Social Media ReInvention Blog

The State of SEO and Internet Marketing in 2012 Shows Blogging Is Not Dead

Rand Fishkin (CEO of SEOmoz) and Dharmesh Shah (CTO of HubSpot) gave a great presentation this past Monday titled: The State of SEO and Internet Marketing in 2012. The presentation is filled with numerous insights and tips from both speakers.

Here's a copy of the slides:

The State of SEO and Internet Marketing in 2012 from HubSpot All-in-one Marketing Software

If you missed the webinar, here's a link to the on-demand recording from the HubSpot website.  You can also get an additional look at the data from this SEOmoz post: The 2012 SEO Industry Survey.    

Blogging Is Relevant to Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

The data shows blogging is still an important SEO tactic according to the 6,491+ global respondents participating in the survey.  This news contradicts an ongoing theme that blogging is losing relevance relative to other online platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn (particularly among the Inc. 500).  

On slide 10, almost 90+% of the respondents reported that individual marketers or their teams work on writing / blogging:

Slides 14 and 15 described "What Tactics Do Marketers Employ."  Of the 26 tactics measured, respondents cited these SEO tactics as the most employed:

1. Social: Set up / ran a Facebook business profile
2. Analytics: Analyzed / tracked site speed and page-load times
3. Competitive: Analyzed competitors' back links
4. Competiitive: Analyzed competitors' content
5. Content: Started a new blog or invested heavily in blogging

Blog Posts Are The Number One Type of Inbound Marketing Content Produced

On slide 15, "blog posts" received the highest % of responses as the type of inbound marketing content produced.  Social media (e.g., tweets, statuses, etc.) ranked second:

Blogging Isn't Dead (Especially If You Love Writing)

Pumping out tweets and Facebook status updates is a lot easier than blogging.  Maintaining a blog requires a significant time investment.  But, I and thousands of others maintain a blog because we have something to say (not because of SEO).

Mitch Joel states it best (from his post, What's Next? It's You):

"We've come to a place where those who were never going to stick it out with blogging for the long haul are busy on Twitter and Facebook, where they can share without the burden of having a passion for writing. So, in the end, maybe what's new for blogging is a place where the real bloggers step in and create a new type of copy for the world to consume. A place where more and more creative thinkers get to tinker with words in new and interesting ways. It's a place where you (and everyone else who wants to write and have a voice) gets to be free to try it out and see what kind of audience their words, images and even video connects with. Blogging - as a platform - may never have anything new to show for itself. Blogging - as a creative white space - is still in its early days."

 

 Link to Photo Credit: by futureshape via flickr

HubSpot 2012 State of Inbound Marketing: 7 Reasons Blogs ROCK!

Every year, HubSpot publishes and conducts my two (2) favorite deliverables:

• HubSpot's 2012 State of Inbound Marketing Report AND
• HubSpot's 2012 State of Inbound Marketing Webinar

Here are the report and the webinar slides from HubSpot's Inbound Marketing Channel on Slideshare:

 

The 2012 State of Inbound Marketing

View more documents from HubSpot Internet Marketing

 

The 2012 State of Inbound Marketing Webinar

View more presentations from HubSpot Internet Marketing

A HUGE shout-out and thank you to HubSpot Team Members Mike Volpe, Melissa Miller, and Maggie Georgieva, for a phenemonal webinar presentation last week!

Last year, I published a post on  lessons I learned from HubSpot's 2011 State of Inbound Marketing Report.  It became one of Social Media ReInvention Blog's most popular 2011 posts.

Blogs Are Not Dead.  Long Live Blogs!  Every year, we hear about blogging's continuing and expected demise in the social media universe.  But, HubSpot's 2011 and 2012 research say otherwise.

Here's a direct quote and Key Conclusion #5 from the 2012 State of Inbound Marketing Report:

Businesses are increasingly aware their blog is highly valuable. 81% of businesses rated their company blogs as “useful,” “important” or “critical.” An impressive 25% rated their company blog as “critical” to their business. 

And, there are more fact-based conclusions in the 2012 State of Inbound Marketing Report.  Here are seven (7) reasons from HubSpot's data supporting the continuing relevance of blogging.

1. Blogs Are and Remain the Most Important Marketing Channel

59% of Respondents Say Their Blog Is Either "Critical" or "Important" To Their Business.  And, 25% say their blog is "Critical" in importance.  Mike Volpe pointed out an important way to increase your blog's business effectiveness is to clearly specify the call-to-action (CTA).  Remarkable content isn't enough.  Clear and specific CTAs converts inbound leads into paying customers.

Blogs Improve Your SEO and Google Rankings.  Another competitive advantage of blogs is the content marketing benefits blog deliver:

• A blog functions as the content marketing hub
• Blogs deliver search engine optimization (SEO) from keywords and anchor text
• Blogs generate inbound links to your site (which increases your Google ranking)

Read this Social Media Examiner post by Jim Lodico: The Fastest Way to Increase Your Google Ranking.  It's a great resource describing why blogging is vital to any business.

2. The Value of Company Blogs Keeps Increasing

Look Who's The #1 Social Media Channel in Terms of Importance.  It's Blogs!  LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter all ranked in lesser importance.  The hub-and-spoke social media strategy model works with a website or your blog as the center.  Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are short-from outposts guiding customers back to your website or blog (the long-form hub).  

Adam Singer says it best: Social Media is More Than Facebook and Twitter.

3. Blogs Have the Lowest Cost-Per-Lead of Any Marketing Channel
 

52% of Respondents Say blogs are "Below Average" in Cost Per Lead.   Blogs are the most cost efficient lead generation channel (inbound or outbound).  Not surprisingly, trade shows are considered the most expensive.

Here's a direct quote from the respondent survey:

"The worst thing we did in marketing last year was attend several trade shows and events with low yield and ROI."

4. Blogs are Second Only to LinkedIn In Acquiring Customers
 

 

57% of Respondents Say Their Company Blog Acquired Customers.  LinkedIn ranked first in customer acquistion.  62% of respondents validated its effectiveness.  Interesting how "the two least sexy social media channels" ranked first and second respectively.

