13 New Social Articles on Business 2 Community |
- Have a Question? Ask Beepl!
- Blogging: How Your Company Can Benefit
- Tracking PPC Offline – Tell your Staff!
- What Stephen Hawking Can Teach You About Social Media Marketing Strategy
- Are We Becoming Social Media Snobs?
- Simple but Powerful Ways to use Social Tools on the Intranet
- 24 (of the) Best Business Blogging Guides, Tips and Tools of 2011
- Social Media and Brand Curation
- The Time is NOW for Social Media in the Hospitality Industry
- Where’s the Social Media Beef?
- Sorry, But I’m Not Taking Sides
- The Power of One Story: Carly’s Voice
- ‘We Follow Back’ Is Not A Strategy
| Posted: 22 Jan 2012 03:00 PM PST
To use the site, you'll need to choose a username and create an account, but once you do that, you'll be greeted each morning with targeted questions Beepl thinks you'd be interested in. For example, if you're constantly tweeting about tech news, you'll find questions about tech news… You get the idea. The interesting – and potentially problematic – aspect of Beepl is where the answers come from: Beepl users. Beepl explains, "Beepl lets you ask questions that other users answer so that it’s easy for anybody to crowdsource knowledge and opinion. Beepl also understands the topics that questions relate to and users’ interests, expertise and who they know so that questions automatically reach the best people to answer them." Basically, you can get answers to your questions, but there's no guarantee the answer will be right. Some current questions are: "Are there more planets or stars in the universe?" and "Where is the best coffee in London?" I can see the site doing better with questions like the last one rather than ones based on actual facts. I think questions like "What red wine goes best with steak?" and "What is the most reasonably priced hotel in Vegas?" would make Beepl a really cool/helpful site to turn to when you want opinions but if you need cold, hard facts, I'd still turn to Google and find the answer from a credible site.   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Blogging: How Your Company Can Benefit Posted: 22 Jan 2012 01:00 PM PST
Companies that blog on their websites have already seen significant benefits to their marketing campaigns. According to recent data, the average company that blogs generates 55% more website visitors, 97% more inbound links and 434% more indexed pages. As you may already assume, the greater the number of visitors to your website, the more popular your pages and subsequently your business. Inbound links are when other websites reference to your link on their own site, which can direct their visitors to your website. Indexed pages are how many of your pages are sorted by search engines, which allow them to be found in search results by users. In a recent study on ROI, HubSpot found that 69% of businesses attributed their lead generation success to blogging. Lead generation consists of nurturing qualified leads into paying customers. Blogging is a great opportunity to provide information to readers that is relative to what your company sells. This helps to guide them along the path to trusting your company and gain an interest in what you could provide them. In addition, 57% of businesses claimed to have acquired a customer through their company blog. Not only are companies seeing more traffic to their website from blogging but also an increase in sales. Information from blogging content helps readers to find answers to their problems or come across a product or service that they could benefit from.
Blogging is very important to a company’s website and has a large impact on how it gets found by qualified leads. A multitude of important factors of a website’s SEO value that blogging can attribute to are keyword placement, updated content as well as how valuable its content is to users. This would help your company’s website rank higher in search engine results, therefore driving more traffic to your website. By looking at the analytics of your blog posts and determining which gain the most views, you will learn which topics are most popular and are of interest to your readers. This information could help you to determine what you could write about in future posts in an effort to gain more traffic. More traffic means more interest and subsequently more qualified leads that can turn into valued, paying customers.   |
| Tracking PPC Offline – Tell your Staff! Posted: 22 Jan 2012 12:00 PM PST I recently got my eyes lasered. No it didn't hurt. Yes, I can see much better now! But that's not what this blog is about. This blog is about PPC. I know I was suprised too. So eyes lasered yes. When I confirmed I was going to do it and booked it, they asked me 'How did I find them?' I replied, well, I researched some companies and looked at your website. I left and looked at some more but your site had remarketing codes on! I was remarketed to with a special offer in the form of a flash banner advert, clicked on it and was sent to a great landing page which promoted 500 GBP off. Nice. I filled in the form and converted. Had a phone call back from them, booked an initial appointment and then booked the date. Blank face. I tried again – this time with a bit less geek talk. Blank face. I gave up. I broke. I found you on 'Google?' Ah, she understood. Except this was a bit annoying. I know SEO and PPC work perfectly together but this was a PPC conversion. I was all ready to go with another company until the remarketing campaign directed me to the special offer page. That is what made me convert, the work of the PPC campaign and specialised landing page. Yet how would they know I converted? When that goes back to marketing it will be Google and someone who works in this industry may be well…SEO