Does Your Content Marketing Measure Up?

September 30th, 2011

content marketingWhat is content marketing? In broad terms, it applies to all forms of marketing involving sharing engaging content that is meant to be useful for your target customers. When you hear this term used nowadays, it means more than just using words – like on a traditional blog or website.

Different Types of Content Marketing

Nowadays, content marketing applies across social media, video marketing, press releases, public appearances, and more. In the end, the goal is to tell a story about your brand and influence potential customers to convert. Without over-complicating things, it’s a content marketing is a simple strategy to make your products and services attractive to the right consumer base.

Counting Clicks and Shares

In terms of social media, people are always wanting to know how to accurately and effectively measure these metrics. Earlier this month, Twitter revealed that they are developing Twitter Web Analytics, which should be extremely helpful to small businesses.

But like other forms of content marketing, you can’t measure and analyze social media by just using one metric. Because your business may use social media in a different way, you have to consider different factors than just say “clicks”. While this is good place to start, you have to dig deeper than that. Looking at how many users are sharing your content and tools such as PostRank can help give you that insight.

As an e-commerce business, you might take the approach of tracking sales before and after advertising coupons or deals on social media networks. Whatever form of content marketing you choose for your next campaign, you can also check the progress you’ve made on certain keywords in search engine rankings.

Notice here, there is no magic way to give you the answers you need when it comes to analyzing the effectiveness of your content marketing. The concept of these metrics is simple, but when it boils down to it many people just don’t have the time or man power to track them. It all comes down to putting in consistent work and constant monitoring of results to see what needs to be changed. As a business, this might sound like a lot of work – because it is. Remember, our Los Angeles SEO consultants are always here if you have any questions or need any help!

Google Miscellaneous

September 27th, 2011

In preparation for the 2011 Google Agency Summit tomorrow, we thought it would be fun to compile a list of 5 miscellaneous things about Google that we think you’d find interesting:

Google Lego
Image via Flickr

  1. A Lego Connection: In 1996, the first storage case made to “contain” Google was made of legos. Check it out!
  2. A Google a Day. If a game that allows the use of Googling is your kindof game, it exists! This game is also available in print, above the crossword puzzle in the New York Times. Take that, Sodoku.
  3. Hardcore Interview Questions. How many golf balls can fit in a school bus? Explain a database in three sentences to your eight-year-old nephew. These are a few examples of questions that will get thrown your way if you’re lucky enough to interview with Google. You can find out more about their interview process here.
  4. Google Hoaxes. Every year that April Fool’s Day comes around, Google has a new hoax lined up. This year’s Google Motion was beyond ridiculous and I’m looking forward to what they have in store for 2012.
  5. Google’s Most Expensive Keyword… is insurance! Loans, mortgage and attorney are close behind. Take a look at the rest of the list here.

Let us know if you have a favorite Google tidbit and stay tuned for an upcoming post to learn about our trip to Mountain View!

Facebook, What Have You Done for Me Lately?

September 26th, 2011

Facebook for businessesCompetition is always good for customers, right? Some people believe that all these new Facebook features are an aggressive response to Google +. Whether you think so or not, there’s no doubt that Facebook wants to be the star of the show in the social media world.
On September 30 (or 29th, depending on the source), Facebook will be launching a new Timeline feature. If you can’t wait to see it, Mashable has an easy guide that you can follow to get a sneak preview.

New features are great for consumers, but what about businesses? One thing that I noticed with this new Timeline interface is that the space for paid ads on the right has been greatly reduced. Where will these ads go and how do businesses take advantage of this new layout? You can bet on it – Facebook has a thing or two up its sleeve for small businesses. In fact, Facebook is launching an education program for small businesses. This initial outreach will consist of informative webinars and case studies where owners can learn more about Facebook marketing.

But wait, there’s more! In October, Facebook is sponsoring “road shows” across the country as a part of it’s Small Business Boost. This injection into the small business community will continue into 2012, where some small businesses will be eligible to receive $50 of advertising credit.

Social media is always evolving but the changes are motivating, as it always makes you think about how new changes will effect businesses. What are your thoughts on the new Timeline, small business features and anything else Facebook related?

Google +1 Button: To Do or Not to Do? (Part Deux)

September 23rd, 2011

Will you be implementing Google’s +1 button on your site? Although there are many benefits of using a the button, it’s crucial to see the downsides and how it can affect your current site:

Speed is a factor: More social media buttons means more load time. Slower load time and site speed will hurt your rankings, since it is a factor in how Google ranks your site… not to mention that impatient customers may bounce away.
Too many distractions: Adding a Google +1 button can be a distraction from your site content, especially if you already have multiple buttons. This can clutter your site and draw attention in a negative manner and away from your business.
Harm your professional image: Sometimes, when I see a site overloaded with social media buttons, it gives me the impression of being spammy or not very credible. If you focus on a few social media sites and integrate them into a clean design, it will help your site feel and look more reliable.
Right target audience?: First of all, do you even plan to devote time to your Google + profile? For now, business profiles don’t exist so if you have the button but don’t plan on being social on Google +, it may not help your site in the long run to add more clutter. For the most part, I see that many internet marketers are utilizing Google + and +1s. Like LinkedIn, this can be a good method to learn about your industry and network. But for getting retail customers for your small retail business? Maybe not so much…

Do you think Google’s +1 button is right for your business? Remember, it doesn’t hurt to experiment and see what works out. Feel free to let us know why you will or won’t be using this social media button (or any others for that matter!)