And, Speaking of Social Media Sexy - Blogs and LinkedIn Outdistanced Facebook and Twitter in Customer Acquisition.  Don't believe the hype that long form content is dead. Or, consumer attention spans last only 140 characters or less.  

Competitive advantage in converting leads to real customers doesn't have to be sexy and flashy.  Blogs and social media are all part of the inbound marketing process called "closed-loop marketing."  

But, making money by acquiring customers is sexy.  

5. More Blog Posts Means More Customers

HubSpot's 2012 Data Shows a Direct Correlation Between Post Frequency and Customer Acquisition.  At a minimum, post at least once-per-week.  But, increasing post frequency from weekly to twice per month provides significant benefits:

• 50 posts a year goes to 100 posts (that's the equivalent of 100 indexed web pages in Google)
• An extra 50 posts, means double the number of keywords increasing SEO relevance
• 50 more web pages mean 5o more opportunities to earn inbound links (and increase Google authority)

Be SEO-Smart with your Blog Posts.  Neil Patel recently published a must-read blog post in The Daily SEO Blog describing 12 Things That Will Kill Your Blog Post Everytime.  Ignore these principles at your peril. 

6. Blogs Are Consistently Effective for Either B2B or B2C Companies

At a Minimum, Your Social Media Strategy MUST Include a Blog.  The data shows blogs rank second in customer acquisition for either B2B or B2C companies.  Number 1 for customer acquisition depended on business-type:

• B2B: LinkedIn
• B2C: Facebook

A Killer Social Media Strategy Incorporates at Least Three Customer Acquisition Platforms.  The companies succeeding in social media are the ones who view these channels as customer acquisition weapons.  Based on this data, a three-channel approach geared to customer acquistion by business-type would look like the following:

• B2B: LinkedIn, Company Blog, Facebook or Twitter
• B2C: Facebook, Company Blog, Twitter

7. Blogs Level the Playing Field for Small Companies

Small Companies Allocate Almost 4x the Marketing Budget to Blogs Versus Large Companies.  Social media or inbound marketing channels are where small companies invest their marketing budget (i.e., social, SEO or organic search, and blogs).  Large companies prefer outbound channels (i.e., trade shows, PPC or paid search, or direct mail).

This data isn't surprising especially in light of Seth Godin's explanation of "mass" consumerism and marketing in his book, We Are All Weird.    Increasingly, companies pursue one of two strategies:

• Small Companies = Niche
• Large Companies = Mass

If you're a small company, your products or services are probably part of the niche market place. Use your blog as competitive advantage in the long tail of search.  

Closing Thoughts

• What are your thoughts on the relevance of blogging? 
• How does your use of blogging align with or differ from HubSpot's data?
• How do you use your blog in customer acquisition or retention?

Please let me know with your comments! 

 

Link to Photo Credit by Steve Garfield via flickr 

Content Curation #2: Three Articles I Evernoted This Week

The Premise / Goal / Timing of This Weekly Feature

Premise.  If you like the content in this blog, you may like the type of content I regularly read and study on the Web.

Goal.  On a weekly basis, I'm going to publish links to three (3) articles I find interesting.  I'll include a brief summary with some bullet points explaining why I think the content is worth consuming.  

Timing.  I'll publish this content every Wednesday / Thursday. 

This Week's Three Evernoted Articles 

1. The Real Way to Build a Social Network (Fortune / CNN Money):  This article is absolute gold. This book excerpt from Reid Hoffman's upcoming book, The Startup of You, provides insights into the networking philosophy of LinkedIn's founder.   I've wish-listed his book in Amazon so I can download the Kindle version immediately upon it's February 14th release.  

Hoffman bases his networking philosophy two (2) basic principles: 

* See the world from the other person's perspective -- putting yourself in another person's shoes is the first step to developing an honest connection

* Think about how you can collaborate with and help the other person versus thinking about what you can get out of the relationship -- your first move should always be "how can I help."

2. The $1.6 Billion Woman, Staying on Message (The New York Times):  I'm a huge fan of Facebook's COO, Sheryl Sandberg.  In my opinion, she deserves just as much credit (or more) as Mark Zuckerberg in transforming Facebook into an advertising revenue juggernaut.  

I find this article interesting because it emphasizes her multi-faceted role at Facebook:

* Sandberg is the public face of of Facebook.  She's Facebook's corporate amabassador to Wall Street analysts, thought leaders at global forums such as Davos, global government leaders, and global brands (i.e., she's one of the few global corporate leaders who's been to Bentonville, Arkansas twice).

* She's the driving force in recruiting and mentoring top talent at Facebook (especially women).

* She's publicly stated her views about furthering the professional interests of women in Corporate America (particularly Silicon Valley and the technology industry).

The last point is especially intriguing because Sandberg's recently received criticism for expressing her views on the success of women in the workplace.  And, the critics are women.

3. Zuckerberg Remains the Undisputed Boss at Facebook (The New York Times):  The corporate governance structure Facebook currently has in place gives Facebook's CEO and Founder, Mark Zuckerberg, extraordinary control over his company (even though it will soon become publicly traded):

* He holds more than 25% of the company's stock.

* His voting power with those shares (due to various agreements with other investors) grants him voting control of 60% of the company's shares.

* The article gives context to how Zuckerberg's control of company stock compares with Microsoft's Bill Gates and Google founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, when their respective companies went public:

• Microsoft: Bill Gates controlled 49% of company shares
• Google: Brin and Page controlled 16% each of the company shares (for a total of 32%)

 

Your Feedback Please!

I'd like to experiment with this type of post for the next two to three months.  Let me know what you think (especially if this idea sucks):

• How can I improve the value of these weekly posts?
• Is my initial timing choice for publication okay with you (e.g., middle of the week versus the end of it)?  If not, please tell me.
• What content are you reading?  Please share your links with our community in the comments section!

 

Link to Photo Credit by Andreas Cappell via flickr

29 Statistics From Fortune Magazine's Facebook Versus Google Article

Miguel Helft and Jessi Hempel wrote a great Fortune Magazine article, Facebook Vs. Google: The Battle for the Future of the Web, in the November 2011 issue. It's an insightful article filled with many interesting facts / statistics describing each company's operations, financials, online performance, and rivalry:

Facebook Statistics 

1. 3,000 Employees.  Facebook's estimated number of employees in 2011.