or PPC? I'm not suggesting that non marketing members of staff should know everything about online campaigns but they should know something, or the 'How did you find us' form should have the option or 'online advertising'. Or the form should assume their customers know there is a difference! This mainly bugs me as if a campaign isn't appearing to work – through online statistics – you need to justify the expense to the client and it doesn't always sound believable. It can sound like a bit of a blag 'I think they converted offline..'But it's not a blag! Another example is booking a hair appointment. I don't often click on PPC, in fact I find it so momentous I am writing a blog about the handful of times I have (I always convert) but this time, googled it, PPC advert, contact us form and I called them. Again, how did you find us? PPC. Silence. Online adverts? Silence. Through gritted teeth 'Google' 'Ah ok' They could have had a PPC landing page linked to this advert but worry with that is you can lock people out the rest of the website if you don't link it to main navigation. Either way. I'm not suggesting all staff members need to be experts, but at least inform them they have a presence online in the form of advertising. You can't always track everything online but you can at least make it a bit easier for you by letting your staff or relevant people know that you have a presence.   |
| What Stephen Hawking Can Teach You About Social Media Marketing Strategy Posted: 22 Jan 2012 11:00 AM PST Rock stars become famous but physicists typically work in obscurity. However, Stephen Hawking, a physicist and cosmologist, is a celebrity. He's a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in the United Kingdom and he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. One of his books, A Brief History of Time, was on The Sunday Times best-seller list for 237 weeks—a record that still stands. When it comes to social networking and social media marketing, what can you learn from this extremely accomplished scientist?
If you're a physicist and you're interested in space and time, then you'll find Stephen Hawking's work vital. But if you're "just" a business person striving to expand your social media marketing reach, then Hawking could provide plenty of inspiration to help your brand reach the stars. Who gives you inspiration? We want to know. Share your story of inspiration below.   |
| Are We Becoming Social Media Snobs? Posted: 22 Jan 2012 10:59 AM PST There's no fighting it; social media isn't going away. Not only is it a critical component of any successful content marketing strategy, it's also the cornerstone of online interaction. Face it – nearly everyone has a Facebook page, most top talent can be found on LinkedIn, and Twitter has damn near taken over the world. So yes, the professional use of social media is relevant, important and here to stay. But as the "rules" of social media in the workplace continue to be debated, different camps are breaking out on various sides of the argument. For example:
No need to worry too much about convincing the last group, as they'll likely come around in the end. Jeff Bullas recently wrote an article directed toward these folks anyway, sarcastically listing 20 reasons why they should continue to not use social media to grow their brands. (My favorite? "You have shares in the Yellow Pages.") But what gets lost in messages like these is that just because a professional is timid toward social media, doesn't mean their reasons are illegitimate.
The point Ingram raises (and I don't disagree) is that journalists are people and they do have opinions, and in this day and age, it's ridiculous and inadvisable to expect otherwise. He's not wrong, but I don't think those thoughts adequately explore the reasons behind those beliefs. The journalistic system (at least ideally) is to objectively report on all sides of a story in such a way that the closest version of truth is represented. If a writer is seen as having an agenda of his or her own, then that agenda inevitably taints the content and how it's perceived. So would publications be worried that allowing writers to express their own opinions on Twitter might rob them of credibility? Of course! Would they fear that breaking a story in 140 characters might discourage people from reading the full article on their websites? Of course! And are they right in feeling this way? Of co… well, no, probably not. We can all agree that the world is changing, and with the competition of 24-hour news channels and popularity of professional bloggers, the ways people consume information is far more varied than ever before. Traditional publications are starting to favor blogging over hard news writing more and more, by focusing on building up the trust and brand of the writer to retain credibility and help the company as a whole. (ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley is a great example of a former reporter who has successfully transitioned into professional news blogging in her coverage of the Microsoft space.) This is really where content marketing was born, as more and more companies realize they can do the same thing to grow their businesses. That doesn't mean their initial concerns are invalid, though. But while journalists are concerned about expressing their agenda and squandering their perceived objectivity, marketers and business reps have the reverse problem – people already know they have an agenda. The question then becomes, how do you successfully adapt social media in a way that softens that particular point? How do you build your personal brand in a way that creates trust and respect for yourself and the company, but also makes you more than a shill? How do you institute policies to avoid