Does Your Business Need SEO Now or Later?

September 16th, 2011

Have you ever noticed that sometimes it’s the most important things we like to put off for later? When’s something is confusing or we’re not really sure what to make of it, those are the things that we save for much, much later.

When it comes to search engine optimization, it could hurt your business to wait until later (or never at all) to get started on a search marketing plan. SEO can be confusing if you’re new to the game but it doesn’t have to be if you have someone who works in the search marketing field on a daily basis. Here are some reasons why SEO is so important right now:

Any type of website – Whether you’re starting out with a brand new website or looking for a new SEO friendly web design template, search optimization can help boost your site’s traffic and organic search rankings.
Flexibility – As a small business, SEO can work with what you already have. An SEO plan can be integrated on your blogs, social networking profiles and even local listings. All these different mediums will work better with a synchronized plan so that more customers can find your business.
Long term investment – Some people think that SEO should just be done once and left alone. Think of SEO as a way to maintain the health of your website. It’s not just something you do once and forget about! Effective SEO plans change with different factors that affect your search rankings including consumer trends, seasons, competitors and more. These things are always changing, so why wouldn’t your SEO?

SEO is not the only type of online marketing that you should focus on but it’s a great, solid foundation for any other route you want to take (paid search, social media, e-commerce etc). If you’re looking for a Los Angeles SEO firm to help you achieve your business goals, call us today at (323) 340-4010 for a free consultation.

Where Do You Promote Your Local Blog?

September 13th, 2011

Sometimes, your small business blog needs a helping hand. After all, you want as many locals as possible to get their eyes on your content. While social media marketing does its part, it’s very time sensitive and the clicks you’ll get are likely to bleed out over time (per post) – that’s why blog content is more useful in the long run.

Local news/blog sites are important for small businesses and their blogs. Patch.com is a great example of a community-specific news site that you can use to directly and indirectly promote your blog. You can participate on relevant news stories by commenting or just browsing to learn more about your customers and what they do and do not like. Each neighborhood Patch has a section where you can promote your events and invite others. Patch sites give local businesses the best of both worlds in terms of online promotion and the opportunity to meet with customers face to face.

Placeblogger.com is another site where you can submit your local blog. Let’s say for example, that you’re a real estate agent looking for a place to submit your local blog. Straight from their FAQs section, it states, “If your blog is simply new listings, there are many sites for you to use to spread the word — but Placeblogger is not one of them.” Simply put, this is a place for community driven news that’s actually helpful and interesting to people, not just search engines.

Check out these other location based sites and let us know what you think of “hyperlocal” sites:

Outside.In
LOCQL
Spot.us
EveryBlock
Fwix

Emarketed to Attend 2011 Google Agency Summit

September 9th, 2011

googleplexImage via Flickr

Exciting news! Emarketed has been invited to the 2011 Google Agency Summit at the famed Googleplex headquarters in Mountain View, California. We will be attending this all day event, which will take place on Wednesday, September 28th. It’s sure to be filled with the latest and greatest internet marketing news.

Along with many other search marketing firms, we’ll be there to learn about current online marketing strategies and trends. We’re also looking forward to staying updated on important aspects of :

- Pay per click: How to increase ROI on PPC and dispelling AdWords myths.
- Social media: Discovering more about YouTube and the potential of social networking sites
- Mobile: Optimization that helps find new consumer segments

Stay tuned for our blog post review after the summit to read about our visit and feel free to comment if you have any questions/topics that you’d like to learn more about. We can’t wait!

Are QR Codes Necessary for Your Business?

September 8th, 2011

Nowadays, it’s easier than ever to fall victim to the herd mentality of social media marketing trends. Instead of looking at it in a “I want this” and “I want that” kind of way, it’s more effective to take a step back and look at WHY your business should be partaking in WHAT.

In our previous post about marketing tactics for small businesses, we saw that QR codes were proven to be the least effective out of 6 different techniques and yet 29% of small businesses were using them just because their competitors were.

Here’s an example of what I mean – I recently saw an ad for a medical procedure targeted towards senior citizens. And what was predominately displayed on the front? A QR code. Granted my grandparents do know how to use Skype, I doubt that they or a majority of their peers will make good use of utilizing QR codes.

Before you want the next “big” thing for your business, take the time to think about who will be using it and what benefits they’ll get from doing so. This isn’t to say that QR codes are ineffective but it depends on how you use them. Mashable shows some creative uses for these codes. If you’re a hip new restaurant or creative agency, these uses of QR codes really make sense to me. It’s also more effective because it ties into your business and it isn’t just crudely posted somewhere for the sake of being there.

What are your thoughts on using QR codes to market your business?