Everyone wants to be found online, but what are the best ways to be found?
Businesses want to have their companies/ websites/ blogs/ products/ services found and job seekers want themselves to be found.
1) You need to have a great strategy to be found online.
Easier said than done. You need to think about where "your people" are and how they might go about finding you (or your business). Then just assure that you have a presence there. Again, easier said than done.
2) Profiles: Create profiles everywhere
Create profiles for yourself and your company at LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Plaxo, etc.
Also create business listings for your company in Yellow page sites for businesses, especially the "Local" search engine site: Google, Bing, Yahoo.
What do I mean by "content"? - Any text or item(s) that people want, e.g., things they want to know or learn "how to" do, blog posts, tweets, eZine (electronic magazine) articles, website articles, videos, podcasts, etc.
Here are some places you can post this content: Flickr (photos), Slideshare.net (presentations and documents), Twitter, YouTube (videos), your blog (using WordPress.org, WordPress.com, or Blogger/Blogspot), your website.
Tip/Trick: Keep the emphasis on "valuable" content. What do people want to find/know? Answer that question, given your company's or your own expertise and then write about it in interesting and engaging ways.
Hint: Use great tags so people can easily find your great content.
Forums:Boardreader's popular internet: videos, instructions, articles, etc.
6) Show what you know
It sounds simplistic, but if you "show what you know" and if you're showing what others are seeking then you'll be found...and thought of as an expert.
How do you become an expert? Know your subject and post about it: valuably, frequently and consistently.
Note: It may help to have some credentials, but the LA Times opinion piece said that experts and academics were gaining influence, so there is a distinction between being an expert and being a person who studies/teaches the subject in a college or university.
Re: Social media: And yes, the rumors of the death of Social Media are a bit early with this barometer, as social media is really about disclosure, transparency, authenticity, and trust. For more on this see "For more information" below...
7) "Just do it"
Nike had it right. By just doing it, you're getting your "expert" voice out there where it can be found...and establishing your "expert" .
I love working out at the gym because it's a great opportunity to listen to internet marketing podcasts and learn about the lastest marketing strategies and trends. The only problem is that when you hear great ideas (especially ideas that you're thinking of tweeting/blogging about later) it's tough to remember them. Since it's hard to remember several ideas (or website links) throughout your entire workout and until you get to your home/office, it would be great to be able to write them down. But who wants to carry a clipboard or notebook around the gym?
Solution: Your Mobile Phone/iPhone and the multi-platform Evernote program.
Evernote is an excellent web-based as well as phone-based program you can use to jot down your notes in a hurry. All you have to do is register on Evernote's website and then download the Evernote software and install it onto your laptop/desktop (PC or Mac) and web-enabled phone. Since the Evernote site has directions, videos & tutorials & screenshots, I'm just going to show you how to use Evernote at the gym during your workout.
How to Improve Your Memory During Your Workout at the Gym
Download and Synchronize podcasts onto your mobile phone/iPhone.
Note: I use Juice and Windows Media Player for this.
You may use iTunes.
Listen to the podcasts while doing your workout.
When you hear a great idea start Evernote on your mobile phone/iPhone.
Jot down a note in Evernote.
Example: "MOC: Google Website Analyzer" (see Evernote image).
Rinse and repeat (do this for every great idea you hear that you want to remember).
Extra credit to boost your site traffic:When you get back to your home/office write a tweet or blog post based on the great idea.
Clearly when you write these notes on Elliptical Trainers or the Treadmill they don't always look that great (do not do this...see the Caveat/Warning below).
But the point is: All they have to do is be good enough to remind you of the idea you need so you can take action on them, e.g, writing a tweet or posting a blog post.
YouTube Video: "How to Improve Your Memory During Your Workout at the Gym"
How does this help me Attract More Visitors to my Site?
You might be thinking, this is all great, but how does it help me get traffic to my website? Basically, by helping you remember all of the great ideas you heard in internet marketing and social media podcasts so you can blog and tweet about them on Twitter. That's it, no magic or mirrors involved, just enabling you to write more blog posts and Twitter tweets which others may see or find via Google searches and then follow to your website (from your blog or your Twitter bio/profile).
Comments
Have a better way to remember great ideas during your workout? - just let me know...
And "extra credit" points for ways which improve your site traffic as well.
Caveats and Fine Print Warnings!
Please consult your Doctor before engaging in any exercise program. Also, please be sure to *pause* during your exercise routine *before* writing notes in Evernote in your mobile phone/iPhone! After all, you don't want to end up falling or having an accident at the gym.
An "Emergency Response" approach might be what's needed re: quick Social Media responses to real world and online faux pas.
