Are You Wasting Your Time on Twitter?

You are wasting your time if you post the wrong kind of tweets. A 2012 study (Who Gives a Tweet?) found that those interviewed during their study viewed only a little more than 1/3rd of the tweets they followed as worthy of their time or deserving of a mediocre a thumbs-up. Here are some of the findings of Who Gives a Tweet?:

• 36% of the tweets received were worth reading.
• 39% of the tweets resulted in ambivalent audience reactions.
• 25% of the tweets were not worth reading at all.
• "Question to Followers" tweets are more interesting with an approximate 82% approval rate.
• The "Me Now" tweets (posts giving updates about a mood or activity) were the most disliked with only a 22% chance of being rated as worthy of reading.

Most of the study's participants complained that the majority of tweets are just plain boring. So, what makes a good tweet?

• The Twitter audience appreciates learning new information.
• Funny tweets are always a hit.
• Followers like links within tweets. 
• The longer the tweet (120-130 characters), the higher the click-through rates.
• And, speaking of higher click-through rates, tweets with "via", "@", "RT", "please", and "check" had  higher click-through rates compared to those without those words. However, many believe hashtags and @mentions are overused. 
• Best times to tweet: weekend afternoons.

Now that you have some solid guidelines, you can be sure that tweeting isn't a waste of your time (or a waste of time to your followers).

Here's to better tweets!

Carole

Website & Social Media Copy Writing - MUST GET IT RIGHT!

Copy writing for a website, social media post, PPC ad - any online communication - is different than print copy writing. When you think about, even good copy writing for print marketing materials or advertising uses a different style than what is used for business reports, letters, books, manuals, etc. However, it seems like the concept of using a different type of writing for online communications is a difficult concept for many to embrace.

Web copy writing is not an excuse for poor writing but is an effective style that better fits the medium and audience.

Numerous reliable studies have indicated that web users read online content much differently than print copy (requiring a different writing style for an improved user experience) :

• Web readers jump around the web page scanning for specific bits of information - all within just a few seconds.
• Print readers typically spend more time with content as they read word-for-word, in a linear fashion. Even if you've written a masterpiece, Web readers are an impatient lot who can be turned off by tons of content. 

And, I haven't even touched on the SEO reasons for correct online copy writing. That will have to be for another day.

Just remember that online copy writing can be very powerful or very destructive. My advice:  hire a professional!

Carole

Are You Sabotaging Your SEO – How You May be Zapping the Power of Your Online Touch Points

Many companies are not doing themselves any favor by approaching Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with self-sabotaging practices.  The way a company optimizes their online touch points can really make or break a company’s sales, business development, reputation management, customer relationship building, and Marketing/PR efforts.  
 
The Top 5 Ways Companies Compromise the Power of SEO  

1. Having an “either or” attitude.  Successful SEO Strategies require Social Media and effective Social Media requires SEO.  By having an “either or” attitude, a company misses out on great business advantages that come with the necessary integration of SEO and Social Media. 
2. DIY SEO.  SEO requires specialized expertise.  Most companies have an idea that SEO is important and that they should be using it with their website (and since many of these companies have an “either or” attitude Social Media doesn’t even come into the SEO discussion). However, many companies believe that an intern or employee can do a little reading up about SEO and develop a “good enough” strategy that will get their website to the top of the search listings.  
3. Hiring Cheap “Experts”.  More people are jumping on the SEO bandwagon to promote themselves as “experts”.  You may be seeing this in action when you get email spam from companies that offer SEO services for $15 (USD) per hour.  On the other side, some companies are seeking an SEO “expert” that will create and manage strategies for $17 per hour. 
4. Depending on Web Designers.  Good website designers and developers are crucial to creating a professional website but they are not typically SEO experts.  Finding a balance between good design and usability with SEO is important and some designers may have a lopsided perspective about that balance.
5.  Ignoring online content standards.  To get top search engine positioning your online content must be optimized.  SEO requires a specific style of writing that incorporates very specific SEO tactics. Many Marketing execs, teams, writers, and managers don’t understand the necessity of using a writing style that is appropriate for the Internet and SEO.

Do any of the above sound familiar? If so, just stop!

Till next time!

Carole

Google+ - Can it Really Help Your Internet Marketing Strategy?

Our clients are now asking “what is Google+ and should we start using it”?  Many of our clients have heard about this new platform but wonder why they need to become a part of Google+ when they’re still trying to figure out Facebook.

On June 28, Google launched the trial version of Google Plus (aka Google+) and is an “invitation only” community at this time.  (Get in touch with carole@awarenesscreation.com if you’d like an invitation.) Google plans to outperform Facebook with this new social platform that allows for a higher level of customization, flexibility and privacy.

The one difference between Facebook and Google+ you’ll find appealing is that you can organize your connections in Google+ better than within Facebook.  On Facebook, everybody in your community is a “friend”.  But with Google+ features (such as +Circles, +Sparks, and +Hangouts) you’ll be able to follow, share and communicate with your connections in a more logical, productive and private system.

+Circles. Allows you to organize your contacts into topical groups such as top business resources (Awareness Creation!), business clients, project stakeholders, golf pals, high school friends, etc.  You can easily share specific information, links, videos, etc. with your select circles.

