Do You Tweet?

If you’re not familiar with Twitter, it is thee dominant micro-blogging service. The only other player is Jaiku. They were acquired by Google, and we’re still waiting to learn more about Google’s plans for them.  We know it has something to with their mobile strategy….

Twitter users type message to each other (known as tweets) in short sentences (140 characters max) what they are doing right now. The early Twitter adopters were people with time on their hands twittering about lunch plans, restaurant experiences, bad dates, and just whatever they were doing in the moment.  Since tweets are accessible through SMS and MMS, the tweets have become prolific among the tech savvy crowd. 

But wait! Twitter isn’t just for the Silicon Valley types. Anyone with a desire to connect with others in a quick way, while reinforcing their name and brand, will find it useful.

Twittering allows us to understand people better. Twittering is a form of a conversation. Is any conversation with your customers bad? Twittering can open dialogues which may not otherwise open up because they are “in the now” and “about the now.” Twittering with customers can strengthen customer relationships, build trust and lead to new opportunities.

Have you noticed that we’re calling micro blogging Twittering. This is like saying I’ll Google a keyword.  But, I digress…

I’ve always defined micro blogging as a multi person IM chat.  Micro blogging is real time like IM but it’s one to many. You invite people into your Twitter group(s).

So, here are some business applications to consider for Twitter.

A product manager Twitters with the people in a beta program to get real time feedback of the product and allow real time interaction with the Twitter group.

A customer service manager Twitters with a select group of customers around a certain topic to get real time feedback on the topic.

A sales manager twitters with a geographically distributed sales force to get real time feedback from the field and assist in real time sale situations.

Are you starting to get the picture?

This sort of reminds me of the iPod. When the iPod was launched all the advertising showed hip people dancing to music. I have had an iPod for almost one year now. I am not that hip and I don’t listen to music with it.  But, I do listen to a lot of podcasts which I subscribe to in iTunes. So, the “product extension” factor is evident here.

So, do you get the picture now? Twittering has real business value. You just have to give it a whirl. Now, if that doesn’t sound unhip, I don’t know what is. I told you, I’m not very hip.

Give it a whirl. www.twitter.com.

Tags: Jaiku, micro blogging, Twitter

Posted in Blogging, Web 2.0 | No Comments »

Measuring Web 2.0 Buzz

At Find and Convert we’re all about measuring.   We provide our SEO clients detailed metrics.  You know, the usual stuff including unique visits, page-views, time on site, conversions, bounce rates, keywords, referral sources, yada, yada, yada.  I’m not trivializing it by any means.  The metrics we track for SEO and PPC are very important.

But, as more of our clients enter the brave new Web 2.0 world the question is how do we measure results?  Great question!  Not a simple answer….But, there are ways to measure results from your Web 2.0 campaigns.

If you’re blogging, you can measure RSS subscriptions.  You can measure how many others link to your blog.  Who are they?

You can measure how many social bookmarks you receive from popular sites like DIGG and StumbleUpon and how easily your social media content is found in Technorati and Del.icio.us.

You can certainly monitor and measure the comments on your blog.  You can see the tone of comments and the trends in the comments.  In fact, you may find comments to be invaluable “research.” 

Don’t overlook your web stats reports.  You can track referral sources from social media sites.  When you see social media referrals increase, that’s a trend to watch.  If you run campaigns in social media sites, track your web stats carefully to observe traffic from these sites and time spent on your site.  Make sure to have conversion strategies in place for these referral strategies so you can track them easily.

Don’t overlook tools such as Google Alerts and Yahoo Alerts.  In Google Webmaster you can track links from social sites. 

If you manage a large brand, or multiple brands there are more advance social media tracking tools.  Some of them include Andiamo, Website-Watcher, WathThatPage and Visual Sciences.

Internet Marketing strategies require planning, measuring and revising.  The methods and tools used to measure Web 2.0 results vary somewhat from measuring SEO and PPC, but not drastically.  The web analytics field is evolving.  Keep up to date and profit from the results you can measure.

Tags: , Blogging, DIGG, Internet Marketing strategies, PPC, RSS subscriptions, SEO, social media, Technorati, Web 2.0, web stats

Posted in Blogging, SEO, Web 2.0 | No Comments »

Think Like a Publisher

This blogging tip is not my original idea.  I don’t even remember where I read it.  But, it really stuck with me. 

