Archive for July, 2009
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, July 31st, 2009
These days there is a new paradigm when it comes to doing business. Where in the past companies and entrepreneurs were in competition to the death and fought like vultures for a slice of the pie, now the new approach is to work with partners, clients and even competitors to get more done and ultimately to increase the size of the pie for all.
Today I am in conversation with Heather White of 2020 Communications. In our podcast, we discuss this new inclusive approach, why collaboration is important and the key elements of successful collaboration.
Heather is founder of 202communications, a business coach extraordinaire and has licensed the Ghost CEO Business Coaching Model. She was recently nominated for the 2009 Emerging Leader of the Year so good luck and fingers crossed to her for that.
[audio:http://www.out-smarts.com/podcast31.mp3]
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, July 30th, 2009
Social Media Listening Tools
Social media content is a great source of information for research, customer service and planning purposes. Its important to use tools to effectively listen to what is being said about: your company, its products services and representatives; your competitors and clients; your market niche as well as your target geography and other marketing considerations.
With millions of people on-line every day exchanging opinions, thoughts, feedback and other information – this data source shouldnt be ignored.
But how to listen effectively, what to listen for and how to do so in a timely manner? As with any other market research initiative, it is important to have a social media listening strategy or plan that outlines what you are hoping to learn, the information you want to track and how you will analyze and use it.
There are thousands of social networks, millions of blogs, how do you sift through this information to find the gems that are relevant to your company and industry? Its important in advance to know what you want to listen for. Identifying and listening for keywords pertaining to your company name and product or services names is a good start. This allows you to get going with something concise and manageable and get a feel for the type of information you will return.
There are a number of tools available to effectively listen some are free, the obvious one being Google and some charge. If you expect that you will use these tools extensively or if you hit the wall with free tools then you may want to consider the paid options as they provide structured and strategic solutions.
Here are some more specific services:
FREE
Google Alerts – this service sends e-mails outlining Google search result for your keyphrases.
There are a plethora of Twitter tools like Twitter Search, Monitter (my current favourite) and Tweetlater that allow you to monitor for keywords via email or online.
Pipl – great tool for assessing your personal brand online across multiple social networks
Backtype – search terms, follow conversations.
Facebook wall comments Lexicon.
Trendrr – social and digital media tracking
Technorati – blog monitoring
PAID
Radian6 – this is a paid service but word on the street is that its worth paying the price. Radian6 tools
Trackur – another tool for social media monitoring. Starting at $18 a month with a free trial.
Visible Technologys Trucast – Social media and blog monitoring.
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, July 27th, 2009
Our friends over at FM Walsh and Associates always post great blogs and the latest is no exception. Its about the considerations companies should take into account when creating their corporate Internet brand:
When creating a web presence, many companies think of technology and web design first with marketing as an afterthought when in reality, their major concern should be the latter: after all the web site is often the first point of contact you have with your potential customer. Its imperative therefore to consider marketing (and branding in particular) a priority when creating your Internet presence. If you dont, you could risk damaging this substantial asset considerably. In part one of this two part series I provide some key points that companies must consider in order to create a successful internet brand:
1. If your brand is already working well for you, there is no need to reinvent the wheel:
In most cases companies have already made considerable investment in building brand awareness. Dont discard this; rather use it to your advantage. Always extend your existing brand image to your on-line presence so that people who are already aware of your brand recognize it easily on the web.
2. Consistency is key:
The company brand should be consistent across all touch points. Use existing corporate logos, taglines, fonts and colour schemes on your website to mirror the colours you use in your letterheads, signage and tangible marketing materials (or vice versa). Always include the internet domain or home page on existing corporate materials because driving traffic to your website will serve to further enhance your brand.
3. Brand Impact:
The top portion of your website is the most important area – its the first thing visitors see when they click through to your site: use it to your advantage and make sure what they see has impact. The company logo should be displayed prominently here along with a short tagline that describes concisely what you do. Content should be clear and concise and should quickly get to the gist of your offering. This makes it obvious to prospects immediately that they have come to the right place (or not as the case maybe) saving them time and effort.
