Once again, one of our fearless leaders, Dan Golden, had the opportunity to share some information with Acquisio about Google’s updated and streamlined Trademark Policy, along with tips on how to big on trademarked Keywords. Read more on how to keep up with your brand terms in paid search! Are you looking to stay ahead of the competition and increase your rankings? Let’s see what we can do for you. Drop us a line.
To Bid or Not To Bid: Working with Trademark Keywords
Don’t Let Your Clients Become Grumpy Cat
This is Grumpy Cat.
You do not want your customers to feel the way Grumpy Cat looks.
It takes some effort and deliberate work to make sure your clients don’t become unhappy, but it is worth it. After all, you are running a business – and businesses don’t do well when clients are displeased.
One of the first ways to ensure you avoid Grumpy Cat-itis in your clients is to deliver. Back in the old days, milk got delivered right to your door, as well as newspapers. The fact that we live in a digital world doesn’t negate this; if anything, it demands that you be the guy who delivers, because too many don’t. Bring your clients what they need whether their door is real or virtual. They’ll be happy you did.
A second way to avoid inspiring Grumpiness in your clients is to talk – not “at” them but to them. And not on email, either. Pick up the phone, whether it’s a landline, cell or through your laptop, and call them. Ask them how things are going; find out what’s working and, more importantly, what isn’t. Make the personal connection, not just the electronic one.
Third, you want to do the opposite of talk and listen – really listen. If you’ve asked a question, make sure you are plugged in to the moment and are hearing the answers. Your job is to solve some problem your client has – how can you solve a problem? Which leads to the fourth point, something I like to call Morning Coffee.
Morning coffee is many people’s go-to, not only to start the morning, but to offer warmth, comfort and a chance to catch your breath. Be your client’s Morning Coffee – be there, be comforting, be personable. You don’t need to run out and purchase them flowers; you just need to show you are paying attention and that you care.
Lastly, handle bad news with aplomb. Be direct but calm. Have some ideas for solutions to whatever the problem(s) may be. If the bad news requires timing of some sort, i.e., it has to be taken care of in X amount of hours, days, months – say it. And have some idea of a plan on how to handle it. How you handle the bad news will directly impact your client – so handle it well.
5 Ways to Leverage Email Marketing in a Social World
As what some would call a “veteran” email marketer, I’ve taken some abuse in my time. For years when I told people what I did at a cocktail party or family holidays, the immediate response was always “so you’re a spammer.” I’ve weathered article after article proclaiming, “email marketing is dead.” I’ve worked with companies whose employees begrudgingly lent their talents to email, while all they really wanted to do was anything else.
But nothing hurts quite as bad as the rise of social media and the minimization of email marketing as a channel. This is even more infuriating because social media couldn’t exist without email. We all know that email drives social media engagement through notifications. You can’t sign up for a social account without an email account. But, what about the less obvious functions of email in relation to social media? Here are five ways email marketing influences you and your company’s social behavior:
• Informs about movement within your social network
The role of email in the context of social media is to engage and promote. Social networking by definition is used to connect and share. The symbiosis between the two channels leads to increased engagement for both channels. For example, when one of your connections in LinkedIn receives a promotion or publishes a new blog, depending on your email preferences, you may get an email notification. Email both promotes and engages you based on events within your network and thereby is relevant.
• Updates you when people are talking about you
Social media can be overwhelming and time consuming. If we spent as much time on social media websites as needed to not miss anything, we would miss everything else going on in our lives. Email notifications can update you on important events, especially those pertaining to you specifically. Think picture tags in Facebook. If someone other than me uploads a picture and tags me, I want to know about it. Again, an email notification conveniently gives me a heads up without having to live on Facebook waiting for someone to upload an embarrassing photo.