Most businesses who struggle with their blogs do so because they are not thinking about it the way a publisher thinks.  A publisher lives for content.  A publisher’s product would die without content.  So, a publisher and the staff constantly seek out content, put it into topical compartments and publish.

How often do you come across an email or an event or some activity that contains content you could use in your blog?  I’ll go out on a limb and predict - very often!  If you’re not seeing it, maybe you should enlist help. 

What may be content buried under a rock to you, may be big boulders to someone else.  I’m color blind so what others see, often I don’t see.  Get the point?

But, when it comes to content, I see it every day.  Heck, if I didn’t have a real job I could post interesting stuff to this blog 10 times a day.  But, I do…

So, the next time you’re sitting in a meeting think about something in that meeting (or something else in your day) that could be interesting to your blog readers.  You may have tripped over it many times already without realizing it.

And, if you think you don’t have time to act on these blogging opportunities, you’re probably right.  Just make the time.  Your blog readers will thank you for it.

Tags: Blogging, blogging opportunities

Posted in Blogging | No Comments »

Predictions for 2008 on the Web

I posted these predictions for 2008 in my Web Marketing Strategies Group in Facebook. 

Predictions for 2008 on the Web.

Blogging will continue to grow, especially among small businesses.

Micro blogging will become more popular but it’s still in the early adopter stage, unless Google comes out with a “killer micro blogging” app through Jaiku.

Business podcasting will also grow but not as rapidly as blogging.

I’ll own a Google phone by the end of the year.

Social networking sites will continue to explode but ubiquity is still a few years away. Plan on maintaining more than one profile for a while.

Niche social networking sites will be the fastest growing segment.

Facebook will overtake MySpace in membership (that’s aggressive but possible).

WiFi Internet access won’t get any better in 2008.

Google will still dominate search engines.

Text marketing will grow and catch the attention of B2B marketers.

The Red Sox will win the World Series again! (this may be my safest prediction).

So, what are your predictions?  I’d like to hear from you.

Posted in Blogging, SEO, Web 2.0 | 1 Comment »

Blogging Basics for Business Podcast - Part 2

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1658)

Blogging Basics for Business Podcast - Part 2

Why should a business blog?

Blogs have marketing value to a business through:
Credibility
Exposure
Feedback
Learn what other people are saying
People can interact with your business
Search engine optimization value

Start with a strategy!

Each blog should have a purpose.  Define your objective, your target audience.
Define your blog content strategy.
Identify who is qualified to write on selected content in your company.
It may be one or many people in your company.
Plan out a content strategy when your blog is new.
Eventually let the conversations flow.
Study other blogs that are competitive or similar.
Select a strategy with a different voice in your industry.
Be conversational.  Don’t write like a press release.
Let conversations happen.  Sometimes you need to NOT comment.  Let others comment.
Allow the community to interact with each other.
Don’t rule over your community in your blog.
 

Should you moderate your blog?

Start out moderating it then if edits are not needed let it flow unmoderated.
Have someone review the blog at least once per day.
Time and resources are needed for a business blog strategy.  That’s reality.  Get over it!

Promote your blog. 

Start with customers, suppliers, employees, partners.
Announce your blog.  Email a link to it.  Put it on your business card, in your auto signature, newsletter, etc.

Search engines and blogs.

Technorati is the Google of search engines for blogs.
Submit your blog to Technorati.  You can have Technorati “ping” your blog for updates.
Use Tags in your blog posts which will tell the search engines about the content in your blog.
Search engines like blog content because blog content gets indexed updated frequently. 
Blogs are very search engine friendly.

Blog marketing.

Some marketers effectively blog on topics that they do not rank well for.  Blog content can get ranked quickly.  So, it’s an effective way to improve your search engine optimization rankings on desired topics.

Avoid blog fade.  Do not start a blog that you can’t commit to.  Plan the work, then work the blog plan.

Blog statistics. 

Track blog stats using your blog tool, e.g., WordPress, TypePad.  You can also use Feedburner.  Watch how many subscribers you have, how active it is, etc.

Blog links. 