hurting the company's brand while at the same time not crushing the purpose of social media in the process? The truth is that there are valid concerns for businesses and everyone else with something to lose when it comes to social media, and it's not surprising that those fears tend to rise above what they might potentially gain from it (at least not initially). Lisa Barone wrote a great piece debunking the idea of "professional" Twitter accounts recently, basically stressing that you either let people in, or don't bother. But while I'm not totally on board with the aggressive tone against those who fail to completely give in to the "social" side of social media, she does provide a great explanation of what it takes to develop the right personal brand online: "Social media isn't a free-for-all for engagement. Not at all. It's about deciding who you are, how you can best support the company and being that. Therein lies your strategy – regardless of whether you're tweeting as yourself or a representative of a brand. But you'll never accomplish anything by cutting the YOU from your social media persona. It's your job to figure out how to blend it all in a way that benefits everyone." . Couldn't have said it better myself. I think once everyone understands that simple truth, they'll see there's nothing to be afraid of. But until then, while we might not necessarily agree, I still can't help but understand where the concerns and questions are coming from.   |
| Simple but Powerful Ways to use Social Tools on the Intranet Posted: 22 Jan 2012 08:50 AM PST Social collaboration is a hot button topic when it comes to intranets, although for many organizations it can be a tough sell. Here are a few points to consider when thinking about dipping the proverbial toe into the tidal wave of social and how you can potentially get buy-in from your decision makers. First we'll start with how social tools including our new Facebook-like message walls empower employees and benefits the intranet and your company: 1. Social tools gives employees easy to use and familiar tools that allows them to participate, contribute and connect with each other – and they need to be on the intranet to do so 2. You can expand the collective knowledge and intelligence of your company by offering tools that promote the concept of people helping people There is a third benefit that lends power and influence in adopting social tools on your intranet: 3. Employee's ability to raise the profile and significance of intranet content by sharing linksto documents, training courses, KB articles, blog posts, e-forms, and other intranet content on their walls Next up is one idea for how social tools on your intranet can impact your decision makers. Imagine that the CEO has a top inner circle of executives and that is who they impart their message to. That inner circle communicates directives down to their own inner circle and the fountain of knowledge trickles its way throughout the company and employees – with 100 different ways for that message to be filtered. The above scenario will still prevail. Social tools are not going to replace this but what if the CEO could cut to the chase and post select information onto their intranet message wall, effectively giving voice directly to the employees. And then receive feedback in the same manner. Now envision how that messaging could impact the employees and the culture of your company, not to mention the visibility of your intranet. Someone untouchable, the CEO of the company, is now approachable and can connect and mentor at the level of each employee. Simple but powerful.   |
| 24 (of the) Best Business Blogging Guides, Tips and Tools of 2011 Posted: 22 Jan 2012 08:00 AM PST Despite any recent recent rants you may have seen about how blogging is dead or blogs are passé, the fact of the matter is that business blogging is now more important than ever. With Google's most recent Panda algorithm updates, attributes like content freshness and social signals (strengths of blogs, not corporate websites) will gain increased importance in search ranking. But as the blogosphere continues to expand (as noted by Diana Adams below), it becomes more difficult to stand out and be heard above the noise. How can a company launch (or relaunch) a new blog properly? Write great blog post headlines? Promote new content most effectively? Optimize blog content for search? Emulate the best corporate blogs? Take advantage of free or low-cost blog tools and resources? Get the answers to those questions and more here in two dozen of the best blogging guides of the past year. Guidance for New Bloggers20 Common Mistakes Made By New Bloggers by Ink Rebels
12 things every business blogger should know how to do by Ragan's PR Daily
The Entrepreneur's Advisor | Why and How to do a Blog Right by The Entrepreneur's Advisor Stuart W. Smith provides some blogging basics and helpful tips for those relatively new to blogging. After making the basic case for a blog, he delves into keywords, developing quality content, links, calls to action and more. 6 Tips for Blogging for SEO in WordPress by Business Insider
Business Blogging Tips, Tactics and Best Practices8 Ways to Get Your Blog Ready for the Big Time by Blog Engage
How to Be an Awesome Blog Commenter by HubSpot Blog
How to Turn a Lousy Blog Headline into a Great One by The Backlight
26 Ways to Enhance Your Blog Content by Social Media Examiner
7 Key Elements to a Successful Business Blog by TopRank Online Marketing
12 Things to Do After You've Written a New Blog Post by Content Marketing Institute
21 Ways Bloggers Engage by Heidi Cohen
The Blueprint for the Perfect Blog Post (Infographic) by Business 2 Community