Critical to get Info out fast
Having been involved in an Emergency Response Strike Team while at UNOCAL, a global energy resources ("Big Oil") company, we knew that it's critical to get accurate information out to the media/public as quickly as possible.
With Domino's Pizza's social media problem hitting the web as well as the traditional news sources within the last week it seemed timely to offer a possible solution for future events like this.
Brief Background of Domino's Situation
Some Domino's employees filmed several YouTube videos which showed them treating pizzas/food at Domino's in ways that would cause great shock and distaste for Domino's customers. This shock could lead to reduced sales as Domino's customers may wonder whether this was an isolated event, or is widespread throughout their company's locations and employees. Domino's didn't respond to the videos right away, taking a "wait and see" attitude at first. This allowed the situation to play out online, particularly on Twitter.
Was the YouTube video apology accepted as being a genuine apology?
Result
This entire scenario certainly caused a "brand emergency" and could cause a "brand disaster" for Domino's.
What's Needed: A Different Mind-set
With other company's having similar problems, e.g., JetBlue's runway fiasco awhile back, it might be helpful if companies considered an entirely different way of responding which would require a different mind-set:
Consider what happened as the worst possible event possible for your company, product(s), and brand. Then act...fast! And take action where your customers are likely to be/read/interact with their news (e.g., Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, or where-ever your customers are likely to be engaged at).
Take a Lesson from the Emergency Response PR Guidelines of an Oil Company
"Oil spills are typically highly visible events and will generate public interest and concern. The media and the public will base their opinions on information that is available to them. It is important that they have access to factual and timely information. It is well documented that refusal to talk to the media during a crisis situation creates the assumption that some wrongdoing has taken place. If BCT does not provide accurate and timely information, reporters will obtain their information from potentially unreliable sources or those who can only speculate on actual events or actions. A "no comment" position can adversely affect BTC's reputation as a responsible corporate citizen, and could result in restrictive legislation that could affect both BTC and others in the industry. It is BTC's policy to cooperate with the media and make timely, accurate information available to the public."
This was written in 2005, well before the recent social media explosion. But its possible application to bad web PR situations is crystal clear: Get ahead of the situation and respond - respond as quickly and as well as you can.
10 Brief Guidelines for Social Media Emergency Responses
Get a response out as quickly as possible.
At a minimum, respond in the venue the original SM Emergency occurred in, e.g., YouTube.
Then consider other social media venues your customers may frequent and consider creating information streams of communication in them, e.g., Twitter.
Get your CEO/President out in front of the situation...and do it in a believable way (minus points for not looking into the camera and talking to us).
Continue monitoring the situation and communicating with your customers.
Consider ways to put your customers at ease.
Consider ways to win your customers back (rewards, etc.).
Be truthful and transparent throughout this process.
Mean what you say.
Do what you mean.
10 Necessary Actions BEFORE Brand Emergencies/Disasters
Do Reputation Monitoring.
Monitor the web re: your company name, product(s), brand(s), and principals/executives.
Do Scenario Planning and Risk Assessments for everything you can imagine...and more.
Consider "what if's" for likely as well as unlikely situations.
Definitely consider scenarios for the worst possible situations.
If you already have disaster scenarios you've created in the past, dust them off, and make them current given new/currently available communications methods.
Assume that the walls of all of your facilities, file cabinets, hard drives, servers, and "cloud computing" are transparent.
Revise your social media emergency response plans accordingly.
Do SWOT analyses for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats for your company and each of its subsidiaries, products, brands, as well as for your competitors.
Rinse and repeat (start at #1 again as this is an ongoing process).
Bottom Line
Ideally you want visitors and customers to be attracted to your website and online presences (Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, etc.) in the best of circumstances so they will have the best possible impressions of your company, brand, products, etc.
Cold dose of Reality: Life isn't always Ideal, so be prepared for the worst and act accordingly. And most of all act quickly!
Your visitors and customers are probably more than willing to meet you half-way, but the burden is on your company and all of your employees to let them know what's going on (create quick communication streams, e.g. via Twitter), what you're doing to solve it (currently), how/why this will never happen again, and how you'd like to form/continue the relationship with them (communication and enticement-wise).
I tweeted about the slideshow on Twitter and now those tweets are currently the highest ranked on Twitter Search: slideshare ranking google search.
What Really Happened (SEO-wise)
1) Google indexes Slideshare very quickly
First, slide shows posted on Slideshare appear to be indexed by Google really quickly.
This makes sense since Slideshare has very fresh content posted by people who should be authorities/experts regarding their subjects and content. Google loves fresh content and authority sources.
Conclusion: Slideshare has great Google Juice!