2. $4.3 Billion.  Facebook's projected 2011 revenues.

3. 800 Million Users.  Facebook has 800 million users / members.

4. 81% Revenue Increase.  Facebook's display advertising revenue is expected to grow by 81% in 2011.

5. 50% Increase in 2011 Overall Revenue.  Facebook's overall revenue is smaller than Google's.  But, Facebook's overall 2011 revenue is expected to grow by 50%+ (compared to 2010's $2 billion overall revenue).

6. 30% of App Revenues.  Facebook takes 30% of the reveunes app developers (i.e., companies like Zynga) make on its online platform.

7. $80 Billion IPO Valuation.  Facebook is expected to top an $80 billion valuation at its much anticipated initial public offering (IPO).

8. 155 Million Monthly Unique Visitors.  Facebook's estimated number of U.S. monthly unique visitors.

9. 400+ Average Monthly Minutes.  Comscore says Facebook visitors spend an estimated 400+ average minutes on Facebook.com.

10. 27 Years Old.  The age of Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO.

11.  60 Days.  Mark Zuckerberg called on Facebook engineers to work nights and weekends for 60 days when word leaked in summer 2010 Google was developing a "Facebook Killer." 

12. Four (4) Facebook Executives.  Four (4) of Facebook's to 11 executives are ex-Google employees.

Google Statistics 

13. 31,353 Employees.  Google's estimated number of employees in 2011.

14. 2,600 Employees.  In third quarter 2011, Google added nearly 2,600 employees.  That's just 400 employees short of Facebook's entire workforce.

15. $38 Billion.  Google's projected 2011 revenues.

16. 41% of $31 Billion (or $12.7 Billion).  Google currently captures 41% of the $31 billion U.S. online advertising market.

17. 34% Revenue increase.  Google's display advertising revenue is expected to grow by 34% in 2011.

18. 30% Increase in 2011 Overall Revenue.  Google's 2011 overall revenue growth is predicted as 30% on $38 billion in forecasted overall revenue.

19. 180 Million Monthly Unique Visitors.  Google's estimated number of U.S. monthly unique visitors.

20. 250+ Average Monthly Minutes.  Comscore says Google visitors spend an estimated 250+ average minutes on Google's sites (e.g., Google.com, YouTube, Gmail, Google Maps, and other properties).

21. 40 Million Users.  As of the publication of this article, 40 million people signed up for Google+.

22. 4 Months.  Google+ acquired 40 million users during its current 4-month launch period.

23. 100 Features. Google has introduced 100+ new features since Google+'s June 2011 launch.

24. 598,000 Google+ Followers.  As of this article's publication, Mark Zuckerberg has 598,000 followers on Google+.  

25. Four (4) Previous Attempts.  Google made four (4) previous attempts to launch and establish a successful social network before succeeding with Google+ in June 2011.

• Orkut (2004)
• Open Social (2007)
• Google Wave (2009)
• Google Buzz (2010)

26.  5% of App Revenues.  Google takes 5% of the revenues app developers make on its online platform.

27. 38 Years Old.  The age of Larry Page, Google's CEO.

28. $10 Million in Equity and Cash.  Google offered its top engineers and executives $10 million in equity and cash to remain at Google.

29. 20 Years of Government Monitoring.  Google accepted 20 years of government monitoring after Google Buzz exposed Gmail users' contacts to others.  This public misstep triggered a Federal Trade Commission investigation forcing Google to revamp its privacy policies and accept the government monitoring.

Photo Credit by Alan Tippins via Flickr

Is It Merck KGaA’s or Merck & Co.’s Facebook Page?

This Wall Street Journal article, German Merck to U.S. Merck: Get Out of My Facebook, presents a prime example of why a platform agnostic digital marketing strategy decreases the risks of relying on a single social media network.

Here’s a video from The Wall Street Journal providing a synopsis of the situation:

 

 

A B2C Battle for Facebook Real Estate

The article describes how both companies sharing similar names are fighting for the URL:  “www.facebook.com/merck”.  The case is currently under review by the New York State Supreme Court.

Facebook's Consumer Reach Matters.  The court battle demonstrates Facebook’s importance in each company’s digital marketing mix and pharmaceutical marketing consumer reach.  Key quotes illustrating this point include:

“Merck KGaA said it entered into an agreement with Facebook for the exclusive use of the Web page in March of last year, but last month the drug maker discovered that it no longer had administrative rights to the page, which was filled with content related to Merck & Co.”

“Because Facebook is an important marketing device, the page is of great value, and its misappropriation is causing harm to Merck," the German company said. The spokesman said he couldn't estimate the actual costs involved in the loss of the Web page.”

 

Ownership of the Merck Facebook Vanity URL is TBD 

Merck & Co. Last Had The Facebook Vanity URL.  Here are pictures of both company’s respective Facebook pages on November 26th and November 30th: 

November 26th: Merck & Co. Facebook Page:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 29th: Merck & Co. Facebook Page:

 

 

November 26th: Merck KGaA Facebook Page

  

November 29th: Merck KGaA Facebook Page

 

 

Neither Side Currently Has Use of the Vanity URL.  According this ZDNet blog post by Emil Protalinksi, Facebook will not allow either party to use the www.facebook.com/merck URL until both companies agree who can use it.  This explains the November 29th versions of each company’s Facebook pages.

Conclusion

Platform Agnostic Is the Best Web Marketing Strategy.  If you’re a subscriber and regular reader of Adam Singer’s blog, The Future Buzz, you’re probably familiar with Adam’s posts on creating and executing a platform agnostic web strategy. 

Content from these Future Buzz posts reinforce this credo relative to this news event:

• Platform Agnostic Is Still The Smartest Web Strategy
• 19 Reasons You Should Blog And Not Just Tweet
• Why You Should Plan to Self-Publish Pretty Much Forever 

From Platform Agnostic Is Still The Smartest Web Strategy:

“You don’t rely on any single network, search engine, ad campaign, email list or other organic (or even paid) asset for attention. Rather, smartly, the mix you rely on for awareness is distributed.”

