, can help you not irritate your bill collectors, could help you not instigate cousin Ralphie.  Just remember to use discretion and be aware that people are watching.

Be sure to catch me tomorrow, January 28, 2010 on The Daily Buzz (Nationwide) at 6:15 as I discuss social media with Mitch English and the dangers of inappropriate self disclosure!

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Be Social. Lessons Learned From Social Media.

Posted on January 27, 2010, 8:53 am, by Tom and received No Comments ».

When I first started with Twitter, I didn’t have a clue.  I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Sure, I watched the cheesy Twitter video explaining stuff, I google searched, I read other’s wisdomful nuggets, but I’ll admit, the Internet Marketing guy didn’t have a clue. In fact, one of my own clients (A Life Coach) pointed out to me after I was posting tweets to no one that I was speaking to absolutely NO ONE. I’ve come a long way, but still have  much to learn. I think Social media can be a great tool, I think social media can help strengthen and reinforce a brand, I think social media can help us enhance customer service initiatives, etc. Here’s the biggest lesson I learned:

BE SOCIAL.

It seems so elementary, but people need people. The second you start making everything about you and your company, you’re doing it wrong.  Use social media to share your wisdom with your tribe, use social media to reinforce your brand, use social media to constantly improve your company and your level of customer service.  Social media is about talking and listening, it’s about contributing and building, it’s about transparency and being human.  The second you start using social media to SELL, SELL, SELL, you’re done.  People leave you, they move on to another tribe to learn and grow. Game over.

Need some help getting your social media campaign up and running? Give me a call: 407-830-4550.

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Control Web Site Traffic With Twitter & Your Blog.

Posted on January 26, 2010, 12:33 pm, by Tom and received No Comments ».

Does your web site have traffic dead zones? Does your traffic fall like a rock on the weekends?

What if I told you you could drive traffic to your web site when you need it the most, down to the minute? Here’s how:

Step 1.
Get a WordPress Blog, Use It. Publish worthwhile content that will help your prospects, publish worthwhile content that will keep people coming back, keep em interested.

Step 2.
Get a Twitter Account. Use It. Follow like minded people, follow people who aren’t always selling you something, follow people who love to talk to you, follow people worth listening to and learning from.

Step 3.
Hook your Twitter account up to your WordPress Blog. Download twitter tools from Wordpress.org, install, set it up, test to make sure that they are talking to each other.

Step 4.
Publish worthwhile unique & timely content on your blog. Now, each time you publish your brilliance, you’ll alert your twitter followers that there is a new nugget to digest.

Step 5.
Start watching your web stats (I recommend the FREE Google Analytics traffic tracker) to feel and see the traffic bliss.  From the data you obtain, start testing different days and times to post your blog articles.  You’ll see spikes in traffic in your stats if your Twitter followers are sipping your cool aid.

Step 6.
This one is mission critical: Repeat steps 2, 4 and 5. The more of a following you build on Twitter, the more people to read your work of art and share it. Don’t give up, by spending time daily on Twitter and your blog, you can grow your tribe and preach your Gospel.

For help with your Social media campaign, call me at 407-830-4550 or visit my web site to learn more about On Target Web Solutions.

How Many Keywords Do I Get For That Price?

Posted on January 26, 2010, 8:32 am, by Tom and received No Comments ».

When I’m speaking to a prospect about SEO, I can always tell the ones who have been cold called by an alleged SEO company guaranteeing to get them number one placement in the search engines overnight.  They will always ask me “How many keywords do I get for that…” The alleged SEO company tries to sell clients on a certain amount of keywords, usually up to ten, etc. that the company will then focus on magically getting to the top of the ORGANIC (non paid) listings. First off, no one can promise you top ten rankings in the Organic rankings, secondly, no one can do it overnight and lastly, true SEO is about pulling people to your web site via targeted keywords & keyphrases, NOT just focusing on the top ten keywords.

My SEO driven company DOES focus on getting folks rankings on specific keywords, but we would never ‘limit’ people to the amount of keywords that we will attempt to rank under.  Here is an important point: people search in crazy ways.  Another important note, you will probably NEVER rank number one on ALL top keywords in your market. Another point: Not everyone types the keywords Web Design in when they are looking for a web design firm, not everyone JUST types Plumber in when they are searching for a plumber…..