2) Long tail Google searches are really powerful
Second, long tail Google searches (searches with many keywords) are very powerful, especially when exactly match the title of Slidehare slide show.
And yes, this is "gaming" Google a little, since chances would be remote that many people would choose this exact search.
But that's the power of "The Long Tail", in that some people may actually try that search and find exactly what they were looking for.
3) Long tail Twitter searches are really powerful
Similarly, doing a strategically-chosen long tail search in with particular keywords in Twitter Search provided the top (and only) results in Twitter Search (see image above).
Conclusion: Google and Twitter searches with many keywords rock!
4) Slideshare slides are can be organized, shared , and can go viral
Lastly, within a few days of posting my slideshow on Slideshare, etalbert re-posted it to the Enterprise 2.0 and Social Media groups on Slideshare's site.
This way the slideshow is given more "organization" by being categorized in a couple of relevant groups.
Also, people in those groups may find my slide show more easily.
Conclusion: The slideshow is being found and shared with others who may find it useful, helpful, and/or interesting.
5) Slideshare rocks with Google Juice!
Overall Conclusion: Slideshare rocks(!) and has great Google Juice (even in you "cheat" a little and use long tail multiple-word keyword searches).
Comments...
Have a comment or a better way to get "Google Juice" using Slideshare or other social media methods? - Please let me know...
Want the scoop on techniques for attracting visitors on the Internet? Well, I blogged about these in Part II of my last blog post on the "Best Twitter Tool and Trick for Short URLs" (see image on right).
But since the blog post was so long I think most people missed seeing the best part: The low-down on the actual Internet Marketing Techniques that were used in the post.
As you've probably figured out by now, sometimes I like to write example blog posts and then analyze them below the example post. If that wasn't clear before, it should be now.
Part II of Blog Post re: Attracting Visitors
In any case, if you missed seeing "Part II: Attracting Visitors and Internet Marketing Techniques" of the blog post, then you might want to check it out to see why these Internet Marketing techniques are good things to keep in mind for attracting visitors:
Twitter is a great way to attract potential visitors to your blog or website.
Intriguing/interesting Titles attract people to your blog posts, articles, or emails.
Delivering on what your Title promises is very important.
Uploading a video to YouTube has several advantages.
Use Examples.
Asking your readers to do something is a "Call to Action".
"Always be Testing".
Navigation/Usability: If a web page or blog post is long, make them easy to Navigate (e.g., the Table of Contents).
Hope this helps. By the way, for more info on Navigation/Usability you can see Rick Henkin's Create More Customers blog.
Questions or Comments on any of this? Just let me know...
There's a great trick for shortening web addresses (URLs) in your Twitter posts (and no, it's *not* TinyURL!).
But first, what is Twitter?
Twitter is a micro-blog where you post 140 character updates simply answering the question "What are you doing? These short one-way posts, known as tweets, are shown on your Twitter profile page. These updates can also be received on Facebook, your mobile phone, your blog, etc. For more info see the Twitter Wikipedia article.
Table of Contents
Since this is long post, please see the clickable Table of Contents* (below/right) --> * How was this Table of Contents created? See Bonus Trick #5 below.
Web addresses (URLs) are long. Clearly with only 140 characters for an update message in Twitter, the less characters (letters, numbers, symbols, and spaces) you use, the better.
Solution
Shortening the URL using free web services like SnipURL or TinyURL which take long URLs and make them shorter.
--> Note: This is also great for PowerPoint presentations as well as Email messages, where long URLs can break-up if they're longer than one line (e.g., a huge link to a Mapquest map - yikes!).
These are great solutions, but SnipURL's "snipped" URLs can be shortened even more.
With all of the people using TinyURL in Twitter (about 2.5 million uses as of when this was posted), it's too bad they don't know about SnipURL and the trick for making their URLs even shorter. And of the 90,000+ uses of SnipURL in Twitter, only half used the trick.
Both short URLs have far less characters then the original URL.
This savings would be even greater if you started with a longer web address.
Note that the domain names are 7 characters for both of the URLs (excluding the ".com"):
snipurl (7 characters)
tinyurl (7 characters)
The number of characters after the ".com/" can vary, but there are usually 4 to 6 characters.
From what I've seen, SnipURL's algorithm seems to create less characters at the end than TinyURL.
- Definitely a case of "less is more". This might be because TinyURL has been used more than SnipURL.
For the example above the characters following the domain names are bolded below:
With SnipURL, you can shorten the URL even more, by using any of SnipURL's shorter domain names: snurl.com or snipr.com. For the example above, any of these URLs will lead to the same web address:
Or delete the "u" and "l" in the SnipURL above to get:
http://snipr.com/3n4l1
Now you're probably thinking, "Can I make the URLs even shorter by deleting the leading "http://" characters too?"