Displaying Social Proof – What the Marketing Experts Use by KISSmetrics Kristi Hines studies the AdAge Power 150 blogs to see how leading bloggers are displaying their social clout. Tools and methods used include displaying FeedBurner reader count, a Facebook Like box, LinkeddIn share button, or multi-purpose tools from AddtoAny, Share This, or AddThis. Blog SEOSEO success for your blog in 10 easy steps by {grow}
How to Optimize Your Blog for Google by Social Media Examiner
Where to Use Keywords in Corporate Blog Posts by TopRank Online Marketing Blog Lee Odden lays out a non-technical five-step process for getting a corporate blog to rank well in search. His item #4 ("Use Descriptive References vs. Pronouns") in particular should be required reading for ANYONE writing online content. Top 10 Blog Directories 2011 by SEO Wizardry
8 Steps to Optimize Your Blog Post by Search Engine Watch
Examples of Exceptional Corporate BlogsThe 10 Best Corporate Blogs in the World by {grow}
Outstanding brand blogs you should check out by iMedia Connection
Blogging Tools and ResourcesHuge List of Useful Tools for Bloggers by ShoutMeLoud Exactly what it says–a big list of tools to make your blogging more productive. This post lists and links to tools for SEO, writing, blog marketing and more. Need an interesting photo for your latest blog post but don't want to shell out big bucks, go through some convoluted licensing process, or risk violating a photographer's copyright? This may be the site for you. Owned by Getty Images, Stock.XCHNG bills itself as "the world's best free (image) stock site." A free stock photo exchange where you can search, use, share and create collections of images for online use. If the free sources above don't have quite what you need, fotoglif offers reasonably-priced photographic images, in a range of categories including news, politics, business, technology and lifestyle.   |
| Social Media and Brand Curation Posted: 22 Jan 2012 07:00 AM PST There's a group out there called Right to Parody and they've got an interesting agenda. Their headline is that "Copyright law needs a sense of humour". The general idea being that a company, person or brand owner that has copyright on films and music (that'll include adverts too, and related posters and cover art) should no longer be able to force the take-down of parodies using their imagery, music, or messaging. Whatever your view on that, the idea of parodying the visual and musical creations of someone can create a serious problem for brand builders. In my last related post I put forward the idea of brand curation as being substantially different to brand building- that brand curators are now anyone with an opinion about a product, service or company. The right to parody is the perfect example of people that subvert a brand for their own intentions. Interestingly the most public examples are often ones that don't seek to damage the brand they parody, they use it as a recognisable platform to launch their ideas, or just raise a smile (VW is constantly used in parody). While they may not seek to harm a brand, they do trample all over the values that brand builders have put together, and whether those builders like it or not the subversives are also brand curators. Anyone remember the raft of skewed-brand t-shirts that were dead popular for clubbing in the 90's? It would be safe to say that since branding emerged it has been parodied. It is a human reaction to subvert things for our own use; adaptation, the survival skill that has made human-kind what it is. Given that the findings of the Hargreaves Review on Intellectual Property and Growth could one day be implemented how can a brand builder exert any level of control over all those rogue brand curators? Or rather, if they have no legal recourse what can they do? A utopian idea might be that they could have a brand curation agenda, to monitor mentions and trends, and rather than act litigiously seek to influence how their brand is used within parody. A more Machiavellian approach could be to out-parody competing brands in a guerrilla style. The biggest parody problem is for companies that have their own brands turned against them- for that I can see no way of dealing with it, especially if their copyright capabilities are curtailed. Anyway, what does this have to do with social media? Well, that is the means by which the new brand curators propel messages, so it pays to be in the loop, and many organisations simply are not.   |
| The Time is NOW for Social Media in the Hospitality Industry Posted: 22 Jan 2012 06:30 AM PST
The definition of hospitality is "the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers." The industry traditionally consists of lodging, restaurants, theme parks, transportation and other entities related to the tourism space. For a segment distinctly characterized by providing excellent customer service, the incorporation of social media to marketing and branding strategies is a perfect marriage. Location-Based Loyalty Restaurants can utilize geo-location-based mobile platforms like Foursquare to create deals that entice return visits. Once that loyalty is established, a mobile-based loyalty program can be established which rewards those return visits. Stamp cards now longer need to remain stuffed in a wallet; everything can be managed through a cellphone. Everyone is a Reviewer Restaurants and hotels alike should monitor review sites, like TripAdvisor and Yelp, where travelers and diners can learn of their peers' first-hand experiences with specific venues. Whereas it was previously custom for a restaurant reviewer to attend a restaurant, and wait a bit to post any feedback, everyone is now a reviewer, and one bad experience can be posted publicly, in real time, for the world to see. Mobile and Video Key for Hotels For hotels, where