“Your long-term path for digital success is simple: don’t be lured into banking all your equity in someone else’s platform. Continue to embrace a platform agnostic approach, and thrive.”

From 19 Reasons You Should Blog and Not Just Tweet (for the purposes of this discussion substitute “Twitter” with “Facebook”):

“Remember, you’re essentially contributing to someone else’s network on Twitter – certainly there are returns, but make no mistake they profit from your attention.  I know you might not have a problem with that because you gain something too, but it’s good to be conscious of that fact.”

“These are all just tools to share content and ideas, no more, no less.  You need a cohesive strategy for all of them to drive conversions in one spot.  A blog is the perfect place for that if you want focused attention and to build an interested community.  What if any one network you don’t control falls out of favor or changes the rules?  At the end of the day, self-hosted blog owners control the vertical and the horizontal, whereas on Twitter or any external network you’re at the whim of someone else.”

“Careful of how much time you devote to Twitter instead of contributing to your own channel.  Spend the most time nurturing that – time spent in Twitter comes at the opportunity cost of fresh content to your blog.  You can use Twitter and other micro networks to draw subscribers and interest, but the premier value is in working on your own material in a unique space.”

From Why You Should Plan to Self-Publish Pretty Much Forever:

“Self publishing lets you become platform agnostic. You aren’t limited to one single network like Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or anything else. Rather, you effortlessly plug into all of them, including reaching unloved but extremely valuable RSS and email users. Not everyone will ever use every single platform, but everyone can share, comment and subscribe to content that is published via a domain you own. In fact, more platforms makes self-publishing more valuable, because independent content can easily be shared anywhere on the web.”

“By having a self-hosted blog or publication you control the design, calls to action and user experience. Change is not up to some external entity (whether for benevolent reasons or otherwise). Rather it is up to you. If you plan to build a community that stands the test of time it is far too valuable to place this ability in the hands of another.”

Are Both Firms Too Dependent On Someone Else’s Platform? Both firms participate in social media.  But, neither Merck & Co. nor Merck KGaA maintains a company blog. 

Maybe, this presents an opportunity for each company to develop a blog as the central hub for each organization’s web marketing strategy.  And, the other social networks like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, et. al. take on the role of social media outposts / distribution channels.

Otherwise, what's to prevent any of the social networks from "changing the rules" where Merck & Co. or Merck KGaA currently invest their social media participation ...

Merck & Co. Home Page (November 30th):

 

 

Merck KGaA Home Page (November 30th):

 

 

Photo Credit by Casey Lessard via Flickr

20 Statistics from Fast Company's The Great Tech War of 2012 Article

I love this recent article, The Great Tech War of 2012 by Farhad Manjoo from the November 2012 issue of Fast Company.

The article provides several insights on how Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google, compete in numerous industries. 

Plus, there are a number of great facts and statistics about each company.  If you’re looking for an article packed with facts and figures about these companies, read on … 

Here are some favorites:

1. 49 Days Before Killing H-P's TouchPad.  H-P’s foray into the tablet market with its TouchPad lasted only 49 days.

2. $100 Billion in Revenues by 2015.  When Amazon doubled in size from 2008 to 2010, it hit $34 billion in annual revenue.  Analysts expect Amazon to achieve $100 billion in annual revenue by 2015, faster than any company ever.

3. 17,000 Motorola Mobility Patents.  Google acquired Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion (along with Motorola Mobility’s 17,000 patents).

4. $30 Billion in Revenue.  Google’s advertising business is on pace to earn $30 billion+ in 2011, almost double 2007’s revenue.

5. 250 Million Facebook Shares Daily.  Facebook members share 250 million+ pictures a day.

6. 800 Million Facebook Members.  Facebook has 800 million+ members (as of the article’s publication).

7. 11 Industries.  Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google are disrupting eleven (11) diverse industries (and compete against each other in many of these industries):

• Mobile
• Communications
• Advertising / Marketing
• Local
• Retail
• Payments
• Entertainment
• Music
• Gaming
• Publishing / Media
• Cloud

8. $1.5 Billion from the Cloud.  Apple’s iCloud service is projected to generate $1.5 billion.

9. $28.57 Billion in One Quarter.  Apple generated $28,571,000,000 or $28.57 billion in the third quarter of 2011 (nearly double the $15.7 billion it booked in third quarter 2010.)

10. $1.6 Billion in Advertising Revenue.  Facebook’s ad revenue business for the first half of 2011: $1.6 billion (double the amount during the same period in 2010).

11. 400 Million Facebook Members Log-In Everyday.  Facebook’s membership is now 800 million+ users.  400 million+ users log in every single day.

12. 2 Billion Facebook Likes or Comments.  2 billion Facebook posts a day are “liked” or “commented upon.”

13. Apple and Android Rule Smartphones.  According to Nielsen, Google’s Android powers about 40% of smartphones; 28% run Apple’s iOS.

14. $368 in Profit Per Phone Versus $10 Per Year Per Device.  But, Apple makes a $368 profit on each iPhone. Google, on the other hand, makes less than $10 annually per device for the ads it places on Android phones and tablets.

15. 28 Projects Dead.  At the time of the Fast Company article’s publication, Larry Page (Google's CEO) killed 28 underperforming projects.

16. 30% Growth.  Google’s traditional ad business is averaging about 30% growth in 2011.

17. 64% Market Share in US Search.  Google commanded 12.5 billion of the 19.5 billion total searches in the US in August 2011 according to comScore.  That’s a 64% market share in the US.

18. $70 Billion Markets (Domestic Advertising and Cable TV).  Two (2) key markets Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google each want a piece of the $70 billion in domestic ad revenue AND $74 billion in cable-subscriber fees.

19. 6,000 Patents from Nortel.  A coalition that included Apple and Microsoft spent $4.5 billion to outbid Google for 6,000 mobile-related patents owned by Nortel.

20. 2,000 Patents from IBM.  Google paid an undisclosed amount to purchase 2,000 patents from IBM.

