Grab Your Jacket – The Windy City Blows In Big Talent For SES Chicago 2011
Posted on 01. Nov, 2011 by Ashely Zeckman in Blog, conference, content marketing, Search Engine Strategies, ses chicago, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Social Media
With over 70 sessions SES Chicago running November 14-18, 2011 is a virtual smorgasbord of information for Marketing and SEO professionals alike. Many topics will be covered including: PPC, keyword research, SEO, social media, local marketing, mobile marketing, link building, content, optimization, usability, and so much more. With so many sessions to choose from where should you begin? Below are a list of ‘must see’ sessions that I will be sure to check out while I’m there.
#1 – Winning! Measuring Social Media Success
While I doubt that Eli Goodman and Tami Dalley will be channelling Charlie Sheen I am still very interested to hear their take on measuring the success of social campaigns. I would recommend having your social media metrics handy if possible ( I know I will), so that you can apply the speakers instruction on estimating the value of your fans and followers in real time. Who knows, we may find that we score better than anticipated.
#2 – Information Architecture for the Modern Website
This session featuring Shari Thurow really caught my attention. Why? As marketers and SEO professionals we are mostly aware of best practices for optimizing a site and making it search friendly. But what about the site structure and content flow? Is it user friendly? Does it allow my audience to get to where they want to go as hassle free as possible? As the online landscape evolves I for one intend to learn as much as I can to help my company engage our audience.
#3 – Conversion Tools of the Master Crafstman
Having the right tools in your arsenal can quantify a companies social media strategy. However, when shopping around the question always arises: do I use the tools that are free and might have limited capabilities, or go for the Ferrari that may be outside of the current budget? Author Bryan Eisenberg will be providing the audience with the lowdown on tools (free and paid) that assist with identifying and fixing web conversions. Also, be sure not to miss Bryan’s guest post on the TopRank Online Blog next week which will have a preview of some of the tools he recommends.
#4 – The Convergence of Search, Social, and Content Marketing
Working with Lee Odden I’ve come to realize just how important the combination of search, social, and content really is. I am curious to hear the methods that the panel moderated by Anne Kennedy and featuring Aaron Kahlow and Arnie Kuenn recommends for combining the three to target and engage an audience. I am also very interested in the step-by-step case studies that will be provided as examples for compiling a list of our own successes for our clients.
#5 – Keynote – Search: Where to Next?
I have my own ideas on where search will be within the next year or two, but five to ten years? No clue! Thursday morning’s keynote moderated by Anne Kennedy and featuring speakers Eli Goodman, Zephrin Lasker, Alan Osetek, and Dana Todd will provide insight into the next generation of search and what it means for marketers. I would be prepared to take great notes during this session so that you can begin dialing in your strategy for not only 2012 but what you should be on the lookout for in the years to follow.
#6 – Content Marketing Optimization
If it can be searched it can be optimized. Makes sense right? So much of the social web has become focused on content creation, promotion, and optimization. What is the point of creating all of this useful content if your audience can’t find it? This session by Lee Odden will provide strategies and tactics for executing on a successful content strategy while keeping optimization and search in mind.
And Don’t Forget To Network
As a conference attendee I’ve found that I often learn just as much while networking as I do during the sessions. While I wouldn’t recommend charging at the presenters from across the room when you spot them I would ask that you keep a couple things in mind:
- If you have a question that you would really like answered be sure to write it down during the session so that if you do catch the attention of a presenter you have a clear and concise question to ask.
- Attend the conference organized meals if possible. This is a great opportunity to get to know other people within your industry and learn from their experiences.
I hope to see all of you at SES Chicago in a few weeks. Be sure to follow the conference buzz on twitter under hashtag #SESCHI. Check out SES Chicago’s information page for a full schedule of sessions and training. TopRank will also be live blogging and tweeting at the event @toprank, @leeodden, and @azeckman for those of you who don’t already follow us.
Are there some great sessions you’ll be attending that I didn’t include? Feel free to share your top picks for SES Chicago by commenting on my post. Also, if you’re a foodie like me and you have an opportunity to explore the city, Chicago Magazine recently released a list of the 22 best new restaurants in Chicago.
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Grab Your Jacket – The Windy City Blows In Big Talent For SES Chicago 2011 | http://www.toprankblog.com
#MIMASummit: Avinash Kaushik Keynote on Improving Engagement Through Innovation
Posted on 13. Oct, 2011 by AshleyZ in Avinash Kaushik, Blog, conference, content marketing, Marketing PR Conferences, MIMA Summit, mobile, Search Engines, Search Marketing, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Web Analytics
Photo from our interview with Avinash at SES Hong Kong
The morning keynote speaker for the 2011 MIMA Summit was none other than Avinash Kaushik co-Founder of Market Motive Inc and the Digital Marketing Evangelist for Google. Avinash was a very funny and engaging speaker. Nothing was off limits during his keynote. Caught in the crosshairs of Avinash’s presentations were what he called “small” local companies (General Mills, 3M, etc) that dared to provide a “less than ideal” user experience.