• Promotes your social presence to your email list and vice versa
You may already have a list of subscribers who have willingly handed over their email addresses hoping you will send them information about your company on a regular basis. If you are an eCommerce company, you likely have a list of customer email addresses that is used for confirmation or other transactional messaging. Chances are some of the people behind those email addresses aren’t following you on your social accounts. Be sure you use email to create awareness of the other channels. I’m not talking about it as an aside to the main content of an email. Dedicate an entire email to your social media sites. If possible, include it as a triggered step in your welcome and re-engagement email series. While you’re at it, add a subscribe functionality to your Facebook page and promote your newsletter sign-up page on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, etc.
• Enriches data about your subscriber or customer lists through social connect
From an email standpoint, one of the most appealing features of social networks is the data. As email marketers, we are always trying to learn more about our subscribers in an effort to message them effectively. This can be a long, slow process of asking for information and analyzing behavioral data. Social networks, through social connect, give us the ability to learn more about our subscribers more quickly and, therefore, send relevant, customized messages.
• Announces an event or contest on social media
Social media naturally lends itself to a more interactive experience in many cases. Often, contests are most effective when they “live” on a social site. However, you still need to get people there. Using email marketing to promote, amplify, and remind about an event can be effective for creating a crowd and building momentum over time.
As a marketer, I would be a failure if I didn’t point out that each of these touch points is an opportunity to engage, inform, and even sell. You will continue to learn more information about your subscribers through their behaviors interacting with your email content and can use that data to create more relevant messaging. With email, you can:
• Target audiences
• Serve dynamic content
• Control cadence and messaging
• Ultimately drive revenue, leads, or visits
In the end, it’s important to realize that both email and social media have their roles and strengths in marketing. When the end user is put at the center of our campaigns, we begin to realize that the use of one channel only makes the other stronger.
Author
With over 12 years of digital marketing experience, specializing in email marketing and customer retention, Liz Ryan is an innovative thought leader in the field. She has been published in a number of industry publications, including Mediapost’s Email Insider and eM+C, as well as interviewed for DM News and Hubspot. She is an ExactTarget Partner, Hubspot Inbound Marketing Partner, and Hootsuite Partner as well as Marketing Sherpa certified in B2B Marketing. Liz is the President and Founder of Relish Tray Media. You can find Liz’s company on Google+
5 Hurdles to Business Blogging Success
You started it, put it away, pulled it out again a couple of months later, then got distracted – again. The “it” I’m talking about is your company’s blog, and believe it or not, by not keeping up with it, you are losing potential revenue. Here are a few of the most crucial obstacles to business blogging success:
1. No content: How many times have you visited a business blog and found no posts or a post or two that are several years old? Running a successful business is difficult. There are always more tasks than time. Often the time that should be devoted to producing a post or two gets reallocated. Despite best intentions, very little ends up being written for the blog.
2. No regular schedule: Some blogs have virtually everything needed to be successful, except consistency. In order to gain traffic and audience, a business blog needs regular content. Post regularly. Create a content calendar and commit to it. Consider writing several months’ worth of post ideas and topics and having those ideas ready to go.
3. No consideration of how businesses like yours are found: If you intend to attract traffic to your blog from organic search, you need to think about how your customers search. What do they type in the search box when they look for you? Optimize the post with long-tail keyword phrases your customers would use. The keyword phrase should be used prominently (but naturally) in the posts. Free tools, such as the Google Adwords Keyword Suggestion Tool, can help you uncover the phrases that many searchers are using to find information on the topics you are addressing.
4. No engagement: Is your content interesting? If you were searching, would it be compelling enough to make you read it? Does it capture a client’s point of view? Does it address client “pain points”? Is it useful in solving a pressing issue for clients? Do your blog posts invite comments, feedback, or participation? Are you using video or other media when relevant and they are the most compelling way to post? Do you examine your blog’s analytics to see which posts have received the most views and comments and consider how you can build on those posts?
5. No sharing: Even if you are creating compelling content regularly and have done your homework to make that content easy to find, are you still doing all you should? Consider ways to share your best blog posts on social media. Perhaps something you have posted could start a conversation on LinkedIn or Facebook? Maybe the slides from your “Trends in the Industry” presentation should be on Slide Share? Consider ways to creatively re-purpose and share your blog content to bring visitors to your blog.
