Social Media: What If We've Got It All Wrong?

It’s ridiculously hard to penetrate the *blabbosphere and have people share your stuff - it’s practically become a science!

The idea that a brick and mortar owner can grok and execute on this while still running their business is kinda like telling your kid they can become President - yes it’s possible but is it likely?

What if…

What if you gave up on the holy grail of social media acting as a message amplifier?

What if instead you used social media as predominantly a validation play?

What if you viewed your social channels as dynamic extensions of your website’s about page?

How would that feel?

Do this

Double down on social channels but make damn sure everything you put up there is a fair and true reflection of who you are and what you stand for.

Revisit your website and actively promote the social channels you use.  Look at the design of your about page - would a visitor know that you’re hysterically funny on YouTube, that you’re an Instagram genius or that you share interesting and relevant links on Twitter?

Couple of caveats

Yes there are still huge SEO benefits to social and yes, if your business involves the distribution of non geo specific information you’re still going to need amplification. 

What I’m suggesting is that for most owners on this list it is unlikely that you’ll have thousands of followers on your social channels - and that’s OK.  Your digital footprint exists to help prospective clients and customers, the more dynamic information you can provide, the easier you make it for them to trust you.

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* "Blabbosphere" - Courtesy of Lauren Associates

Written while listening to: 191 BPM Playlist by music2work2

Image credit: You are doing it wrong by Duncan Rawlinson on Flickr

What I've learned about web design in the last 12 months

(or - why websites are kind of like human beings)

• There is no one design that works for everyone
• Your website should be as unique as you are
• The only way to find out what that looks like is to change and measure the results
• It costs less to change your website today than it ever has

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Think about it, we've evolved over millions of years - sure we're pretty recognizable as humans instead of say gorillas, or fish, or sofas even, and yet we're all unique!  We're different shapes and sizes, colors and creeds, we have different languages and behaviors and we dress in a myriad of ways to help us get what we want.

But this didn't happen overnight - there had to be change, there had be a selection process in order for the most "successful" traits to win out.

The Takeaway For Your Website

There is a utopian design for your business' website, one that turns all those visitors into paying customers or clients.  The only way to get there is to try different versions - hell, call them generations,  of how it looks and functions.  So do this:

• Decide how long each generation will have to develop useable data - say two to three months
• Choose which metric you want to improve
•  Make changes to your site and / or strategy
• Measure the results
• Discard what didn't work
• Rinse and repeat

 God With a Fast Forward Button?

The only question you need to ask yourself right now is how quickly do you want to evolve?

Big Caveat

This isn't just about the design of your website, it's about your content too.  What you put out into the world has a huge impact on who visits you and whether they choose to engage.  When it comes to SEO, website design is inextricably tied to content strategy so to evolve successfully, you need to be looking at both.

Let's Talk

This isn't complicated, it just requires a little strategy, planning and execution.  If you'd like some help setting it up, call me on 310 980 2499 or email me and let's talk.

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Written while listening to: Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Image Credit: Dog Reads Newspaper by Steve Eng on Flickr

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How to be more visible to local search

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Get your location in the title of your home page

If you don't know how to do this - shout me

Pay for a tool that gets your local data out to the major US data aggregators

Many of you might recognize names like Yext ($499 a year) or Do-It-Yourself ($346 a year) and yes they're bloody good at what they do - but if you want a quick easy entry to this world at just $49 a year, check out Moz Local

https://moz.com/local

It's made by one the most open and effective companies in the SEO world and I highly recommend it.

Sort out your Google+ page

Google are finally getting their act together when it comes to business pages.  Yes it's been messy in the past but there's a new interface and it actually makes sense.  It's now call Google My Business and here's what you should do today:

• Log into your Gmail account
• Click the +YourName link on the top right of the screen - this takes you to your G+ page
• Underneath the Google logo on the top left of the page, click the home button and a drop down menu appears - click on pages
• You should now see your business page - select it and you'll arrive on the new Google My Business dashboard
• Follow the instructions - add photos - check your address and phone number (you might need to be verified first but they can now do that over the phone!)
• If you don't have a page - maybe you should.  Get in touch if you'd like some help.