21. 21 Years for Amazon Versus 34 Years for Wal Mart.  Analysts predict Amazon will hit $100 billion in revenue by 2015.  This achievement will result 21 years after the Jeff Bezos founded the company.  In contrast, it took Walmart 34 years to achieve this benchmark.

22. Amazon Prime Means $900 Per Year Versus $400 Per Year.  Amazon Prime customers spend an average of $900 per year on the Amazon site.  In the year before a typical Amazon customer joins Amazon Prime, he/she spends $400 per year.  Growth in the Amazon Prime customer segment is 50%+ annually.

23. Will $24 Billion Grow to $200 Billion?  Facebook and Google directly compete in the $24 billion online display advertising business.  Google believes this market will be a $200 billion per year market in the next few years.

 

Note: I added numbers 21 thru 23 a few days after I originally published this post.

Photo Credit Via Flickr by Kirsty Hall

The New York Times: Self-Appointed SEO Police?

 

In February 2011, I wrote a post about how The New York Times exposed J.C. Penney's paid links scheme to improve its Google organic search rankings.  Search engine optimization (SEO) experts refer to this gaming of Google rankings as "black hat SEO" practices.  Google defines these practices in its Webmaster Central General Guidelines.  And, Google looks unfavorably on these practices and describes them as:

• Link Schemes
• Paid Links

 

The New York Times Reveals Major Florist Brands Paid for Links

Another Linking Scheme Exposed.  The New York Times article, Trying to Game Google on Mother's Day Flowers,' says these major florist companies participated in linking buying schemes to improve their organic search rankings during the week of 2011 Mother's Day:

• Teleflora
• FTD
• 1800Flowers.com
• ProFlowers

Teleflora's Organic Search Rankings Rose from 7th to 4th.  According to the article, Searchmetrics, a seller of analytics software, conducted research showing Teleflora boosted its ranking for the search term "mothers day flowers" which translated into a significant increase in visitors per day to its website.

Teleflora's Site Traffic Per Day Improved 43% Increase.  In March 2010, Teleflora received 20,000 to 25,000 visitors per day.  The week of May 2nd - May 6th, 2011, the number of visitors improved to roughly 35,000 visitors per day.

Searchmetrics believes Teleflora started its link buying in February 2011.  The New York Times quotes Searchmetrics CEO, Horst Joepen: "There is a possible correlation between the backlinks and the increased visibility of the site.  But, without more research there is no way to be sure."

Floral Companies' Responses to Inquiries from The New York Times

Makes Me Wonder.  Here are direct quotes from the article regarding the floral companies' respective responses:

* ProFlowers: "Did not respond to requests for comment."

* 1800Flowers.com: "A spokeswoman said the company would not discuss the links."

* FTD: "An FTD representative said that the vast majority of its links were on Web Sites owned by FTD, adding 'If any of our practices to have moved outside of Google's guidelines, we will certainly address them."

* Teleflora: "Corporate policy is not to pay for any links that would violate Google's guidelines.  After closely reviewing the Teleflora links you provided, we believe are in compliance with Google."

Did Google Punish These Firms For Their Alleged Paid Links? 

The Top 5 Organic Search Results for "mothers day flowers."  As of Sunday morning, May 15th, the page-one Google search results for "mothers day flowers" are:

 

 

Look at Organic Search Result #10.  It's the May 6th, New York Times article exposing the alleged paid links scheme for these companies.  I'm surprised this story ranks below Google's organic search results for Teleflora, FTD, 1800Flowers.com, and ProFlowers.

Even though the article lands on Google's front page, you'd think the search results for the aforementioned firms would rank in pages where you can't find them (i.e., pages 6 through 10).

Conclusion

Why Isn't Google Penalizing These Firms?  The New York Times sent Google representatives a list of 6,000 links to the floral companies that were built in the last month.  Jake Hubert, a Google spokesman, replied with the following statement:

"None of the links shared by The New York Times had a significant impact on our rankings, due to automated systems we have in place to assess the relevance of links.  As always, we investigate spam reports and take corrective action where appropriate."

Apparently, Google doesn't feel like it has to take any action in this particular case.  And, I find their lack of action and consistency perplexing.    Here are two other blogs commenting on the New York Times piece:

• Search Engine Land: New York Times Continues Paid Link Outing Stories, Looks at Online Flowers Industry
• Econsultancy: Best Mother's Day Gift? A Bunch of Paid Links 

 

Is Google Thumbing Its Nose at The New York Times?  The placement of the New York Times article as organic search result Number 10 with the offending firms ranking at slots 1, 2, 4, and 5 appears more than coincidental.  

Along with the issued company statement, the article's current placement appears to be Google's way of saying, "Whatever."

Or, maybe they're dealing with more important priorities.  And, those priorities rhyme with "How to Address the Facebook Threat."  

 

Photo Credit by davidsonscott15 Via Flickr

Bin Laden Announcement Spotlights Power of Real-Time

I checked my laptop's Twitter stream around 10 PM Sunday evening for real-time news feeds.  And, that's when Twitter informed me of Osama bin Laden's death in real-time.

Our Consumption and Participating in Real-Time News Drives a Traditional Industry's Transformation.  I've reflected on the media activities of the past 48 hours.  The picture above symbolizes more than the aftermath of September 11, 2011.  

It galvanizes how we are both consumers and participants in the transformation and reinvention of a traditional industry (especially how we interact with news content):

• Searching / Learning 
• Broadcasting and Sharing 
• Consumption

Earth-Shattering Insight?  No.  But, how the Osama bin Laden news story unfolded in real-time presents an instructive case study for many tradtitional industries (not just journalism and publishing but also marketing, advertising, and public relations). 

#1: Social Networks are Our Real-Time News Channels

More People Found Out About bin Laden's Death Via Twitter and Facebook.  Mashable conducted a poll with 20,000+ respondents.  Twitter and Facebook easily outdistanced television.  Even broadcast television lacks the real-time impact of online media platforms.

Facebook's News Function Goal-- Become "The People's Newspaper."  I mentioned earlier how I consult Twitter for real-time news updates.  It's no coincidence that Facebook also recognizes real-time news as a competitive differentiator.  