Thinking about blogging in terms of hurdles can be helpful in seeing where you can improve your business blog. Download our complimentary whitepaper “Blogging for Business” for more valuable business blogging tips. Have a hurdle to share that you didn’t see mentioned? Leave us a comment.
Instagram joins other Social Platforms on Klout
Last week, Klout announced adding Instagram to the influence score. If you happen to have an Instagram account, you may have noticed a bit of a peak in your Klout score. Just over 77% over you may notice your score increase 1 to 5 points just from adding your Instagram account. The other 16% of you may notice 5 or more points adding to your Klout. I noticed that mine went up 1 point. I will not complain, considering I’m content with my consistent score. It would be nice to see it increase further, but I take the stance that slow and steady wins the race. You wouldn’t want to all of a sudden rise to 80+ and try to figure out how to maintain that score. That’s a lot of influence to create!
How is Klout measuring your Instagram influence, you may be wondering? They are looking at your ability to engage social interaction; whether it’s likes, comments, or following. How does this effect you? Well, are you using Instagram? If so, this not only helps expose your brand further, but the more influence your brand has, the easier it will be to reflect your expertise in topics you’re influential in. Looking to increase your Klout or Clout? Either way, we can help. For more information, contacts us.
Our Take on Keywords and PLAs on iSpionage
Today we had one of our guest post published on one of our favorite sites, iSpionage. Dan Golden shared some knowledge about PLAs and Keywords. He shares some tips and tactics on identifying and acting upon Performing and under-performing keywords in your PLA campaigns. For those of you unfamiliar with the acronym for PLAs, it’s shorthand for Product Listing Ads. Read more here on Dan’s helpful tips!
Are You Reaching Users on Multiple Platforms?
“Cross-Platform Marketing” – It sounds like something complicated, with lots of graphs and ad-talk, but it’s really not. What “cross-platform” refers to is something we all do: look at various screens throughout our day, whether it’s on a smart phone, laptop, desktop, tablet or television. And most of us tend to engage with two of these devices at the same time!
The rapid evolvement in user behavior has given advertisers the opportunity to reach their target market across multiple touch points, serving the right message at the right time. Intuitively, advertising has grown far beyond just one point of contact to reach users throughout the purchase cycle. In fact, according to Google/Ispos/Sterling 2012, 90% of people use multiple screens sequentially, meaning they start the research process on one device and complete the purchase on another. What does this mean to you as a business owner?
It’s time to start looking at your multi-channel marketing strategy
For instance, a majority of consumers watch television while simultaneously engaging with their laptop, mobile or tablet. This means businesses have three additional opportunities to reach consumers with a targeted message. Aligning offline and online marketing strategies has moved from a ‘nice to have’ to a ‘must have’ in the past year. Understanding where and when a business’ target market is searching enables advertisers to serve the most relevant ads at a time when users are most engaged.
Implementing a cohesive cross-platform strategy will allow businesses to:
- Reach the target market across multiple platforms with consistent messaging at a time when the user is most engaged.
- Tailor messaging based on where the user is in the buying cycle, increasing efficiency and effectiveness across all digital efforts.
For more information on how Be Found Online can help you with your cross-platform marketing strategy, contact us today!
Blind to Data, Blinded by Data: Better Decision Making using the FAIRE Model
A few days ago I came across this Dilbert comic making its way around Facebook, and being pointed out as “sad but true” by those in my network.
Being a data enthusiast myself (not sure if I have quite enough street cred to earn the title of data “geek”), my knee-jerk reaction was to respond with something along the lines of “ZOMG SO TRUE! THOSE IDIOTS!”
