| LED Digest 2542: Learning Internet Marketing |
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================================================== The LED Digest Moderated Discussion List "Effective Online Advertising, Since 1997" Data > Information > Knowledge > Wisdom www.GetWebContent.com/LED : the LED's Key Sponsor The Web's Most Experienced SEO Content Providers. www.SEOToolSet.com/training/ : the LED's Premier Sponsor Bruce Clay's Search Engine Optimization Training & Certification ================================================== List Moderator: Published by: Adam Audette LED Digest adam, led-digest.com http://www.led-digest.com .............................................. November 27, 2007 Issue no. 2542 .............................................. .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ====== NEW ===================== --== Where's the Info for NON-Marketers? ==-- ~ Al Toman "I'm speaking from the perspective of a non-marketer who is attempting to learn..." --== Google Changes Stance on Paid Links ==-- ~ Michael Linehan "Over the weekend, Google amended its policy on buying links..." ==== CONTINUING ================= --== Social Media - What's the Point? ==-- ~ Adam Audette "...techniques like social media marketing work for almost any site, regardless of niche." ========== NEW =================================== From: Al Toman Subject: Where's the Info for Non-Marketers? Now that I'm settling into the LED Digest, I'm a little disappointed in the content rather than the format. I'm speaking from the perspective of a non-marketer who is attempting to learn objectively about SEO and marketing on the interenet. In other words I know diddly-squat about the industry. I DO understand the value of what you guys do because I've personally seen it in action back in 2005 for my own web site. I've also seen the value of marketing throughout my years in the petrol industry. I also understand that it is powerful for my web development business to advocate to my customers, marketing on the internet. However, my background is engineering, science, and math. I deal with specifics (and unknowns but in an empirical way). That's how I approach "understanding" marketing. It may be a detriment, however, I've noticed an awful lot of big names out there attempting to approach SEO empircally, as well. Algorithms, flow charts, equations, logic, etc. For instance, Adam recently suggested two Google keyword links on LED Digest #2540 [ http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/1955/190/ ]. Now, this is what I consider empirical data, GOOD solid content. You substantiated what you had to say by providing these links. Now, I was aware of link #1 but not link #2. As well, I am aware of Google. I do NOT know how Google works, I can guess, but I do NOT know. However, I do know, if Google is providing a tool, the tool is substantiated. Their goal may be other than educating me about PPC. That's okay. I won't fall for their suttle solicitation easily, without counting the dollars. Anyway, that's what I consider GOOD content. It educated me. On the other hand, the "expert" marketers are laying out yadda, yadda about this and that without teaching "me" anything. Keep in mind, I'm not a marketer. So, the yadda yadda is a turn off. It also puts me back into the frame of mind that these SEO marketing guys are just 99% talk and 1% action, if you're lucky. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, is I'm looking for content that I can use to solicit my clients to see, test, and learn the value of marketing their web sites, of building their web sites with "SEO" in mind, if you will. You marketer type guys make that a very, very difficult task. Most of my clients are the small guy. "Well, I just wanna have a picture gallery for my customers" or "I just wanna get to my local customers" ... etc. Which is okay, however, there is a good way and a not so good way of doing that. I can't show them the LED Digest because they'll read the yadda, yadda and get even further turned off by it. Brad Callen does a series of SHOW AND TELL lessons (his goal is for you to buy the SEOLITE, etc). However, the lessons are touchy-feely, hands on, and if practiced, actually show you how things can work. Though, I'm skeptical about his new lessons as compared to the ones I took in 2005 which tells me that the SEO game has changed and is much more difficult. Regardless, thats GOOD content. Anyway, my Mondane Monday thoughts. Al Toman studio9 web design ========= Begin Sponsor Message ========= When The Going Gets Busy, The Busy Get Gone! Ever since we launched www.GetWebContent.com/LED we've been advertising here with great results! So great, we can't accept new clients for awhile. Fact is, we simply underestimated the demand for professionally written custom copy. See you again as soon as we get caught up. Thanks to those of you who are now repeat clients! www.GetWebContent.com/LED ========== End Sponsor Message ========== -------- new post - new topic --------- From: Michael Linehan Subject: Important Changes In "Paid Links" Policy Over the weekend, Google amended its policy on buying links... ---------------- "Buying or selling links that pass PageRank is in violation of Google's webmaster guidelines and can negatively impact a site's ranking in search results." ---------------- One important part of this concerns ads... ---------------- "Buying and selling links is a normal part of the economy of the web when done for advertising purposes, and not for manipulation of search results. Links purchased for advertising should be designated as such. This can be done in several ways, such as: - Adding a rel="nofollow" attribute to the < a > tag - Redirecting the links to an intermediate page that is blocked from search engines