the customer is someone that's clearly on-the-go, it's extremely important to have a user-friendly mobile site allowing travelers convenient access to anything they may be seeking to make their stay more enjoyable. Mobile sites should be straightforward and easily maneuverable. Hotels have great opportunity, too, to get creative with video. By creating unique video campaigns, hotels can display personality and subsequently leave fans with a more intimate perception of somewhere they may consider residing in the future. Video contests are also a fun idea in that they stimulate excitement about the property among the entrants. Airlines and Destinations Embrace Social Marketing Boasting a potent social presence, airlines are embracing new technology in a variety of ways. One recently took to social networks to address a very public, Words-With-Friends-related debacle. Some have replaced flight manuals with iPads, while others offer free WiFi during flights, and others have developed mobile apps that allow travelers to check the where-abouts of their checked luggage at any time. Virgin Air and All Nippon Airways are two that have used social media for influencer outreach. Destinations are also using a great job tying in social marketing. Several have created specialized landing pages on city websites, noting the social channels of various major players in that city. Many are using Twitter and Facebook to keep travelers and locals alike in-the-know on local happenings, news and events, along with information specific to various relevant niches such as hotels, dining, arts and shopping. Social marketing in the hospitality industry evolves as we speak. I look forward to highlighting case studies and the various ways this industry is capitalizing on social media – and how readers can as well.   |
| Where’s the Social Media Beef? Posted: 22 Jan 2012 05:35 AM PST I'm hungry. A burger sounded good. Any West Coast suggestions? While you ponder, check out this week's social media infographic from Bundlepost Social Media. Yes, I know there's many Wendy's advertisement connotations but it's also an interesting way to look at the substance of strategy and execution in online marketing. Okay enough brainstorming time, where am I getting this burger from?   |
| Sorry, But I’m Not Taking Sides Posted: 22 Jan 2012 05:00 AM PST
There are a couple of reasons for this, probably. First, running someone over, say, in a blog post, is almost assured to get you a lot of traffic. If I sat here and stirred a rumplebutt against any well-known person, I would be sure to get a lot of traffic and a lot of comments. My name would pop up everywhere. I could write a post naming all of the things I've seen in the online world that have driven me bonkers and have made me want to gnaw my arm off. I could use names to write that post to really make sure I was getting attention. I could link to posts that I thought were stupid and I could say that that author was clearly off their nut. I could do all of that. And you know what – it would probably make this blog site skyrocket. Isn't that sad? The red team and the blue team The longer I stay online, the more various teams and alliances become apparent to me. In my particular case we'll call them the red team and the blue team. I met the red team first. These folks talked to me and supported me well before most folks on the blue team did. I didn't even know there were teams when the red team started talking to me, in fact. I was just feeling darn skippy that this online thing was in fact resulting in me being able to communicate with people (there was some question about that for awhile). As I started to meet new people and learn about new blogs, I started feeling like the online world was Sir Thomas More's Utopia come true. Then one day, I signed into Twitter and saw a red team member and a newly defined blue team member having an epic brawl right there in the public stream. Oh. That was an eye opener, my friends. Undeterred, I continued to meet people, and still do. But as I do, I notice that they tend to be affiliated, loosely or tightly, with one team or the other. And it's becoming easier and easier to see where those lines are. The hazing A lot of teams and organizations have a sort of hazing process you have to go through to gain acceptance. Back when I was in college a new frat member was stupidly invited to walk through a glass door to get in, which he proceeded to do. It seems like the best way to really solidify your place on one online team or the other is to write a post totally deboweling a person from the opposite team. This can be done with a call-out, calling BS, or other such. You've seen these posts, no doubt. Now you can also write a super nice post about someone on the team you want to be affiliated with, but that doesn't always get you as far. If you're willing to "be brave" and call someone out on your blog site, you get a lot more notice and positive feedback. As I have said before here, I remain unaffiliated. The really tragic part The sad part of all of this is not that I will probably never achieve the same kind of Twelebrity that team members do. I mean, that's pretty sad. Being mean to step up in the world is crap. At least in my opinion. But the really sad thing is that most of these folks on these juvenile teams are utterly brilliant. They all have great ideas. And you know what else? They all have great hearts. They are all kind. The support and friendship I have gotten from both sides of this ridiculous divide has been stunning. And yet there is such vitriol that I feel I am betraying some folks merely by talking to other folks. The last time I witnessed something like this to this extent – fifth grade. FIFTH GRADE, people. And many of you are in your 