Here’s what we do, when we build a web site, we of course gather the clients keywords and check them for popularity etc., we optimize their copy, we compose individual title tags and descriptions, we point them in the right content direction, but it NEVER ends right there.  The key to any successful Internet Marketing campaign is measuring.  We live by Analytics. Once we get some data from our clients’ site we can then make educated decisions on which course of action we should be taking… Perhaps our web site visitors typed in a long tale phrase, maybe they are typing in a variant of the keywords we originally put a lot of weight onto… People change, keywords change, by staying on top of it, we help find new opportunities, we help our clients grow, and NO, it’s NEVER overnight.

Want to talk to a real company with real skills and realistic goals with NO false promises? Call me at 407-830-4550 in Orlando or toll free: 866-998-6886 or visit my company’s web site to learn more: On Target Web Solutions.

5 Points To Consider Before An Internet Marketing Campaign.

Posted on January 25, 2010, 1:52 pm, by Tom and received No Comments ».

I’m shopping the Orlando market for a residential painting company. Obviously, I look for a company with a great reputation, make certain that they are legitimate and that they do what they say they are going to do.  The last thing I wanted to do was let my fingers do the walking, so i turned to the Internet. Being in the market for a painter obviously puts me in shopping mode: I was on a local Orlando news web site when I saw a banner ad for a painting company.  Naturally, I clicked it, I have a need, I’m shopping and BAM they were there.  I clicked the ad only to find one of the most horrific web sites I think I’ve seen to date. All graphics, no copy, no reference to the Orlando market, no call to action, poor navigation, basically, the anti-Christ of good web design. Would you buy a service from a terrible web site?  I didn’t. What a waste of a click-through for the painting company and a waste of time to me, the potential prospect.

There are a few larger companies calling on smaller businesses selling them on “Internet Marketing.” The slick sales guys refer to themselves as Internet Marketing Consultants and 99 percent of them came from the Yellow Pages or a like minded telephone organization (which obviously makes them experts at Internet Marketing).  They promise to get you clicks, which they do in fact deliver.  The main problem is where those clicks go. If you are spending a few thousand bucks to drive traffic to your web site and it’s horrific, you’ve wasted those same thousands of dollars.  Before you engage in ANY Internet marketing campaign ask yourself these questions about your existing web site:

1.) Is the web design current?
I can pick of a web site designed in 1992 in a heartbeat, my hunch is many others can as well.

2.) Does your web site instill confidence?
Would you put your own credit card information into your web site? Your web site needs to scream stability.

3.) Does your web site tell me what to do?
Does it lead people to take an action such as call today, or fill out my contact form or buy now?

4.) Does it tell your story?
If you are a business owner, you know your story, you know why you got into business: tell the world your story and differentiate yourself from your competition.

5.) Does your site load quickly?
Back in the day, it was all the rage to put music on your web site, or show animations.  Today, it’s all about keeping it clean and simple.

Click the link for a few more tips on how to hire a web design company.

If your web site is stuck in the 90’s, give me a call today: 407-830-4550 or visit my web site to learn more about my company: On Target Web Solutions.

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Human Content VS. SEO Content.

Posted on January 21, 2010, 12:22 pm, by Tom and received No Comments ».

Everyone who reads my blogs (all 3 of you) knows how I feel about content and search engine marketing.  To re-cap, content is indeed king.  Therefore, the more useful content that is generated on your web site, the more you attract search engines to devour that content.  The more relevant and up to date that your web site is, the more that Google will pay attention to your site.  Any Internet Marketing company out there that subs their ‘content’ creation just to accumulate tons of useless content is NOT marketing. Marketing is promoting your products and services : I’ll quote a portion of Wikipedia’s marketing definition:

“Marketing is used to create the customer, to keep the customer and to satisfy the customer. With the customer as the focus of its activities, it can be concluded that marketing management is one of the major components of business management. The evolution of marketing was caused due to mature markets and overcapacities in the last decades. Companies then shifted the focus from production to the customer in order to stay profitable.” Wikipedia.

Note the several references to the ‘customer’…. I’ll take it one step further and note that a customer would typically be a human being. Here’s my point.  If your Internet marketing company is cranking out garbage content ONLY to get you ranked better in Google, you are not marketing anything.  In my humble opinion, the more useful, relevant and up to date information that you uniquely generate for your CUSTOMERS, the more Google and the other search engines will gravitate to your web site and pay your generosity forward.

Need some help growing your Internet presence? Give me a call. 407-830-4550 or toll free: 866-998-6886. Visit my site to learn more about Internet marketing: www.ontargetwebsolutions.com

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