Innovation was the topic of the morning’s keynote, ranging from which companies are a good (and bad) example of implementing innovation to proper metrics to show success.
What Are the 3 Definitions of Innovation?
Kaushik on innovation: “One of the great sexy things about the Internet is that everything you knew about the Internet 6 months ago is now irrelevant. “
- Incremental
- Incremental with Side Effects
- Transformational
How Can You Participate In Innovation?
Kaushik on measuring success: “If you only measure clicks, page views, visits, video views, touches, emails, and number of reports you are SUPER LAME.”
- Accountability: Focus on the metrics that matter. Do not let irrelevant data cloud your vision. Increase loyalty by giving customers what they want.
- Multiplicity: Losers only focus on the 2% of conversions they receive from their website. Winners focus on the 98% that didn’t convert. Social, Search, Content, Email are all things that drive value but should not be considered a stand-alone marketing strategy.
- Influence: Traditional Marketing Strategy: shout to customers and hope that something will happen. Internet Marketing: Create a flow of conversation between your brand and the end user. Social Marketing Revolution: create not only a flow of communication between the brand and the consumer but encourage the consumer to share with their network.
- 4. Fail Faster: Each one of us has an opinion. Often the worst ideas are created by H.I.P.P.O’s (Highest Paid Person’s Opinion). If you’re going to fail do it quickly. Don’t let ego’s get in the way of making adjustments and tweaks to the original plan.
4 Ways Data Can Help You Do The Right Thing
- Conversion Rate = # of audience comments or replies per post
- Amplification Rate = # of re-tweets per tweet = # of shares per post = # of share clicks per post
- Applause Rate = # of favorite clicks per post = # of likes per post
- Economic Value = sum of short and long term revenue and cost savings
Create A Better User Experience
Kaushik on improving user experiences: “Be better each day than we were the day before.”
The Unreachable Coupon
How much time and effort would you spend to gain access to a .60 cent coupon? Some corporations think that the answer is: 13 steps and 30 minutes spent filling out personal information (with no error checking) only to find that you have to install another program in order to actually print the coupon. If companies only focus on the data they NEED they will avoid angering the very customers they were trying to engage. Why does the Internet bring out the worst in us?
You Say You’re Innovative But You’re Not
The example used was that of a company whose homepage screams the word innovation…literally. However, their design screams 1940’s. What we learn from this? If you’re going to use strong words to describe yourself make sure that your branding reflects your message.
Measuring Suckyness
If you want to form a long-term relationship with your audience you need to provide them something of value first. Sites that bombard browsers with too many advertisements, links, and paths are “puking” so to speak on their users. Filling your site with 400 links on one page is not a good strategy. Avoid suckyness by providing value in a way that is easy for your audience to digest.
I Love This Website!
Websites that allow you get to where you want to be as quickly as possible provide a much better user experience. By segmenting consumers as soon as they reach the home page they are much more likely to frequent your site because they know exactly how to navigate and will be provided information that only pertains to what they are looking for.
What Did We Learn?
- Extract Insights From Things You Do Every Single Day
- Force companies to provide us with the things we need to make educated buying decisions
- Be authentic!
- Stop guessing and start using the data available to you
For another blog post covering Avinash’s MIMA Summit keynote, visit Lisa Grimm’s blog: Communications Passionista.
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© Online Marketing Blog, 2011. |
#MIMASummit: Avinash Kaushik Keynote on Improving Engagement Through Innovation | http://www.toprankblog.com
#MIMASummit: 6 Tips for Developing a Best Practices Approach to Social Media Measurement
Posted on 12. Oct, 2011 by AshleyZ in B2B, Blog, Competitive Intelligence, conference, content marketing, MIMA Summit, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Social Media, social media marketing, social media measurement
All marketers wish they knew how to better measure results, engage their audience, and measure ROI. Chuck Hemann opens up by warning that he won’t solve all of our problems but he will provide guidance on how to approach them.
Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance
There are 5 key steps that each marketer must take to create a successful social media campaign. What does this include?
- Listening to what is being said online
- Assessing the marketplace
- Engaging with current and prospective clients
- Measuring is a way for us to optimize
- Improving our strategy as we learn more
According to Hemann listening and measurement are the two most important ingredients for success. You cannot successfully execute on one without the other. Below are a few of the best practice approaches that Hemann shared with the audience at today’s session.