According to this Fast Company article, Meet Facebook's Journalist Ambassador, the social network now accounts for more than 5% of traffic for many major news outlets.  The article describes Vadim Lavrusik's role as Facebook's Journalist Ambassador. 

Here's a Wall Street Journal video publicizing Facebook's recent hire of Vadim Lavrusik.  Note Mr. Lavrusik's comment describing his intent to make Facebook "the people's newspaper."

 

Journalists on Facebook Page.  The Journalists on Facebook Page is part of the company's strategy to build relationships with journalists.  Notice how several status updates pertain to the bin Laden story:

#2: Mobile Devices are the Accepted Real-Time Publishing Platform (Especially the Smartphone)

According to this May 1, 2011, Fast Company article, Keith Urbahn, chief of staff for the office of the former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield, appears to be the first to have broken the news about bin Laden's death:

Urbahn Broadcasted the Tweet From His Smartphone.  I'm not surprised Urbahn broadcasted the news on Twitter.  But, notice the news broadcasting platform -- his smartphone.  Maybe, I'm old-fashioned in thinking the publication of a major news event requires a computer keyboard and wireless Internet connection.

#3 The Real-Time Marketing & PR Power Law

This TechCrunch article requires no explanation: Google Saw One Million Percent Increase In Searches For 'Bin Laden' on May 1.  The article says Google's greatest traffic spike occurred between 7:30 and 8:30 pm PST (around the time the news broke on Twitter).  TechCrunch graphed the number of Google queries by time.  Look how the graph shares the properties and shape David Meerman Scott describes as The Real-Time Marketing & PR Power Law. 

Looks Like Page 29 of David Meerman Scott's Real-Time & Marketing PR Book.  Here's the graph from the TechCruch article.  Notice how the spike in Google search queries correlates with the real-time announcement on Twitter and eventually trails off:

 

 

#4 The Real-Time Marketing & PR Law of Normal Distribution

Looks Like Pages 30 to 31 of David Meerman Scott's Real-Time Marketing & PR Book.  This TechCrunch article, Bin Laden Announcement Has Highest Sustained Tweet Rate Ever, At 3440 Tweets Per Second, displays a graph of tweets per second the evening of May 1, 2011. 

Notice how this graph shares several real-time attributes David Meerman Scott describes in his book (my notes are in red text):

• Breaking News
• Triggers
• Excitement
• Peak
• Old News
• Done 

#5: The Blurring of Trusted, Traditional News Sources 

Non-Traditional "Hard News" Sources Provide Diverse Points-of-View.  Each of these organizations or individuals is a trusted news source pertaining to technology and online media.  Their points-of-view blended their niches with this traditional "hard news" story:

Fast Company and Wired: Social Technology Related

 

 

Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land Blog: Google Now Versus Google on September 11, 2001

 

#6 We Share and Consume Powerful Images With Viral Speed

This Situation Room Image Will Be Burned in Our Minds Forever.  This picture from the White House's Flickr account showing President Obama and his top advisors speaks volumes.  According to a May 3rd TechCrunch article, the image garnered almost 1.6 million views:

An Important Historical Artifact.  The TechCrunch article further states this image is probably the fastest viewed photo on Flickr.  The image achieved its viewer volume in less than 38 hours.       

Conclusion

How Did You Learn About the Osama Bin Laden Announcement?  Were you on Twitter, Facebook, or another social network?  Did you head right to Google News or did you go straight to a traditional news source (i.e., New York Times, BBC, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Bloomberg, etc.)?

I would love to understand your views on how the news unfolded.  

A Historic Moment.  This event marks an important time in United States history.  Its unfolding in real-time portrays how we choose to publish, search for, and share historical events.

And, our use of social technology during this event reinforces the forever-changing, transformation of all media.

 

 

Link to Photo Credit 1: Time Magazine

Link to Photo Credit 2: White House Flickr Stream

5 Competitive Advantages in Studying Real-Time Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott

Members of the Social Media ReInvention Blog Community understand I'm an enthusiastic student and fan of David Meerman Scott.  In numerous posts, I've referenced David and his latest book, Real Time Marketing & PR.  

Bottom Line:  I studied Real Time Marketing & PR from cover-to-cover.  And, I highly recommend purchasing it as a key resource in your digital marketing library.

 

1. The New Competitive Advantage is Speed & Agility

Leverage and Respond to Real-Time News Events.  Companies and individuals who leverage current news events to instantaneously communicate with customers (as these events unfold) hold a distinct competitive advantage over larger, bigger budget rivals.  These larger rivals value size and scale (not speed).  And, that distinction provides significant opportunity for competitive differentiation.

Real-Time Responsiveness Differentiates Important Service Capabilities.  Applications of real-time competitive differentiation include:

• Using direct and swift communications in customer service 
• Preparing for and moving quickly in crisis communications (aka disaster recovery situations)
• Developing and testing new products / service offerings
• Creating an organizational culture valuing speed and open communications 

The Link to Important Business Objectives.  All of the aforementioned capabilities achieve one or several of the following business objectives:

• Driving sales revenues
• Saving money (i.e., lower customer acquistion costs)
• Acquiring new customers (e.g., enabiling additional lead generation)
• Strengthening existing customer relationships

2. A Mindset of Real-Time Competitiveness 

The Real-Time Mindset Means Thinking Differently.  Here's my graphical interpretation of David's description of the real-time mindset (page 34):

 

Blink and You've Lost the Advantage.  Gaining (or losing) the competitive advantage depends on WHEN you react/respond to breaking news events.  Pages 29 thru 31 explain why ultra-fast, first movers win in real-time deployment: 

• The Real-Time Marketing & PR Power Law
• The Real-Time Law of Law of Normal Distribution

3. Select Your Real-Time Platforms Carefully 

Real-Time Differentiation and Capability Isn't Always Obvious - Just Ask Twitter Co-Founder Evan Williams.  I conducted a back-of-the-envelope analysis of the real-time tools most often cited in Real-Time Marketing & PR.  Hands-down, the real-time winner is Twitter. 