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my time on the Operations side of a business, it’s that big decisions are rarely that simple. If data was all that mattered, choices as basic as hiring decisions would be based solely on the person with the best cost/qualification ratio. Can’t stand working with them? Suspect they’re better on paper than in person? If data were the end-all, be-all that us analytical folks would love to tout as the answer to the world’s problems, then those factors – important considerations – wouldn’t matter, but they do.
Therefore, my fellow decision makers and decision drivers, instead of being blind to data or being blinded by data, allow me to present an alternative.
The FAIRE Model
I’d like to say that the model I’m about to show you was the culmination of months of study and peer-reviewed research, but to be honest it was one of those ideas that popped into my brain in the shower. That’s right, folks, I thought this up while naked.
FAIRE is an acronym for five factors I look at when I need to evaluate either one thing or compare several things.
|
|
Component |
Description |
Examples |
F |
Facts & Figures | What does the data show?What does evidence prove?What are the factual elements of the scenario? | Costs, Defined Processes, Who’s involved, Basic Requirements, What happened |
A |
Attitudes & Assumptions | What are your gut reactions? What are your instincts telling you? | Like? Dislike? Why? |
I |
If/Then Scenarios & Ideas | What are some possible ways this may play out? How could this evolve? What are some potential risks and rewards? | Short-term play out, long term play out, what happens if it goes wrong? |
R |
Related & Relevant | What are some other factors that may influence this? | Competition, Seasonality, Positioning, Politics, Branding, Strategy, Experience, Geography, Demographics, Psychology, Morale, Relationships, History |
E |
End Result | What happens now? What’s the next step? | Go, No Go, How Go |
The weight of those components will vary from person to person. By using this model, you eliminate (or reduce) blind spots and biases and make more thorough decisions.
FAIRE in Action
While it’s pretty easy to see how you may use this in a comparative decision like hiring, or process/tool evaluations, let’s apply it to something a bit more challenging. Rather than a comparative model, we’ll use this to get a comprehensive view of a single scenario in order to understand it and determine potential courses of action.
Scenario |
Joe Blow, the contact for Client X, having no experience in digital marketing, misinterprets some data in their AdWords account, and freaks out. What’s the situation, and how do we triage? |
F |
Account is performing at $70 CPA, down from $100 before we began managing. Target CPA is $70, so we are 100% to goal, which shows that has hit optimal balances between efficiency and volume. We also have 100% impression share. Joe’s background is in traditional media. He has no experience with AdWords but now has access to the account. |
A |
Joe believes Paid Search is simplistic, and that changing keyword positions are the only lever that affects his program. He also came from an agency that did Paid Search as a small part of their overall business, thus believes he has an elite understanding of managing a PPC program. In practice, this has not proven to be true. |
I |
If Joe assumes program is under-performing, agency needs to respond. If we don’t correct interpretations, Joe escalates to management. The further it escalates, the harder it is to triage, and it becomes harder to discuss, because the more stakeholders involved, the harder it is to explain to all relevant parties. Ultimately ends with us losing the client. If, however, we are able to triage and correct his understanding, we reiterate to Joe and company exactly how well we understand digital and why they have us managing their program in the first place This could lead to a greater trust level, and eventually, additional business. |
R |
This is actually not the first time Joe has misinterpreted data. In that scenario, it escalated to management, but we were able to show that Joe’s fears were misdirected. So, Joe has damaged the relationship between himself and his management, as well as between himself and the agency. So any triage that we propose can’t be worse Joe’s relationship with management, as that is already on shaky ground. |
E |
The end result is that we need to reiterate to Joe the complexities of search, and our understanding of them. We also need to illustrate that escalation-without-understanding on Joe’s part has cost both sides time, money, and trust, and should not be the first approach taken in the future if Joe has concerns. |
Not the easiest scenario to address, but if it were an easy scenario, you wouldn’t need to use a framework to process the information through.
So there you have it. The FAIRE model. How would you use it?
What’s YOUR take?
In the end, this is a model that works for me and the scenarios and decisions I encounter (at work or otherwise). Can you see it working for you? Try it, and let me know if it helps give you a clearer view on your next strategic decision.