4. Keep it simple and clear:
Many companies make the mistake of trying to put too much on their home page making it look busy and all that results is information overload – visitors are confused as to what the company actually does. Bear in mind that the most successful Internet brand is Google (link to www.google.com) whose classic website is plain white with the Google logo prominently displayed then the simple search functionality – it seems stark, but it really works.
5. Your domain is part of your brand too!:
Your domain or url should either reflect your company name or your function exactly: I dont know how many times I have come across a company in a magazine or newspaper article and have tried to find them on the Internet using their company name but to no avail. When I do finally track them down it turns out that their domain is completely different and has no apparent similarity to the corporate identity. Had these organizations chosen a domain that encompassed their company name or at the very least one that describes concisely what they do it would have been so much more obvious and easy to find.
The keys to building a strong Internet brand include consistency, impact, simplicity and clarity – make sure that the look and feel are consistent with existing marketing efforts; that your message is obvious and apparent; that your brand has impact and your domain is obvious and as a result, your organization you will avoid potential pitfalls, ehance brand awareness and build more brand loyalty.
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, July 24th, 2009
Rob Cottingham’s Noice to Signal doodles never fail to raise a smile. This one is not only apt but also very appropriate in a tongue in cheek kind of way.
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, July 23rd, 2009
Twitter is a fabulous tool. Case in fact: recently I connected with Andrea Baxter from Bratface Marketing on Twitter. You might know Andrea from her success as part of the Smart Cookies team that shot to fame following their appearance on Oprah.
Andrea joins us to talk about that meteoric success, how Smart Cookies use social media and about her latest venture Bratface Marketing. Enjoy!
[audio:http://www.out-smarts.com/podcast30.mp3]
Links to blogs sites mentioned:
Marketing Vox
Duct Tape Marketing.com
Start Up Nation
Podcast: Download
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, July 20th, 2009
In the last post I talked about how to stay safe on Twitter in the face of the wave of spammy, scammy users out there who are looking to sell, or worse, to harm you online and whilst there does seem to be more people using these technologies for malicious reasons, there is also a growing trend in the opposite direction. In fact I think more people online want to do good that otherwise.
Today I want to talk about the groundswell of philanthropic people using social media. Social media, by its very nature facilitates social action because it allows people in distinct communities all over the world to connect, to join forces to do good and to have an impact.
Here are some great examples of new media being used to make the world a better place:
- Kiva – this online systems connects people who want to donate with entreprenuers in the developing world who need a leg up.
- Social media is quickly becoming the go to communication channel in the face of adversity. Witness the wildfires raging in BC this week and the use of Twitter to communicate updates.
- Another example of Twitter being put to good use was the Twestival earlier this year which used Twitter to bring people from all over the world together to raise money for Charity:Water and to spread awareness of the world water crisis. Twestival is organising another event on Sept 12th.
- Blogathons – a bloggathon is a fundrasing event where bloggers post regularly (usually every half hour over a 24 hour period) with the goal of raising awareness and donations for a specified cause. This weekend local blogger Miss604 will be hosting Blogathon Vancouver the local Blogathon contingent along with other prominent local bloggers like Hummingbird604.
- Awareness Hubs – these are sights that spread awareness of causes and allow people to congregrate and share examples include, Treehugger (sustainability), Facebook causes like or own Hippo Roller one and Change.org.
- Join a campaign. This summer Mashable is organising the Summer of Social Good aimed at using Facebook, Twitter, MySpace etc to raise money for charity.
- Looking to volunteer in your community – then try searching a local sites like Volunteer Canada or All for Good that connect volunteers with opportunities.
- Got too much stuff already? Get the gift you want and contribute to a good cause simultaneously. Dreambank lets you do this.
Technology is making it easier for people to connect with those interested in similar causes and together they can have more impact than they would individually. Thanks to social media doing your good deed a day just got easier. What good have you done today? Share your stories here please.