30/40/50s. Many of you are respected business owners. Many of you have kids for whom you are setting an example (because if you think they don't see how you act online, you are CRAZY). So I'm calling you all out. There are better ways to communicate. There are better ways to set the bar high than to invite controversy, name-calling, bashing, and other things that this current online environment propagates. All individuals who participate in this kind of garbage are to blame. Both teams are guilty of making the online world a little bit more stupid and immature. Both. It is not "brave" to call someone out on a blog site that you know your supporters read. To me, that is more chicken than just keeping your mouth shut. Don't get sucked in Maybe you don't see these team divisions where you are in the online world. Maybe your red and blue teams are different from the ones in my experience. In any case, if you see teams developing or if you get an invite that says that if you write a super nasty post about someone you'll be in like flynn, avoid the temptation. What no one seems to understand is that online badgering just makes you the badgerer look bad. It might get you to a more successful place from some perspectives, but you'll be selling your soul to do it. My soul is a little more valuable to me than some Twelebrity. How about you? Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/duncanh1/4549360274/ via Creative Commons   |
| The Power of One Story: Carly’s Voice Posted: 22 Jan 2012 04:50 AM PST
It takes a lot to move me, particularly to tears. But yesterday as I was perusing Facebook, I clicked on a video that was shared by one of my friends. What drew me in was that this story was about an autistic girl. I have no real connection to the story other than the fact that I have a friend with an autistic child, and as a result, I've connected a tiny bit with a foundation related to this particular form of autism. Yesterday I also wrote a post about the power of stories, and how businesses and non-profits should be using stories as they communicate and engage with others online. This is such a story. I don't want to tell the whole story. I want you to discover it on your own, via video and the written word. But the story of Carly will move you. I promise. I can't imagine what it must be like as a young parent to be told that your little girl is autistic, and perhaps will reach, at best, the developmental level of a 6-year old. I can't imagine what it must be like to have a child who can't seem to communicate in any meaningful way, other than flailing and tantrums. And yet, even when others might have given up, Carly's parents never gave up and did what parents do best: they loved her. And then at the age of 11, Carly proved everyone wrong. I encourage you to watch this video and I dare you to not be moved: Now that you've heard and seen Carly's story, I urge you to connect with her, because her story isn't over. She now uses Twitter and Facebook to continue to tell her story and give hope. Take time to visit her website and read her blog. Take time and listen to Carly's voice. Listen to her story. It's a story filled with power, and the best part is, the last chapter has yet to be written!   |
| ‘We Follow Back’ Is Not A Strategy Posted: 21 Jan 2012 03:30 PM PST
Follow Kiss108 on Twitter. We follow back. That's it. Now I recognize they may not have allocated sufficient advertising time to promote the Twitter account to listeners or may have inserted this between songs and commercials as filler, but this is no strategy to win followers. 'We follow back' does nothing for me. Does it do anything for you? Perhaps if you are playing the never-ending numbers game that has become so widely popular in social media and are just trying to get your follower number up, this would appeal to you. But for those of you like me, who seek value in their stream and the people they follow, this does nothing. Asking for followers with the promise to 'follow back' is not a strategy. This is NOT how we should be using Twitter or promoting ourselves and our brands on the social channel. Is Kiss108 playing the numbers game? Where is the value in following them? This is what I want to know! Do followers get first access to tickets for major events sponsored by the station? As a follower, do I get the opportunity to interact with the DJs? Kiss108 is not answering the most obvious question that people like me would ask; what's in it for me? Providing the value up-front is a strategy. Setting my expectations as a follower and a fan is a strategy. Delivering value that returns followers organically to you is a strategy. Interacting with people tweeting about topics complimentary to your business is a strategy. Granting exclusive offers and incentives to followers is a strategy. Promising a 'follow back' in exchange for a follow is not. If you are following or asking for a follow with the promise or intent to gain a follow back, I urge you to stop. There is way more value to be had with Twitter and it has nothing to do with how many people you follow or how many are following you. What do you think?   |
Beepl’s website 
Many companies do not realize the benefits that blogging could have on their online marketing campaigns. It has the potential to have a significant impact on a company’s popularity and subsequently its discovery of potential customers. Blogging also contributes to a company website’s 
After all, the concept of using the Internet to 
Noting that will well over 100 million blogs on the web now it can be challenging to stand out, the effervescent Diana Adams shares a list of common mistakes to avoid such as making your RSS button hard to find, posting inconsistently, and failing to respond to reader comments.