Understand What Simply Listening Can & Cannot Do
- Optimize your content in real time
- Create a better customer experience
- Quickly learn about potential product issues
- Marketing through conversation
- Gain valuable business intelligence
Create A Solid Social Media Strategy
- Planning and beginning and ending stages is essential
- Internal resources for facilitating and executing is critical
- You can’t listen to everything so fine tune your process
- Don’t rely on just one tool for quantifying results
Tools & Reporting: Questions Every Company Should Ask Themselves
- Has your internal team decided on the tools you want to use?
- Is there a training and implementation schedule in place?
- Has a process for reporting been scheduled?
- Do you know what your competition is doing?
Myths & Misconceptions To Avoid
- Social media cannot be measured: You collect dozens of data points each day that assist in measuring your social media efforts.
- ROI stands for something other than return on investment: ROI does not refer to influence or engagement it is directly related to gaining or saving the company money.
- Social media measurement is different than traditional media measurement: Social media is measured by utilizing a series of strategies and tactics just as you would with any other effort.
- Social media is meant to be organic and we already have too much data: You can never have too much data!
Never Forget the Five W’s
- What people are saying about your brand.
- Where they are talking about your brand.
- When people are talking about your brand.
- Who is talking about your brand.
- Why people are talking about your brand.
Common Measurement Questions You Should Always Keep In Mind
- How many people did we reach?
- Did the program create conversation?
- How do I get ad equivalency so the brand can compare this to our advertising?
- Were our fans/followers engaged?
What Is Our Take Away From This Afternoon’s Session?
- No subject is unapproachable
- This is a step-by-step process
- Gaining access to quality data provides a huge competitive advantage
[Note from Lee: Chuck has published his presentation online so take a look below for the full presentation. Thanks Chuck!]
There are many ways to effectively track social media metrics for B2B sales. What tools have you found to be effective for social media measurement?
Stay tuned for more posts from MIMA Summit 2011. Follow the hashtag #MIMASummit on Twitter and watch for any posts on @toprank or @azeckman to see updates and photos from the conference.
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© Online Marketing Blog, 2011. |
#MIMASummit: 6 Tips for Developing a Best Practices Approach to Social Media Measurement | http://www.toprankblog.com
Big Business Blogging, The Right Way #IntelSMP
Posted on 12. Jul, 2011 by Lee Odden in Blog, conference, Marketing PR Conferences, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Social Media
At Intel’s first Social Media Conference in Portland this week, 100+ Intel social media practitioners from all over the world came together with about 20 industry subject matter experts to share and engage social media best practices.
One of those speakers was Lionel Menchaca, the Chief Blogger at Dell and a real pioneer in the world of blogging and social media for the enterprise. Lionel told the story of Dell’s initial blogging efforts that turned the tide of Dell Hell as well as other practical insights. Here are his tips on best practices blogging for the enterprise:
1. Write about topics that matter to your customers, especially the tough ones. Dell has a social media command center to track topics and inspire ideas, issues to deal with.
2. Provide context for a range of customers. Be thoughtful about the interests for specific segments of customers. Find a balance that allows you to appeal content to a range of customers. To do that effectively, you must listen online and understand the convergence of issues that you can address with content though the blog.
3. Write to educate and serve. If you’re doing your job correctly you’re doing both. Informing customers about more than products, including industry news and trends as it relates to your customer’s perspective builds trust and makes your corporate blog a source of information that’s meaningful towards what customers care about.
4. Be authentic, be human. If you can look back and see what established a blogger as a personality that audiences engage with, that’s what’s important. Write from a personal perspective, not from a “brand messaging” perspective.
5. Let your passion and personality show through. There will be points that the brand wants to make, but it’s important that the blogger’s personality show through. When tapping Subject Matter Experts for contributed blog posts, coach them on writing from a personal perspective vs. just providing the facts. [This reminds me of the Facts Tell, Stories Tell adage]
6. Provide an inside look. Content should complement, but also offer a different view than corporate website content, press releases, and other brand communications. Examples: Video interviews with internal subject matter experts about product features and what they personally like about them.
7. Don’t be afraid to disagree, if you can back it up. Dell uses Radian6 as a listening tool to monitor for discussions. Techmeme is also a useful site for tracking stories that drive discussion in the tech space. Show that you’re there to be part of the conversation when you find dissent, vs. trying to steamroll it.
While blogging within businesses has been around for a very long time, I think a it’s important for companies to take a second look at how their communicating through blogging platforms. Far too many business blogs are lacking in reach, readership and engagement because of approaching business blogging solely as a distribution channel vs. a platform for engagement. It’s by finding that right mix of personality and brand representation Thanks for the insights Lionel.