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, July 13th, 2009
These days I can’t log on to Twitter without another money making schemer following me. Now that the social network has gone mainstream it has become a breeding ground for people trying to sell you stuff you don’t want or even worse malicious crooks out to infect your computer.
Here are 11 Twitter tips to keep you safe:
1. Friends and Followers – be selective about who you follow. If someone is following way more people than they have followers then it may be best to avoid them. They could be “Follow Spammers” more interested in gaining exposure than in finding interesting Tweets.
2. Before you follow someone, check out their recent Tweets to see if they are of interest to you before you add them (or of interest at all). Never auto follow.
3. Keep a limit on the number of Twitterers you follow. If you are following too many people then you’re simply going to suffer from information overload and you won’t be able to find the gems so easily.
4. Don’t click on a link from anyone you don’t know or trust. Many Twitterers use TinyURL or similar to shorten URLs (I do) but this camouflages the true source so you don’t know what your clicking on. These could be disguised links to potentially dangerous sites or viral downloads so be careful and keep your anti virus software up to date.
5. Monitor the Tweetosphere and make sure you are aware of anyone who mentions you so that it comes to your attention and you can be ready to counter any adverse Twittering.
6. Read the Twitter blog for updates and information on malware and spam issues.
7. Secure your Twitter name. Get a Twitter profile in your business name before someone else does.
8. Use your common sense when Twittering and remember that most of these announcements can be seen by anyone and everyone. You don’t really have to announce that you’re away from home.
9. If someone you’re following overloads you with spam then use the Twitter block at the right of the side panel to block them and let Twitter know too.
10. Call on the community. If something adverse does happen then make your community aware of it. You will be amazed at the support, advice and action of the collective.
11. Use the “protect my updates” function in your Twitter settings if you only want people you select to view your Tweets.
12. Don’t spam – goes without saying but just because lots of others are doing it doesn’t mean you should get spammy too. Watch your tweets and always try to add value rather than sell.
For more great tips read Gillian Shaw’s article in this weekend’s Vancouver Sun.
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, July 07th, 2009
Our SEO copy writing partner Louise Desmarais of Mud Creative recently wrote a great article in their newsletter that discusses the key elements that make your website attractive to visitors. Louise kindly agreed to allow me to share it with you:
As your sites welcome mat, the elements of the home page are critically important in terms of communication and usability.
Whats your story? Just say it.
Visitors expect to find out in three seconds or less if a site has what theyre looking for. Jakob Nielsen, a web usability consultant, says that not explicitly stating what you have to offer is #1 of The ten most violated home page design guidelines.
If the headline on your home page says “Welcome to company X,” that’s only telling your visitors who owns the site – not what you can do for them. If your company story is buried in generic corporate speak, it is a one-sided pitch that visitors quickly see through.
In plain language with purposeful words, explain what your product or service is and how it can help your visitors. Use first person so that it feels like a comfortable conversation. Then casually direct them to other pages for more information.
Keep the important stuff above the fold – that is, above the point where visitors have to scroll down to continue reading. They may not get that far, so you want to make sure to make an impression early on.
Make the reading easy with subheads and bullets
Web readers tend to scan on-page content to decide if they want to stay or move on. (Did you know that the back button is the third most-used button on the keyboard?) To make it easier to scan and to hold visitors attention longer:
- Break up your story with intriguing subheads
- Use bullet points to separate thoughts
- Incorporate links into bullets to direct visitors to other pages
Where do they go from here? Dont leave them hanging.
There are many ways for visitors to navigate your site. But its up to your site to show them where to go and how to get there.
Does your site have a global navigation – defined as a set of top-level navigation links (for example, Home, About Us, News, Contact Us) – that appear on every page? This helps to orient your visitors. The global navigation should be in about the same place on every page, with the page or section that visitors are currently on highlighted.