The Secrets to Social Media Success
This morning I was going through my Klout, just checking out some things. Okay, I admit to being slightly obsessed with my score and how I influence others. To my surprise, Klout sent me a notification, saying that I seem to know a lot about Social Media and asked if I would like to become a Klout expert. Would I be interested? Of course, I would! I like being about to positively influence my friends and followers and being a great source for information! As part of getting started I had to help share my knowledge by answering a question from a fellow Klout user. So, instead of keeping those answers to myself and Klout, I thought I’d share my answer with you.
Klout User Question:
What are the top 3 tips you would give to someone brand new to Social Media?
My Response:
- Be genuine and transparent
- Whether personal or business, it’s never a good idea to put on any kind of front. Users appreciate real people and brands. If you’re not reflecting your real self they user is getting the wrong impression about your brand, which can and will cause issues and backfire on your. This will lead to loss of trust by users quicker than you think and your following will dwindle.
- Don’t just send your message out. You also need to listen and respond
- Sending your message our without knowing whether or not anyone is listening to it is just silly. Too many times we see individuals and brands just sending out their opinions and message, trying to “fish” for new followers, likers, and connections. However, what your best bet is to make sure you’re listening to what users want to hear and tailor your message to that. See what others have to say and respond. Create a conversation. Ask and answer questions. Build the relationship.
- Stick to things you know
- What am I saying here? Don’t talk about a subject matter as if you’re an expert if you’re really pretty clueless about that topic. Let’s say you’re really knowledgeable about mountain climbing. Don’t think there’s an audience interested in learning more about mountain climbing and your experiences? Well, there is and they’re waiting to hear from you. You’re a pro at mountain climbing, but you’re trying to engage surfers and you’ve never even been on a board. Well, the best way to approach this audience isn’t going to be to talk about your surfing experiences and just winging it. The best approach is to learn and ask questions and think of best ways to tie in your mountain climbing experiences with how you’re interested in tapping into surfing.
I’m aware that these tips aren’t exactly science, but you’d be quite surprised how many brands and individuals want to wing it and be a know-it-all, act like someone else, and have a death grip on that megaphone instead of putting it down and listening. Just like a conversation in person, You want to make sure it’s a two-way street. Listen and respond. Wait your turn to speak. As my grandmother would remind me as a little kid, “you were given two ears and one mouth for a reason, you should listen twice as much as you talk.”
Trust me. These tips seem rudimentary, but sometimes the most simple things need repeating. Contact us to learn more on Social Media Best Practices.
Making Your Agency “Sticky”
Client facing or not, YOU can make a difference!
First, to define my use of the term “sticky” in this context. The idea behind any company becoming sticky is making it hard for their clients and/or customers to leave or have services removed.
That sounds a little shrewd, but when approached in a positive manner it is within both the agency and client’s best interest.
How does an agency become sticky?
Whatever the bailiwick, an agency needs to provide value to the client’s bottom line in order to truly become “sticky”.
This means taking a few (perhaps large) steps back from whatever it is your agency does and taking the time to identify what it is the client really needs.
We’re working in the digital space at BFO, so it almost always comes down to website performance. However, the website is only there to help achieve the business’ goals overall.
So what are those goals? How does my area of expertise impact those goals / objectives?
Most of this sounds like it would be for account managers and/or sales people. It is true that communication of the client’s goals should and most likely will happen at the client facing level. That being said, I firmly believe that each and every team member can (and should) contribute to the value of any agency’s services; Interns, Juniors, Analysts, Account Managers / Directors, etc etc…
When your teams know what the client needs to achieve as a business, proactively seek opportunity, execute a plan based on those opportunities and communicate what that all means for the client, you have real potential for stickiness.
Is this fool proof in terms of securing long-term business? No. Sometimes things are out of our control, but if you put your best foot forward and truly act as an extension of your clients’ business versus a “vendor”, you can achieve stickiness and long term success!