Pimp My Keywords

SEO Tactics, Tips & Helpful Advice - No. 93

Fortune 500 companies, CEOs, and even some ad agencies are still not using social media networks to enhance their marketing efforts; share with their clients, and engage with customers.

Why?

They don't get it.

Yep. Some businesses still do not understand social media. Bad thing is, they are making no attempt to understand it. That's good for you (if you understand it).

I still hear "Facebook is for kids."

If you think so, try this:

Go to Facebook and search for your competition. 

Uh-oh. Have they beat you to the punch?

Businesses continue to struggle as to why anyone would want to "follow" their Tweets in Twitter and or be a Facebook Fan.

These old-school dinosaurs are stuck in the world of print, radio and television.

It's time to get out of the tar pit and put a face on your business.

Now.

Non-Profit SEO & Social Media Project Updates

We're in full-steam ahead mode with all three of our Non-Profit Search Engine Optimization and Social Media projects.

Our three NPOs - Beaded Hope, Melodic Connections, and Covenant To Care for Children - were each awarded a six-month SEO and Social Media grant by Purple Trout, LLC,

Here's an update on how the projects are going thus far:

Beaded Hope
www.beadedhope.com
Twitter: @BeadedHope (90 followers)
Facebook: BeadedHope (170 Fans)

Targeted keywords have been selected and meta tag codes, including Page Titles and Page Descriptions have been written and updated to the website. To date, two keywords are ranked in the Top 10 in Google.

Currently, content is being written and tweaked to reflect the targeted keywords. Blog posts have also been written for the Beaded Hope blog.

On the social media side, we are working with Beaded Hope to create relevant content. With Twitter, we are working to "re-tweet" about HIV, Aids and South Africa topics. To date, we have 20 new Twitter followers since the project started. On Facebook, we've added a Newsletter tab for the Beaded Hope Facebook Page, so fans can subscribe to the organization's newsletter. A Donation tab has also been included.

Melodic Connections
www.melodicconnections.org
Twitter: @MelodicConnects (118 Followers)
Facebook: Melodic Connections (155 Fans)

Melodic Connections has been a little bit more of a challenge as the web site was created in Frames, which isn't good for search engine optimization. However, we have some ideas which we will be implementing in dealing with Frames and SEO.

This client has a great grasp of social media, but we're helping them take it to the next level. For example, on the Melodic Connections Facebook Page, we've added a Newsletter tab allowing their fans to sign up for the newsletter directly from Facebook. We also created a vanity URL for their Facebook Page. We're also moving forward with some new strategies in social media with this project very soon.

Covenant To Care for Children
www.covenanttocare.org
Twitter: @covnant2care (52 Followers)
Facebook: Covenant to Care for Children (105 Fans)

Covenant To Care has selected their targeted keywords and we're ready to move ahead with SEO. Strategies are forming on the social media side, which will also include a content in Twitter.

Facebook Second Most Popular Site In U.S.

Facebook has surpassed Yahoo as the No. 2 most popular site in the United States drawing nearly 134 million unique visitors in January 2010, according to Compete.com.

Google, of course, is still No. 1 drawing in over 147 million unique visitors (up 8% from a year ago), followed by Facebook and Yahoo.

Still, for some reason, businesses continue to ignore Facebook as a means for online marketing.

SEO Tactics, Tips & Helpful Advice - No. 92

With social media, it's all about engaging, sharing and having conversations.

Are you participating? By that, I mean:

• Do you write at least one blog post per week? Or, for that matter, do you have a blog?
• Does your business have a Facebook page (a profile is for an individual; a page is for a business)?
• Do you have a professional Twitter account?
• Do you have a LinkedIn profile? Is it up-to-date and 100 percent complete?

Seriously, let's get going!

Google's Buzz Yet Another Reminder About Online Privacy

Google's new social media tool, Buzz, caused too much "buzz" of the wrong type recently. You see, Buzz (which works within Google's e-mail tool, Gmail, created a ready-made circle of friends based on the most frequent e-mail and chat contacts in Gmail.

This caused some privacy concerns as users feared names of their e-mail correspondents would be public exposed.

Privacy continues to be a concern in social media.