+Sparks. Automatically delivers articles, videos, photos, etc. to you based on your interests.

+Hangouts.  Provides video chat rooms where you can “hangout” with the people in your circles.  A Hangout can accommodate up to 10 users which could be a new option for your webinars, remote meetings, or even catch up time with friends.

Awareness Creation is recommending that you and your company begin to explore Google+ for a number of reasons.

1. Getting to know any new network takes time. Start using the Google+ features while it’s still relatively simple and you’ll be better able to grow within network as more features are added.
2. The features now available are worth getting to know and use.
3. Google+ will be adding the capability to add business profiles. Having a profile that can be indexed by search engines (especially Google) can ultimately strengthen your Internet Marketing – including your SEO.

And last but not least…

Awareness Creation is recommending that the use of any social platform should be included within a strong Internet Marketing Strategy.  When you strategically use online opportunities for the promotion of your company – you can increase your inbound links, website traffic, and client base.

Happy August!

Carole

SEO No-Nos Could be Hurting Your Google Positioning

Just a heads-up:  even though you think you’re only using one URL for your website, search engines may see that your site uses a number of URLs which creates what the techies call a “canonical” issue – which can weaken your SEO strategy and positioning.

For instance: www.awarenesscreation.com is my website URL. However, IF I had a canonical issue (which I don't!), search engines would see that my website used the following additional URLs:

Awarenesscreation.com
Awarenesscreation.com/index.html
http://www.awarenesscreation.com
 
If you have a canonical issue, search engines interpret the situation as using duplicate content, which is an SEO No-No.  Even if you don’t have duplicate content, Search engines will penalize a website as though it has duplicate content if you have a canonical problem.
 
And, if you’re backlinking to a variety of URLs (especially from valuable, authoritative sites) your inbound linking strategy is also going to be weakened which will prevent you from getting top Google search positions.

How to Repair a Canonical Issue & Improve Your SEO
 
Your website developer or hosting company can help you fix this problem:

1.     Select the URL that want to consistently use as your website’s URL.
2.     Create a 301 redirect from all URLs to your selected (canonical) URL.
 
Chipping away at Repairing SEO No-Nos

SEO continues to be important for your business development, reputation management, and online effectiveness. By repairing your canonical issue, you’ll have one less SEO No-No to worry about.

Of course, you’ll still have plenty of other issues lurking around the Web that can sabotage your SEO Strategy and keep you from out in front of the competition; but you can always get in touch with Awareness Creation to help you chip away at those SEO No-Nos!

Happy SEO-ing!


Carole

DIY (Do it Yourself) SEO May Not be Helping You!

I've had a rash of new clients who have just updated their websites (or have new websites) and are just now discovering that their DIY SEO may be keeping their wonderful new sites from being indexed by Google. Many clients have had nothing but the best intentions to improve their websites with SEO but, unfortunately, many of the SEO strategies applied may be actually hurting the websites' rankings instead of helping.


Or, what's even more frustrating is that some clients are finding out their developers are using content management systems that need to be tweaked to get the benefits of  SEO. After paying a pretty penny to design or update a site, you would think that some problems shouldn't have to be worried about. You would think...


Some of the most common SEO problems include:

• Mis-use of keywords (or lack of strong, relevant keywords)
• Duplicate content
• URLs that are not search friendly
• Canonical issues 

If you're planning to have a website re-design or new website designed from scratch, check with us first so we can give you an idea of the SEO problems you can avoid before it's too late.

Have a great week!

Carole

Lawyer Internet Marketing: Why You Must Have Top Google Positions to Attract New Clients

If you're an attorney, do you find that it's getting harder and harder to get new clients? That's no surprise. According to the American Bar Association and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the competition is getting tougher and tougher:

• 45,588 students were awarded J.D. or LL.B. degrees from 200 U.S. law schools during the 2008-2009 academic year.
• Approximately 11,000 U.S. lawyers enter independent practices, annually. (As of 2010-2011 ~26% of lawyers are self-employed.)

Top Google Search Positions Should be a Law Firm's #1 Marketing Priority

Because of the increasing competition in the legal industry getting on page 1 of Google Search Listings is one of the most effective lawyer marketing tactics to have in a law firm marketing plan. Results of a survey completed by Greenfield/Belser & the Brand Research Company indicates that decision makers rely on the Internet when researching law firms and other outside professional service providers:  

• 82% of executives now use the Internet for research more than other source.
• 78% of executives now go online to search for outside legal services.
• 85% of executives consider professional services firms' websites as important sources of information in their search for outside professionals.

And - given that Google is the most influential search engine, doesn't it make sense that an effective law firm marketing plan must include Google search engine optimization (SEO) and a Google Adwords campaign? (The answer is 'yes" - actually, the answer is "absolutely").

What to Know About Lawyer SEO & Law Firm Google AdWords Campaign 

The key to getting top listings on Google requires the following:

• Realistic expectations
• Thorough Keyword Research & Development
• On-Page Search Engine Optimization
• Off-Page Search Engine Optimization
• Performance Reporting
• Ongoing Updates

Most important thing to remember about getting to the top of Google search:  it's not a one-time, quick fix. 

The second most important thing to remember:  get professional help.

Happy Friday!

Carole