Blogs produce links which are very helpful for SEO.  You should link to other blogs from your blog as a service to your reader.
Use a blogroll as a list of other blogs that are meaningful to your blog readers.  When you link to other blogs you pay them a compliment. 
Often others will find your blog from your links and therefore the viral exposure is a huge benefit and others may link to your blog.
Ultimately, the link centric nature of blogs is very powerful for exposure.

Success stories.

Large company: IBM has over 10,000 internal blogs.  They form communities of people who work together.  Blogs are used productively to communicate and collaborate.  Employees even cut down on email by using blogs.

Small company: We’re currently working with a client.  We’ve identified the target market, topics, useful tips, information, how to’s, things to avoid.  Initial focus is building a Web 2.0 blog strategy.  We’ve identified about 5 people inside the company who will be blogging on these topics.  Then, the blog will be developed and launched and marketed.

Blogging for business can be very productive.  Plan the work and work the plan.
 

Posted in Blogging, Link Building, SEO, Web 2.0 | 3 Comments »

We are the Web

All our clients want to be search engine optimized for Google.  I understand why.  Google is the #1 search engine. 

But, Web 2.0 has been rapidly expanding the web’s ability to deliver customers to our doorstep (or website).  Customers = relationships.  Relationships start with some “link” to your business or to people in and around your business. Where are those people located?

In the world of Web 2.0 the answer is not limited to Google.

Check out this thought provoking video from Michael Wesch, Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Kansas State University on this concept. 

It may just change your thinking of the web.

Posted in Blogging, Web 2.0 | No Comments »

The World is Round: Why Marketers Need to Embrace Web 2.0

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1653)

Show Notes from Tampa Bay CEO Magazine Power Player Breakfast:
Dec. 4th, 2007 Tampa, FL USA
Attendees: 120 CEO and business executives
Guest Speaker: Bernie Borges

Bernie’s Background:20 years in U.S. corporate America. 1980’s PC software. 1990’s enterprise software In 2000 transitioned to the Internet. In 2002 founded Internet marketing company: rebranded to Find and Convert in 2006. Find and Convert is focused on helping B2B companies find and convert leads on the web through Internet marketing services.

Audience poll:
Services: about 50%
Product: about 10%
B2B: about 50%
B2C: not sure
Geographic:
US/Canada about 50%
Global: about 20%  Regional: about 70%Topical comfort level of audience:
New to Web 2.0: less than 50%
Some knowledge of Web 2.0: about 10%
Advanced: 2 people Social media is all about people communicating and collaborating on the web.  It’s also known as Web 2.0. This is an “un presentation” giving people the freedom to add comments anytime.  Two people with microphones are available for comments/questions. Introduction:  Web 2.0 is making Web 1.0 obsolete.  It’s not just all about being #1 in Google anymore.  Web 1.0 is “read only” and Web 2.0 is “read write.”What’s driving web 2.0? Technology – RSS
High availability of internet access.
Social culture of communication – communities are formed, the collective intelligence of these communities, we need to be aware of these communities and embrace them.Benefits of web 2.0Quick and inexpensive implementation of initiatives. 
Build trust and loyalty. 
Viral potential of marketing, for people to find you in other places beyond Google.
SEO value – links get produced organically and will produce traffic. Blogs - The single largest form of Web 2.0 properties.  Over 100M blogs.  Blogs have been exploding in growth.  BusinessWeek cover story May 2005: all businesses need a blog.  Blogs provide a place for chronological and topical conversation. Blogs are link centric and links are very good for search engine optimization (SEO).  You can add tags and others can submit your blog content to social bookmarking websites. Blog types:
Product or technical
Thought leadership
Tips/best practices
Opinions
Marketing/PRBlogs offer:
Information
Build relationships
Knowledge Management resourceRSS example: Valpak.com – people can subscribe to the most recent coupons thorough an RSS subscription.

Posted in Blogging, SEO, Web 2.0 | 1 Comment »

Tampa Bay CEO Magazine Breakfast: Web 2.0

I gave a presentation at the Tampa Bay CEO Magazine Power Player breakfast in Tampa.  The presentation is entitled: What B2B Marketers Need to Know about Web 2.0.  I’m sharing the slides from my presentation in this link to a really useful Web 2.0 social site called Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/bernbay/tampa-bay-ceo-breakfast-web-20/.

