Wednesday morning's panel discussion on search, social, and content was flush with information that was easy to digest and provided helpful tips for implementation. The session was moderated by Anne Kennedy from the SES Advisory board and featured speakers:
• Aaron Kahlow, Chairman & Founder, Online Marketing Summit & SES Advisory Board (@omconnect)
• Arnie Kuenn, President, Vertical Measures (@arniek)
• Lee Odden, SES Advisory Board & CEO, TopRank Online Marketing & SES Advisory Board (@leeodden)
Kahlow Presents the What, Why, How, and Who of Search, Social, and Content
Aaron Kahlow focused on some very basic but essential areas that all marketers should focus on when creating a campaign either online or offline. In regards to search, social, and content he had this to share:
What is Convergence?
According to Kahlow what convergence really means is that it' is important to understand how these disciplines work together and how they impact each other.
Why is it Important?
If marketers are able to figure out how to leverage search, social, and content efforts the return on investment can be so much greater.
How Does Convergence Make A Difference?
By incorporating search, social, and content in multiple locations you are able to set next steps for prospects. An example would be leading users to a landing page that also allows them to like your Facebook page, follow you on twitter, get a link to a free white paper or fulfillment piece.
Who Should Be Participating?
Each and every one of us as marketers has an opportunity to participate and should take the next steps necessary to get involved.
Research & Idea Generation for Content with Arnie Kuen
One of the biggest stumbling blocks for clients is trying to come up with ideas for content that will engage customers. If a prospect is searching online one of two things will happen. They will find you, or they will find your competitors.
Why Should You Focus On Content?
A study conducted by GroupM Search found the following:
- 93% of all buyers online or in stores use search prior to making a purchase
- 86% of searchers conduct non-branded queries.
- 94% of buyers click on organic links versus 6% on paid links for branded queries.
What is the Path to Success?
Kuen provided a series of steps that will not only build foundational success but allow for killer implementation. Included were:
- Start with keyword research
- Do online research
- Determine types of content to create
- List the possibilities
- Put together a calendar
If Peanut Butter & Jelly Could Talk with Lee Odden
Marketers often get in the habit of optimizing strictly for keywords. What marketers should focus on is optimizing for customers and optimizing for outcomes. Odden went on to compare search, social, and content to a PB&J sandwich. It simply wouldn't be the same without all of the ingredients. According to Odden Peanut Butter is the SEO, Jelly is the social media, and Bread is the content.
Optimized State of Mind
The evolution of SEO will continue to keep marketers on their toes. It is important that marketers understand that anything that can be displayed in search results can be optimized. By making sure that your content is optimized for keywords related to the audience you are trying to reach will put you on the path towards success.
Optimize For Consumer Behavior & Engagement
Knowing what it is that influences your customers is key in determining an content marketing strategy. Some examples of optimizing for consumer consumption would include determining the following:
- What devices do your consumers use?
- What format of information do they prefer?
- What different types of media can be used?
- What types of information would be useful?
- What time of day and frequency would they prefer?
- What topics and keywords are important to them?
Search, Social, and Content Takeaways
• Always know what, why, how, and who of creating a search, social, and content strategy.
• Research is essential in creating an educated marketing plan.
• Build the foundation for success.
• Take a customer centric approach
• Practice proactive optimization
Trying to find the forest through the trees can prove very difficult as it relates to marketing search, social, and content planning. However, what we learned from the speakers today was that doing your homework and building your plan the right way can produce enormous return on investment. I'm curious to know what process you as marketers have found works for creating an integrated online marketing strategy?
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© Online Marketing Blog, 2011. | Search, Social, & Content Work Together at SES Chicago 2011 | http://www.toprankblog.com
Michael DeHaven's presentation at SES Chicago on "User Generated SEO" started with some actual user generated content from the audience. Before the session DeHaven gave 5 volunteers a bite sized Ghirardelli chocolate bar. In exchange for the treat he asked that each of the volunteers write a review of the chocolate and then share it with the rest of the audience.
What Was the Response?
The chocolate was called everything from waxy, to too sweet, messy, and melt in your mouth goodness. In contrast the packaging created by the Ghirardelli marketers was quite different, "take time to slow down and feel yourself melt with each bite." As you can see the professional marketers took a much different approach than the consumers.
The Marketer vs. the Consumer
According to DeHaven 80-90% of total content on many major ecommerce sites is written by end users who come to the site and give their opinions or post reviews. He then proceeded to provide a few examples of what companies believed the best keywords for their product or services were and the actual keywords consumers used to describe the business. In both of the examples listed below the keyword lists were not at all aligned.
Restaurants
Marketing Keywords: romance, fine dining, gourmet food
User Generated Keywords: great drinks, partying, view
Cosmetics
Marketing Keywords: cleanser, gentle, healthy looking
User Generated Keywords: soap, younger, looking great
7 Principles of User Generated SEO
#1: Don't Forget SEO Fundamentals
While user generated content can be extremely powerful it is important not to forget the basics such as link building, optimization, and proper tagging.
#2: Search Engines Get Bored
When Google bots are crawling your website they are looking for fresh and relevant content. If the bots return week after week and the content has not changed they become "bored" and will be less likely to return. In order to remain competitive in the online marketplace frequent updates are a must.
#3: The Primanti Principle
A Primanti sandwich is unique because of the French fries inside the sandwich. If you add too many fries to the Primanti it can become overwhelming for the user. Similarly as a marketer you want to make sure that you aren't overwhelming Google with too many "French fries" but a reasonable combination of foundational information and user generated content.
#4: Beware of Dilution
Typical product descriptions are optimized and written by professional marketers, user reviews are not. While user generated content is important it has it's place. Beware of what too much user generated content can do for your SEO.
#5: Unlock the Long-Tail Vault
Marketers are constantly working to determine what keywords users are typing and which ones will drive the highest ROI. An additional challenge is determining which content should be housed on the top-level domain and which ones are better suited for microsites.
#6: Ask For Content at Relevant Times
Spending time to determine when your audience will be most willing to write a review and determining their level of qualification for submitting a review is key. If you're promoting a concert emailing attendees the morning before the concert and asking them to share their photos on the site is a great way to entice user generated content.
#7: Convert Reviewers into Advocates
It is important that marketers set next steps for reviewers. An example provided was that of a user that wrote a laptop review and then spent the next hour (in the middle of the work day) answering over 130 laptop questions asked by other users. If that user had a great experience using the laptop think of the number of people they are reaching and advocating to on behalf of the company selling the laptop.
I really enjoyed that DeHaven's presentation covered the ways that content can be generated by users but also what we must do as marketers to facilitate, moderate, and encourage user generated content.
I'm curious to know how much of your content you believe is generated by users? If the number is low, do you have a plan for increasing interaction? If the number is high, what have you done well that encourages users to generate content on your behalf?
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© Online Marketing Blog, 2011. | 7 Principles for User Generated Content: Michael DeHaven SES Chicago 2011 | http://www.toprankblog.com
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