with a robots.txt file" ---------------- For more, see Google... http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=66736 Michael Linehan, Marketing Alchemy www.marketing-alchemy.com ======== CONTINUING =============================== From: Adam Audette Subject: Social Media Back in issue 2525 [ http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/1939/190/ ] Beth Ann Earle brought up a very interesting point regarding social media marketing. I've been meaning to comment on her post for some time, and now finally have some spare bandwidth to address her points. I think she makes a tremendous point in her post - in summary Beth argues that marketing her clients' B2B sites through social media makes zero sense since they can barely check their web stats :). The question in Beth's post is simply, is there any sense in using cutting-edge marketing techniques for these clients, who are in non-technical fields or do not understand the social web? I want to argue that more arcane techniques like social media marketing can (and do) work for almost any site, regardless of niche. And it doesn't have to be dependent on the client's technical experience at all -- in fact they don't necessarily have to know the gritty details of what's involved. Beth remarked in part, > Our clients are mostly b2b manufacturers, > smallish sized companies that don't even have > one person tasked with marketing, let alone a > marketing "department" of any kind. They're > the kind of people you can't even get to > check their traffic stats regularly or to > look at their web sites to make sure the data > is still current. To suggest widely published > videos or on-line networking to them would > probably make us look out of touch with their > version of reality. Here's how social marketing can work for a B2B manufacturer, for these purposes let's say they sell little plastic plugs that go into the ends of mountain bikes. (Just made that up because I love riding mt bikes btw!) Okay, so in crafting a marketing strategy for this company - MTB Plugs - here's a technique I'd use: 1) Launch some research into information related to mountain biking and try to find content gaps (remember Barry Mills's post on that: http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/1898/172/ ). 2) Develop a plan to create a set of unique, compelling content pieces fulfilling the content opportunities you found above. 3) Ensure the content is geared for social media. For example, lots of top 10 lists, videos, pop culture content, etc. Think: easy to read and digest quickly, engaging, funny, somehow vanity-related... all about the visitor. Content can be in the form of pics, videos, or articles. For more advanced techniques, use a widget like the ones found here: http://www.justsayhi.com/bb. Notice how each one has a "badge" with a linkback embedded in it, of course - that's the whole point. Picking good content ideas and seeding them in large social sites is the hardest part, for sure. It's really an art form. And with sites like Digg and StumbleUpon that reward active users, relies a bit on trusted accounts to succeed (but that's not a requirement, just makes it easier). 4) Launch. Some will fail, some will succeed. So where's MTB Plugs, Inc now? It's been 6 months and things have gone well. Let's say one of the linkbait pieces got picked up by some major sites. Traffic spiked, then fell again. Traffic converted poorly. Seems like it was all a waste, right? Wrong! Here's the best part -- social media marketing serves a very useful purpose - links. That's where the whole "linkbait" thing comes from. You can generate tens of thousands of links using this method if it's successful. To present this technique to the B2B manufacturer, I'd never mention social media. This is simply marketing online. They don't need to know the techniques, and don't need a marketing department - that's you. When you show them the before and after, they'll be pleased as punch and want more, more more! As we all know, links boost rankings (very generally speaking). The wide view of social media marketing is that you're trying do 3 basic things (see Thomas Schmitz's post for more on this http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/1938/190/ ): 1) To engage a community of advocates; to communicate with your potential marketplace. 2) To allow people to your spread brand / company vision / company purpose / ideas / etc. 3) To acquire lots of links quickly. My basic point is that social media doesn't have to be anything too fancy or complicated. It's really just a new way of doing the same old thing: getting noticed and interacting with people. Only now, with so much noise and so many people trying to get noticed, it takes a lot more effort. I should also qualify this post a bit. We don't actually practice social media as a distinct tactic for clients, per se (in other words, we don't offer ala carte social media marketing). What we try to focus on instead, is creating an online strategy with long-term results and steady improvements in traffic, branding, visibility, etc. that include social media as part of the whole plan. It's not that social media isn't worth a dedicated effort in its own right -- it certainly is. It's just that we feel it works best as an additional strategy in a complete marketing campaign. This means that instead of crafting content specifically for, let's say StumbleUpon, we advise clients to create great information on their site that will appeal to their target market - wherever it is. A subtle shift in approach, but a crucial one. And of course it requires more patience ;) Adam Audette http://www.audettemedia.com (c) Copyright 1995-2007 Orange Wheel, LLC. All Rights Reserved. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate." - Thornton Wilder |