Contending that "blogging isn't that difficult until educated, professional, bright grownups begin to overanalyze things," Susan Young provides a dozen pieces of commonsense advice for business blogging success, such as sticking to what you know and enjoy, and writing "to express, not to impress."
Sue Reynolds offers a half-dozen tips for SEO on WordPress blogs, helpful particularly for those just getting started.
Frequent best-of honoree 
Kipp Bodnar offers half-dozen tips for "how to be a thoughtful and engaged commenter" that apply to social networking sites as well as to blogs. Much of it comes down to appropriate social etiquette, and always striving to add value to the conversation.
Tristan Higbee steps through the creative process of turning a boring blog headline into a better one and then, eventually, into one that is both search-friendly and compelling to potential readers.
Another delightful A to Z post from 
Lee Odden defines the key characteristics to consider in terms of "branding, community, SEO, PR, recruiting and taking midshare away from your competition" with your blog including the URL, name, design and navigation. (For more on this topic, see also 
Noting that "even great content can go unnoticed," Brody Dorland recommends 12 steps for promoting your blog content, from the obvious (utilize keywords for SEO, use syndication) to the creative (using a post to answer a question on Twitter, promoting posts via your email signature).
Heidi Cohen details 21 ways bloggers can engage with readers beyond just responding to comments, among them: inviting others to contribute guest posts, providing social sharing buttons, enabling readers to subscribe by email, and participating in Twitter chats.
Brian Rice graphically illustrates nine components of the "perfect" blog post, beginning with a compelling post title. in this nicely-done infgraphic. He also shares six blogging lessons learned, including the importance of user experience and letting your audience drive your the conversation.
Guest blogger Eric Pratum outlines a "10-step prioritized plan to improve the SEO for your blog without spending a lot of time or money," from keyword strategy to sitemaps.
In this extensive and detailed post, Dino Dogan walks through the process of search optimizing a blog, from audience targeting considerations and keyword research to SEO plugin settings (presuming you are using 
Writing that "Blog Directories add an important element to your web site traffic generation and search engine optimization programs," Peter Hollier lists and links the top 10 blog directories along with their Alexa ranks.
Erez Barak recommends a heavy focus on keyword research, selection and tracking among his eight steps for getting a blog post to rank well in search.
Mark Schaefer shares a few observations on the state of corporate blogging (e.g. the tech sector produces most of the best corporate blogs, the Fortune 500 lags the rest of the world in this area) as well as his picks for the top ten corporate blogs based on quality. Most of the companies are large, but the variety of industries represented is intriguing.
Sarah Kotlova showcases four well-done corporate blogs (or in the case of 
Social media has revolutionized the way businesses are able to interact with consumers – It sets an unprecedented opportunity for brands to raise the bar in providing unique, personal experiences for customers past, present and future. The 
We've often talked here about what it takes to reach that pinnacle of success in the online world that so many strive for. Over the last few months, and after a lot of observation, it seems like ultimately, to "take it to the next level," you have to be willing to run some people over.
I'm not an emotional person.
I was listening to Kiss108, a popular radio station here in the Boston area, on my way home today and heard an announcement regarding their Twitter account. The announcement went like this:| You are subscribed to email updates from Social | Business 2 Community To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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