But, Twitter's differentiating niche wasn't always obvious from its beginnings in July 2006.   From FastCompany.com in November 2010, I Want My Twitter TV! (by Ellen McGirt), Evan Williams says on page 3:

"We didn't know what we were at first.  I think it's pretty clear now that Twitter is a real-time information network (e.g., any previous confusion about Twitter being a social network or Facebook is now over)."

Throughout his book, David provides several examples describing how Twitter,  TweetDeck and HootSuite are used for important real-time functions:

• Monitoring conversations
• Responding directly to current customers or new, potential customers
• Directing Twitter audience members to long form channels (i.e., the company blog or YouTube) for more details

The New Media Life Cycle Helps in Evaluating the Right Real-Time Platforms (and Avoiding the Wrong Ones).  Pages 131 to 135 highlight input and data from Andrew Davis, Chief Strategy Officer at Tippingpoint Labs.  Davis explains the New Media Life Cycle as the adoption of any platform (blogging, microblogging, photo sharing, or live video streaming) or content distribution channel (YouTube.com, Slideshare.com, Flickr.com, or Twitter.com). 

The New Media Life Cycle openly tracks and analyzes an online platform's current life cycle phase in seven (7) distinct phases:

1. Experiment
2. Adopt
3. Gestate
4. Escalate
5. Monetize
6. Consolidate
7. Maintain

Early Adopters / First Movers Win.  Early adopters understand The New Media Life Cycle, and exploit it to their competitive advantage.  They know participating early in an emerging social network matters.  Page 134 expains the secret to becoming well known on a social media network is to participate in one that's growing quickly, but is still in the early stage.  A perfect example is the fast-growing Empire Avenue - The Social Media Exchange.

Remember Second Life? They're not a Real-Time Player (but Twitter is).  Tippingpoint Labs and Google Insights provide data driven examples showing why Second Life is already past its prime (page 134).  But, Twitter continues growing and is an outstanding real-time platform (page 135).

4. Managing Crisis Communications Means Real-Time Speed  

The Money Insights of Real-Time Marketing & PR.  The insights shared on crisis communications and disaster recovery are worth the purchase price alone.  Why?  The situations described in the book can happen to all of us.  No one is immune in a digital age.

In my opinion, these sections require careful study:

• Chapter 7: Crisis Communications and the Media (pages 71-81)
• Chapter 8: What are People Saying About You This Instant? (pages 92-94)
• Chapter 10: Real-Time Customer Connection (pages 124-126)

Build Your Media and Journalist Contacts NOW.  David explains how too few organizations (particularly the larger ones) fail to build media and journalist relationships before they need them (i.e., contacts with analysts, editors, and reporters). 

Credibility and Trust with Media Contacts Requires Time.  A communications crisis requires speed and focus (so you have little to no time).  In addition, you compound risk by introducing yourself to your media contacts for the first time. 

Five Ways to Build Media and Journalist Relationships.  Build your media and journalist relationships before you need them.  David provides the following suggestions:

1. Follow the Publications and Its Journalists
2. Comment on Their Stories and Blog Posts
3. Introduce Yourself Via Email
4. Follow Journalists on Twitter and Engage Them in Conversation
5. Earn Their Respect by Providing Valuable Content and Information (e.g. No Spam)

When Disaster Strikes, Refer to the Real-Time Communications Checklist.  David provides a 9-Point Crisis Communications Checklist.  All of his suggestions should be implemented before the crisis hits:

• Assigning a crisis communications team
• Gathering and storing key contact information inside and outside your organization
• Delegating who's the organization's lead communicator
• Responding through multiple real-time, online channels (i.e., company blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc.)

IMPORTANT:  Respond in the same online medium spawning the crisis.  If the event happened in YouTube, respond with your own YouTube video.

5. Real-Time Organizations Have Communication Guidelines

Developing Real-Time Communications Guidelines and Roles in Your Organization.  Pages 171 -172 provide an 8-Step Checklist for creating and implementing guidelines.  In addition on pages 175 - 176, David introduces his take on a new senior executive position: Chief Real Time Communications Officer.  On page 176, he explains the job description in a 14-point bulleted list.

IBM, The U.S. Air Force, and Telstra Succeed as Real-Time Communicators.  Pages 161 - 173 describe how each organization uses real-time communications, empowers their employees, and publicly shares their guidelines.  IBM's guidelines are shared on pages 162 - 170.

Here are hyperlinks and titles of the communications guidelines for these organizations:

• IBM: Social Computing Guidelines
• U.S. Air Force: New Media and the Air Force
• Telstra (Australia's largest telecom company): Telstra's 3Rs of Social Media Engagement

Telstra even created YouTube Videos introducing their 3R's of Social Media Engagement to their employees: Representation, Responsibility, and Respect:

 

 

 

BONUS SECTION.  Here are additional resources for social media guidelines:

* Social Media Governance's database to 100+ publicly published real-time / social media guidelines

* Econsultancy Blog: 16 Social Media Guidelines Used by Real Companies

Conclusion

Fortune 500 Executives Please Read This Book.  Real-Time Marketing & PR is essential and required reading for C-Level executives, communications, marketing, and public relations professionals.  As stated earlier, the disaster recovery and crisis communications advice shared makes it a worthwhile investment (especially if you hold that responsibility for a Fortune 500 organization).

Leaders of Small or Medium-Sized Can Outflank the Fortune 500.  David describes how small and medium-sized businesses are practicing real-time communications and ringing their respective cash registers.  Their commitment to real-time marketing and PR is how they're outflanking their larger Fortune 500 competitors.

Have You Read This Important Book?  If you haven't, you're at a key disadvantage relative to competitors.  If you have, I'd love to read your comments.  Please let me know what you learned (especially the points I failed to capture in this review -- there are so many)! 

 

Real Time Mindset: Photo Credit 1 by dirk schaefer via Flickr

Speed: Photo Credit 2 by Randy Le'Moine Photography via Flickr

iPhone Stopwatch: Photo Credit 3 by dyobmti via Flickr 

Public Relations Strategy: Integrating Digital and Traditional Patient Advocacy Tactics

 

Full Disclosure:  My employer provides management consulting advice to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.  The opinions and content published within this blog post are mine only.