- Answer: Yes, but then the URL won't be clickable in Twitter (Yikes!).
- See the deleting the "http://" test in Twitter.
If the description of the Trick above doesn't make any sense, just view the Video below...
You might be thinking, "This is completely ridiculous - You're only saving a few characters at most with this stupid trick."
Answer: Yes, but with only 140 characters allowed for a post, the prime Twitter real estate (space available) is very valuable and you need to save every character you can...especially if you are trying to squeeze several URLs into a post as in the next example:
Now you're probably wondering, "Why would you want to post such a cryptic message? Are you a spy or something?" (Answer: "No!").
Well, here's the situation: I had just posted a comment to the blog page of one of my favorite podcasts, Marketing Over Coffee. Unfortunately MoC's software/settings for Comments had stripped the helpful links from the comment I'd made.
As a workaround to this dilemma I posted the tweet above so someone searching on the keywords might find the links. (Ok, I cheated and used my first name in the search to limit the number of search results...but you get the idea, right?).
What did I do with the extra characters saved with the SnipURL Trick?
- Inserted the phrase: "How-to" to describe the link
(which actually gives the solution many people might be searching for).
Bonus Trick #2:
- How do you get SnipURL's (Snip!) into your Browser Links or Bookmarks toolbar?
Go to SnipURL and "simply" drag the Snip! button to your Links or Bookmarks toolbar.
While this usually works fine for Firefox, in many cases it doesn't work for Internet Explorer.
--> Trick for IE: Right-click on the Snip! button, choose "Add to Favorites", then click the down-arrow next to Create, scroll down to the Links folder, and click Add. Easy, right?
Bonus Trick #3: - How do you get your Twitter posts to be displayed in the right column of your blog?
And while you're there, be sure to subscribe to their "Snips" e-Newsletter, which sends you an email of interesting snippings every week - definitely a guilty pleasure(!), but you can get a read on hot trends and popular culture too.
What do you think?
Do you have a better way to do this? If so, please leave a Comment below...
If you like this post, then:
Subscribe to the Feed (see the orange "subscribe in a reader" feed icon at top-right of page.
Let your favorite Social Media/Networking site know (see "Share & Enjoy" icons for Digg, etc. below).
Tell A Friend (see "Share This Post" and/or TellAFriend button/link at bottom of post).
PART II: Attracting Visitors and Internet Marketing Techniques
What does the blog post above have to do with Attracting More Visitors to your website or blog?
- How can these Internet Marketing techniques help promote your site?
Twitter is a great way to attract potential visitors to your blog or website.
Intriguing/interesting Titles attract people to your blog posts, articles, or emails.
Using carefully selected keywords is very effective and critical to the success of your Titles.
Delivering on what your Title promises is very important.
Just in case someone wanted something other than what they found here, bonus tricks were included.
Did you find what you were looking for?
If yes, then more value was provided.
If not, hopefully you found something that was helpful (a trick, resource, or link).
Since "Twitter Tools" is a very popular search and "Twitter Tools" is also a WordPress plugin, content was provided for those searchers finding this post as well:
Bonus Trick #2 and other info "Twitter Tools" searcher might find interesting/helpful.
The video can be searched/found on YouTube or search engines.
Linking a YouTube video back to your blog or website both in the video description and within the video can be very powerful.
Of course with any Social Media community, try to be sensitive to what they consider to be blatant marketing (bad) vs. subtle markerting (may be ok, depending on the community).
Any video has the potential to become viral and be passed around exponentially.
Use Examples
People like examples as they show "how to".
People love Stories...and Examples can tell a story and make cold data/info personal.
Asking your readers to do something is a "Call to Action". (e.g., Tell A Friend)
Sometimes all you have to do is ask and people will respond favorably.
"Always be Testing"
The Twitter Test "deleting the "http://" test" (above) is a tiny testing example in homage to what Bryan Eisenberg says: "Always be Testing" (in his book titled: Always Be Testing: The Complete Guide to Google Website Optimizer):
Navigation/Usability: If a web page or blog post is long, make them easy to Navigate (e.g., the Table of Contents)
If the post was broken up into several posts, then it would appear in reverse order and lose its scanability, effectiveness, and flow. Instead of doing this give your readers an easy way to navigate (links, Table of Contents, etc.).
If you liked this post you might also enjoy receiving our 77 Great Tips of Internet Marketing to help you Attract More Visitors and Create More Customers(SM).
responses to real world and online faux pas.