Guess what? There's no such thing as privacy in social media (other than not participating). If you post it to Facebook or Tweet it in Twitter, the entire world is going to see it.

And, no, it doesn't matter that your account/settings are private. One of your private followers/fans might reply to your post; or copy and paste your post; or re-publish comments, pictures, etc. It's very easy to "see" what's going on in your private account (psst...it's not private!).

If you don't want to share your thoughts, your friends, your ideas, your comments, your pictures, your pets, then THINK before you publish.

One more time on this note: potential employers are looking at your Tweets, your Facebook posts and reading your blogs. It still amazes me the number of proud drunk Tweets; booze photos; cut downs; foul-mouth-know-it-alls I see every day in social media.

Keep it up. Your entitled behavior will not guarantee you a job.

SEO Tactics, Tips & Helpful Advice - No. 90

A few good ideas to help improve your company's position in Facebook:

• Always show you are human. Let everyone know you are real and try your best to relate to them. Find a common ground and talk to them. When they are "OK" with you, then the relationship moves more into a professional/sales role.
• Share some of your interests. If you are comfortable, share your hobbies and interests. If you see a website, article, link, etc. that your Friends may be interested in, then send it to them through Facebook.
• Join Groups. Be real and join groups that are of interest to you.
• While you certainly would invite family and friends to be Fans of your Facebook Page, be sure to invite customers and prospects to be Friends of your Profile and/or Fans of your Facebook Page.
• Post Events - anything that's helpful (webinars, conferences, conventions) in your industry.
• Use Facebook to do research. Research your competition and potential clients/customers.
• Incorporate your Facebook link in your e-mail messages as part of your signature block.

SEO Tactics, Tips & Helpful Advice - No. 88

If you're still unsure as to how to start (or where to start) with social media, here's a few tips to help you get going:

• Get started now. Social media is huge and it's going to get even bigger. Google is already including social media posts in its real-time search results.
• Write a blog. I've been preaching this point for years now. At the very least, start a blog and write one blog entry per week. Blog posts can include more information about you, your business, your products and services; news in the industry; helpful tips and insights, etc.
• Make sure you're in LinkedIn. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is 100% complete. Participate in the Answers section by asking and answering questions. Join and participate in Groups.
• Create a Facebook page for your business. Be helpful and informative. Offer tips and advice. Listen and gain trust.
• Create a Twitter account. Start by "listening" to what your customers are saying, then participate in the discussion.
• Monitor the results.

Ready? Begin!

Participate in the Discussion

Commenting on other articles and blogs is a great way to earn links back to your website or blog. Don't post "I agree" or "Nice post." Instead, make useful comments to show people that your opinion matters and that you can help them.

Utilizing social media opportunities such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn will also allow you to comment on articles, websites, news, press releases, blog posts, videos, podcasts, etc. This will allow you to position yourself as someone who is helpful and informative.

SEO Tactics, Tips & Helpful Advice - No. 78

While you are participating and engaging with your customers in Facebook, don't forget to utilize your company name, brand, targeted keywords, etc.

Facebook immediately indexes your posts and all content is searchable through the Facebook search engine.

On your Facebook "Info" tab, don't forget to include a detailed company description along with accurate links to your website, newsletter, blog, etc. (all searchable).

"Optimize Everything" Webinar Set For November 19

Purple Trout, LLC, a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) consulting firm located in Cincinnati, Ohio, is offering a free, online webinar on social media optimization.

"Optimize Everything" is set for Thursday, November 19, at 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.

In this webinar, attendees will learn how to take their social media efforts to the next level and how to optimize for search engines.

“This class will tell you how to your social media plays an important role in search engine optimization and search results,” says Steve Phillips, President at Purple Trout, LLC. “It’s about finding your business, products and brand through searches in Facebook, Twitter and beyond.”

You'll learn optimizing techniques in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and more. Optimization efforts will also be discussed with your website and through pay per click campaigns.

This webinar will be presented in a simple, easy-to-understand, non-geek format (with no sales pitch).

The webinar will take place from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Admission is free, but space is limited to sign up now. Register here.

To learn more, please contact Steve Phillips at 513-885-5000 or steve@purpletrout.com.