The Inspiration for this Blog Post.  The Wall Street Journal published this April 8th article: Resistance to FDA on Avastin Limits.   The article describes Terry Kalley's integrated public relations strategy using social media channels and traditional face-to-face meetings with Capitol Hill representatives.  Mr. Kalley initiated this public relations campaign with the assistance of AQABA Technologies (a global web strategies firm) because the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) plans to limit the approved uses of the drug, Avastin.  His wife, Arlene Kalley, suffers from advanced breast cancer, and Avastin slows its progression. 

The Challenge.  As cited by the article, the FDA will conduct a hearing on June 28th - June 29th to "focus on competing interpretations of medical data about Avastin's effectiveness in delaying the spread of late-stage breast tumors."  The FDA wants the upcoming hearing focused on scientific data.  However, Avastin's manufacturer, wants patients to be able to testify. 

What's at Stake: Drug Access and Reimbursement.  The Wall Street Journal quotes Avastin's cost around $88,000 for a series of injections.  The article further states: "The Kalley's say that if the FDA withdraws approval for Avastin as a breast cancer treatment, insurers and Medicare might not cover the costs, even though doctors can still prescribe it for breast cancer."

A Case Study in Integrated Public Relations Strategy  

Traditional and Digital Public Relations (PR).  Mr. Kalley's and AQABA Web Technologies public relations strategy aligns the support of influential legislators and policy makers and builds public awareness through social media channels.  These traditional and digital tactics form an integrated public relations strategy that informs, publicizes, and rallies support from important stakeholders:

• Breast cancer patients
• Physicians
• Lawmakers
• News media

* Traditional PR.  Meet face-to-face with key Michigan legislators and influential Capitol Hill policy makers.  In addition, The Wall Street Journal article references that The Kalleys would be meeting with Avastin's company representatives.

* Digital PR.  Publicize in the online channels when meetings with Michigan legislators took place and with who (readily observable in the Freedom of Access to Medicines Twitter stream).

* Digital PR.  Attract potential supporters to the digital home base or hub - The Freedom of Access to Medicines Home Page.

* Digital PR and Traditional PR.  Promote within the online channels (i.e., Twitter, Facebook) positive media coverage (i.e., the recent Wall Street Journal article appeared on the front page of WSJ's print Marketplace Section).

Building Public Awareness Via a Social Media Home Base

The Freedom of Access to Medicines Home Page.  Mr. Kalley and AQABA created a foundation web page to increase public awareness and build patient advocacy.  The web page acts as the home base for the foundation's public and media awareness activities:

 

 

Easily Connecting Through Social Channels.  If you scroll further down the home page, you'll find the following social media "buttons" on the bottom right-hand section of the foundation's home page.  Easily finding these social media "buttons" is critical so the foundation can quickly connect with supporters and advocates who can further spread its mission through online word-of-mouth.

 

 

LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook are Social Media  Content Distribution Outposts

Four (4) Social Media Outposts.  The "home base and outpost model" leads viewers back to The Freedom of Access home page from selected social networks.  The four outposts distribute content that:

• Describes a physician-patient discussion on drug access and reimbursement
• Provides real-time updates of important meetings with key legislators/policy makers 
• Promotes the mission of the foundation
• Thanks supporters sharing testimonials

For more information on using a content outpost approach as part of an overall public relations or social media strategy, here are additional resources:

• Adam Singer: 19 Reasons You Should Blog and Not Just Tweet
• Chris Brogan: Using Outposts in Your Media Strategy
• Social Media Examiner: 5 Easy Steps to Creating Reusable Social Content
• Social Media ReInvention Blog: 3 Lessons on Trust, Reinvention, and Commitment from Peter King, Author of Monday Morning QB

How Freedom of Access to Medicines Leverages YouTube.  By clicking on the home page YouTube button, you are linked to this 7-minute video about a distraught breast-cancer patient on Avastin.  These YouTube videos explains the drug access and reimbursement scenarios without a lot of medical or scientific jargon.

 

 

 
How Freedom of Access to Medicines Leverages Twitter.  Real-time updates about meetings with key government officials and policymakers are part of the content strategy.  Twitter plays a significant role in promoting the foundation's activities with these stakeholders:

 
 

 

 

How Freedom of Access to Medicines Leverages Facebook.  The foundation's Facebook page provides more detailed updates beyond Twitter's 140 character limits.  Facebook's status updates provide summaries and links to online articles the foundation wants to share with supporters.

 

How Freedom of Access to Medicines Leverages LinkedIn.   Mr. Kalley leverages the SEO benefits of his LinkedIn Profile because the #1 Google search result for his name is his LinkedIn Profile:

 
His LinkedIn Profile describes the foundation's patient advocacy mission and objectives in the Professional Experience Summary Section:

 

Conclusion

The Freedom of Access to Medicines Blog Launched on May 1st.  As of the original publication of this post, the missing piece in the Freedom of Access to Medicines digital public relations portfolio was a blog.  However, The Freedom of Access to Medicines Blog launched on May 1st.
 

A press release describing the Freedom of Access to Medicines Blog can be found here.

Adding a blog provides numerous search engine optimization (SEO) benefits that can increase the foundation web site's:

• Important long-tail search keywords and phrases
• Number of indexed pages in search engines
• Number of inbound links (a key metric in search engine rankings) 

Two resources I've studied on the SEO benefits of blogs in building your Google search rankings are:

• Social Media Examiner: The Fastest Way to Increase Your Google Ranking by Jim Lodico
• Debbie Weir eBook: Why Your Blog Is the Hub of Social Media Marketing 

Initiative and Creativity in Public Relations.   The Freedom of Access Medicines example showcases how an organization can harness The Internet's global scale and reach particularly through social media.  Similarly, The Wall Street Journal article references how Avastin's manufacturer employs Weber Shandwick (a large, global public relations firm) to garner public and media support. 

One Person's Individual Efforts Augmented by Integrated Social Media Tactics Can Make a Difference.  I'm sure other organizations and individuals are taking notice of Mr. Kalley's and AQABA'S combined face-to-face and digital efforts.  I plan on following the results all the way to the June 28th - June 29th finish line.   
 

Photo Credit by e-MagineArt.com via Flickr