As with any other social network you'll need to be active in order to really get the benefits, so a nice easy win is to write reviews of other local businesses as your G+ page. 

Seriously - this is a great idea!  If your business frequents the local coffee shop and they're on G+ - write a review - same with the local dry cleaners, market, car wash,  etc.  The more reviews you write - the more visible you are and the more likely it is others will review you - and yes - reviews are good!

Check out Bing

Once you've got Google up and running check out Bing's version:

http://bingplaces.com

There.  That should keep you busy for a while. 

If you've got questions - you know what to do.

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Written while listening to: Minecraft Playlist - music2work2

Image Credit: Me!

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The Infographic

I've been working with infographics quite a bit recently, it's a great way to communicate with your audience.  Here's a few things you should know:

65% of people are primarily visual learners. 

The brain also processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text!  If you can express your message in a graphical way you make it easier for people to take the information on board - and we're all about making it easy for the customer!

Infographics should tell stories

Good Infographics are hard to produce - you can't just dump a few icons and colors on a page and hope people will be wowed by your design skills.   If you removed the text from an infographic would you still have an idea what it was about?

They're Images!

You should already be familiar with the idea that "an image is the sail that moves your content through the sea of Social Media."  People share images way more than they do text articles - an infographic  is the perfect content type for the social media world.

They're fantastic for SEO

Because people are more likely to share your infographic you tend to generate more links, more social shares, more interest in your content and visits back to your website and that's what it's all about isn't it!

They can be about anything

Here's one we just commissioned for my parents 50th anniversary from UK designer Adam Richardson.  It's unique, tells a great story and is eminently shareable!  Click the image to see it in its full glory!

View fullsize

What kind of infographic do you think would work for your business?  Call me on 310 980 2499 or email me and let's chat.

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Written while listening to: Study music Playlist - music2work2

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Social Media - is it worth it?

TL;DR: 

Google does not include social in its search algorithm.

Caveat:

There is a direct correlation between social activity and search rankings

WTF!?

Search engine results are driven by links.  

Quick "Link" Definition

A link occurs when people like you and me,  (people who have websites and who publish blog posts, hell, let's call ourselves content creators!)  publish a blog post that links to another page or blog article.

Quod Erat Demonstrandum

If you want the science behind this - read this geeky article by AJ Kohn that I found in one of my social media feeds - look - I'm linking to it here!

And I use this information how?

It's the whole "smarter vs. harder" thing - sure Twitter may be a numbers game but not all numbers are equal - a little bit of strategy can have a huge difference on your bottom line.

If you'd like to make better use of your time email me or call on 310 980 2499  and let's chat.

NB: I'll be off the grid next week hanging with family - back on Monday 28th.

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Written while listening to: Fibonacci 144 beats per minute - music2work2

Image Credit: Sharing by Jono Davis on Flickr

Hashtags in 45 Seconds

Should I use them?

Yes

Where do I use them?

On social media: Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Facebook even Google search.

What do they look like?

The pound sign followed by a word or phrase (but no gaps between the words)
Example: #music or #musictoworkto

What do they do?

They act to categorize your post, not just for you and your circles  - but for everybody.

What does that mean?

It means if you add a hashtag to your tweet, instagram, G+ post etc, it is more likely to be seen.

How many should I add to each post?

Twitter:  No more than two
Instagram: As many as you like (but be careful if you're auto posting from instagram to twitter)
Facebook: Between one and three
 Google+: Between one and three

Where should I put them

Add them to the end of your post

Wow, I'm intrigued, where can I read more?

You're kidding right?  Just Google it and you'll find the datasets behind the above advice.

If all this digital marketing stuff makes you want to tear your head open, email me or call me on 310 980 2499.  We have cost effective solutions that will make your life easier!

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Written while listening to: Fibonacci 144 (unreleased) music2work2

Image Credit: Themes on Anxiety by Michal Maku