Hope you find it useful…

Posted in Blogging, Podcasts, Web 2.0 | No Comments »

Micro-blogging: What is it and what’s the point?

Have you heard about micro-blogging yet?  It’s being talked about and written about in mainstream pubs like Time Magazine.  The two best known micro blogging players are Twitter and Jaiku.  Here’s how it works.  You sign onto a micro-blogging social site and connect with your friends and you talk about what you’re doing right now.  Yes – right now!  Ok, so the first couple of hundred thousand users are mostly people with too much time on their hands. 

But, recently I was at a conference attended by my industry peers, and I noticed people blogging to each other in real time about the sessions they were attending (and making lunch plans).   They called it “Twittering.” 

As Web 2.0 services continue to unfold (every day) a pattern has emerged.  The first batch of users is usually people who spend a lot of time online doing seemingly unimportant things.  I’m referring to consumers who are entertaining themselves as early adopters of the technology.  Then, as more and more people catch on (and fast) we’ve seen business professionals adopting social sites to create groups and networks for collaboration, conversations, knowledge management – real productive stuff! 

So, how will micro blogging become productive to business users?  Well, Google has already purchased Jaiku.  Apparently since there were only two major players in this space and Google is moving into the mobile communications space I’m guessing that Jaiku has very strong features in mobile communications. 

So, here’s one potential scenario in my crystal ball.  A sales and marketing team for a services or product company is dispersed througout a geographic region.  I can see how members of teams comprised of sales reps, engineers, specialists, product managers and line managers back at HQ would use micro blogging to discuss details about a sales situation RIGHT NOW!  In fact, I’ve been in meetings where the prospect asks a question and the team on site doesn’t have the answer right now (“we’ll get back to you on that.”)  But, with a quick micro-blogged note to someone on the extended team (to their cell phone if necessary) we can get the answer on the spot and probably within seconds.  Boy, I sure could’ve used that a few times in my career. 

Does this crystal ball application idea give you any practical ideas for micro blogging? 

I’m sure glad there are people who embrace new Web 2.0 technologies and give us ideas about ways to implement them in productive ways in our businesses.  I can hardly wait to hear about Google’s plans for Jaiku.  They’ve been quiet about it.  But, just wait and see.

Posted in Blogging, Web 2.0 | 1 Comment »

Blogging Basics for Business

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

• A Blog is a “conversation on the web” with people who have something in common.
• People subscribe to a blog using RSS (the channel).
• RSS feeds create a channel to your favorite blogs to stay current on topics of importance and interest.
• Blogs “posts” are organized in chronological order and by topic.
• BusinessWeek May 2005 cover story: “Blogs - Catch Up or Catcha Later”
• When, not if you should blog…Start by blogging on other blogs in your industry.
• Observe, learn and participate in those blogs.  Get a feel for their personalities and the participants.
• Study competitive blogs to observe what is being said.  Consider commenting on competitive blogs. 
• Remember you are part of a community.  Be professional (don’t be a jerk).
• Develop a strategy!  Know your objective(s) and measure results.
• Blog types: industry trends/visionary, product (technical) blog, customer service, P.R. blog, etc.
• Set up roles for people in your company in the blog and manage these roles: analytical, product (technical), P.R., controversy, executive/leadership.
• Don’t shy away from comments on your  blog especially criticism.
• Post comments frequently.
• Respond to comments very quickly (within hours).
• Remember that others are watching your blog conduct.
• Respond to negative comments positively.  Thank them and explain your course of action.
• Blogs are good for search engine optimization particularly when you give each blog post a title with a post-slug URL.
• Add blog post-slug URLs to your site map.
• Use social plug’ins to get your blog tagged and linked.
• Submit your blog to Technorati and track it.
• Track blog stats in your website stats/analytics.
• Link to other blogs you like.  Don’t expect anything in return (but you may get links from other blog sites).
• Embrace a blog with commitment - don’t start and stop a blog.
• Business blogs take time - get over it.
• Business blogs will pay dividends if implemented and managed well. 

Posted in Blogging, SEO, Web 2.0 | No Comments »