Dont rely on your global navigation alone to be your sites road map. Include links to important pages in the content of your story. At the bottom of the page, give readers an option to go elsewhere, such as “Contact us for more information.â€
Let visitors know theyve landed on a happening site
Todays websites are dynamic, engaging and interactive. When people arrive, convince them that there is real value in sticking around. Some ideas for doing this are:
- Whats new? – showcase your latest projects
- Newsletter sign-up – offer free information
- Recent blog postings – prompt visitors to read and comment
- Social media widgets – invite them to follow you on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook
- Post your latest podcast
- Link to your latest press release
Say no to digital barriers – open the doors wide
You want to eliminate any and all frustration around your site, so avoid the following:
- Splash landing page – you know you hate these. So do your visitors. Whats more, splash pages make your site virtually invisible to search engines
- Pop-ups – unless theres a good reason for a pop-up, dont go there
- Embedded scroll-down boxes – these can be confusing to visitors, and theyre not pretty
- Long sign-up forms, surveys and password requests – too much work and your visitors are reaching for that back button
When visitors arrive at your site, they already know what theyre looking for. Will they find it on your home page?
Louise Desmarais is an SEO copywriter with a loyal following of web clients from across North America. Louise operates Mud Creative, a writing company based in Calgary, Alberta.
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, July 06th, 2009
Our regular reasons to be cheerful post is long overdue so without further ado, lets get to it. New media discoveries that make us happy this month include:
When Is Good – A nifty little tool to help you schedule meetings.
BackUpMyTweets - back up your Twitter content and make sure it is always there should you need it. They also have a BackUpMy Blog version.
SquareSpace - if you are a DIYer you will be interested in this innovative tool that lets you build your own website.
Twitoria - a tool that helps you filter your Twitter following and boot those not following you.
Tubemogul – online video analytics and distribution tool.
Cotweet – a Twitterlike alternative to Yammer for business micro blogging.
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, July 05th, 2009
Our first blog post about Twitter over 2 years ago now was entitled Twitter ye not and today I rue the day I ever tempted fate with that title. Today the Out-Smarts Twitter feed has been suspended and it would appear we’re not the only ones affected. High profile Twitterers like @marismith were also silenced.
On Twitter Status a recent announcement:
Earlier today, we accidentally suspended a number of accounts.
We regret the human error that led to these mistaken suspensions and we are working to restore the affected accounts—we expect this to be completed in the next several hours.
One additional note: some the accounts suspended were using the third-party site Tweetlater. However, Tweetlater is not to blame for these suspensions nor is it in violation of our Terms.
Tweetlater’s blog:
Sunday, July 5th, 2009: A lot of people with legitimate Twitter accounts are currently suffering from having their accounts suspended (late Sunday afternoon).
It is not TweetLaters doing or fault. So, please do not submit a TweetLater support request about it.
We just heard back from Twitter via email, and they said : “Spamcloud hit. Were working on restoring accounts.â€
We just need to be patient. The suspended accounts will be restored.
Update: We have no idea exactly what a “spam cloud†means. It is probably Twitter staff lingo for a massive spam attack.
Update: We have seen during previous spam attacks that Twitter tends to shoot first and ask questions later and indiscriminately lay down carpet bombing when their system comes under a spam attack. A lot of innocent-bystander accounts get massacred in the process, which they then have to restore afterwards. This is most likely what has happened again.
Update: We have no idea how long it will take Twitter to restore the wrongly suspended accounts. We do not have insight into that information.
Twitter needs to get better. People are using this as a business tool. Account suspension can tarnish a company’s brand, diminish hours of genuine effort in building a valuable Twitter presence, not to mention severing an important communication channel. This is just another example in a long line of Twitter issues that hamper its productive use from a business perspective – how many times have you had the over capacity message?
This also serves as a great reminder not to put all of your eggs in one basket from a marketing perspective. Twitter should not be your only social media marketing tool, nor can it be central component until the system becomes more reliable.
At the time of writing the @outsmarts account is still suspended. We’re not sure how long this will take to resolve.