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Big Business Blogging, The Right Way #IntelSMP | http://www.toprankblog.com
4 Must See Social Media & SEO Sessions at SES Toronto
Posted on 08. Jun, 2011 by BLarson in Blog, conference, content marketing, Keyword Research, Search Engine Strategies, ses toronto, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, social SEO
If you’re wondering, “Who’s Brian Larson?”, you’re not alone. Before I jump into the details of some of the can’t miss sessions at the upcoming SES Toronto conference, I’ll borrow a line from Austin Powers: “Please allow myself to introduce…myself.”
I’m a SEO Account Manager at TopRank Online Marketing – which means I have the enviable job of developing and managing SEO programs for several TopRank clients. One of the many benefits of my job is that I have the opportunity to work daily with some of the most intelligent and forward thinking companies around (you know who you are). As I head to SES Toronto, I go with my clients’ goals and needs at the front of my mind.
Now that I’m not a complete stranger, let’s get on to the good stuff. SES Toronto is just around the corner and it’s time to start making the difficult decisions surrounding which sessions to attend. Here are my 4 “Can’t Miss Sessions” for this year’s SES Toronto conference:
1) Content Marketing Optimization
This is a no brainer. Although there are numerous SEO strategies, good content marketing is the engine that drives a successful online marketing program. TopRank CEO Lee Odden (I call him “boss”) leads a presentation on unlocking the SEO potential of a brand’s content. In the session, Lee will offer insight into how companies can elevate their content-based optimization strategies and increase process efficiencies for content creation and promotion.
My TopRank Account Manager Take: Content development and promotion is core to our work. The minute I stop proactively looking for ways to elevate our approach to content marketing is the minute our content begins to lose its relevancy.
If you listened to Lee speak before, you know you will walk away with a ton of ideas. If you haven’t heard Lee speak, you really should.
2) Keyword Forensics
Cleverly titled, this session seems to have the meat to support such a promising name. John Alexander, of SearchEngineWorkshops.com and Search Engine Academy, will focus the session on uncovering keyword variations overlooked by most Webmasters. Alexander also promises to dive into the hidden behavioral trends of different search personas. Understanding these trends will help determine what search results are REALLY most valued by your target audiences.
My TopRank Account Manager Take: This session immediately piqued my interest because I personally view the selection of keywords as the make or break point for a SEO program. Why? Keywords dictate strategies and tactics. Keywords also represent different persona and audience needs.
To start a program with the wrong keywords is akin to heading north to go south=it’s not going to work out well.
3) Competitive Analysis
Search strategies cannot be developed in a vacuum. Analyzing the competitive landscape and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the competition is key to the development of a successful SEO program. In Competitive Analysis, Chris Boggs moderates a panel discussion on assessing the competition to:
- determine link acquisition opportunities
- discover untapped types of content
- identify competitive keywords/identifying non-competitive keywords
- uncover avg. ad spend
My TopRank Account Manager Take: There are literally too many tools for surveying and analyzing online marketing competition. The problem is that when one stops to consider all these options, it can likely turn into the classic: paralysis by analysis.
When a panel of pros meets to share the tools they use to assess the competition, I’m all ears.
4) Killer Facebook Targeting Tactics
As Facebook continues to evolve at an impressive rate, so too do the online marketing opportunities within this 700+ million member social network. From Facebook Ads to Fan Pages, and Sponsored Stories to Groups; options to target and engages audiences are abound. Marty Weintraub, President of aimClear, another fine Internet Marketing agency from Minnesota, hosts this Facebook targeting session, with a focus on reviewing some of the most successful Facebook marketing campaigns to identify their common characteristics.
My TopRank Account Manager Take: Too often companies view the success of their social media efforts in terms of Fans, Friends and Followers instead of affecting business outcomes.
The fatal flaw for many companies is the assumption that audiences can’t engage and transact with a brand through their social channels – that those interactions must happen on a corporate website. Facebook may be the leader in providing companies with a variety of ways to create a rich user experience for their audience. I can’t wait for this one.
Of course I’ll be sitting in on more sessions than 4, but these are my core. Both Lee and I will be liveblogging sessions so be sure to watch for the #SESTO hash tag on Twitter, our Facebook page or just come back to Online Marketing Blog.
If you’re new to SES conference, I’d recommend reading this helpful post on how to get the most out of marketing conferences.
Here are the conference details:
SES Toronto
June 13-15, 2011
Hyatt Regency Toronto
There’s a 20% discount for TopRank Online Marketing Blog readers – just use the discount code: TRB20.
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© Online Marketing Blog, 2011. |
4 Must See Social Media & SEO Sessions at SES Toronto | http://www.toprankblog.com
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