The Passion to Evolve

Passion To Evolve Has Moved

2009-03-26T22:32:00.001-04:00

Greetings Friends!

Passion to Evolve blog has now evolved to it's own URL! All future posts will now be available at http://www.socialpmchick.com.

We will continue to evolve, and I hope you'll continue to follow along and comment!

Thanks!

@socialpmchick

Tweet It Forward

2009-03-21T00:47:00.008-04:00

I recently wrote a blog post that got a lot of attention titled Pay it Forward. The post, inspired by a tv commercial, was very meaningful to me because I truly believe that the simplest of gestures can change someone's life. The movie that came out years ago was truly an inspiration to so many, and movements were started around the globe.

My original post talks about the random smile to the apparently sad person, or waiting that few extra seconds to hold the door for someone a few steps behind. Those little gestures can make such a difference in a persons attitude or outlook. Now I'll apply that same concept to Twitter.

I have become a Twunkie (my new word for Twitter Junkie)! What I love so much about Twitter is watching relationships evolve and seeing what other people are doing FOR each other. You see so many Tweeps - strangers really - helping each other out, with potentially nothing to gain.

Help can come in the form of a ReTweet, a #followfriday shout out, a recommendation, or just providing helpful and meaningful content. I don't consider myself to be an expert in social media, merely a student just like everyone else, with so much to learn. I love it when someone asks a question in need of advice and I can contribute. That makes me feel great!

The vast majority, I would presume, are on Twitter for the purposes of self-promotion and marketing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that - but what I'm finding is that the more effective Twitter Marketeers are the ones who truly provide value to others and aide in fostering relationships between other Tweeps.

How can you Pay It Forward on Twitter? Take the time to click through links that people are posting. They are posting them for a reason - and I believe it to be my responsiblity to look at them (can't read them all, but you get the point). When you do review them and they are meaningful - take the time to leave a comment to let them know you were there (and leave your Twitter ID) - and then ReTweet it! That is paying it forward Twitter style - help others promote themselves, and they will more than likely help to promote someone else (maybe even you)!

I was truly humbled by the number of Tweeps that ReTweeted that post! Thank you to all!

How else do you Pay It Forward on Twitter? Leave me a comment and let me know!

I will continue to #payitforward and I hope you will too!

Very Sincerely,

@SocialPMChick

What's That You Tweet?

2009-03-17T23:00:00.012-04:00

In recent weeks I've gotten more serious about my relationships on Twitter - who I follow and why. For whatever reason (and I'm truly humbled), I've gained a few hundred new followers in the past few weeks, and that number continues to grow.

What's daunting to me about that is that I take my followers very seriously because, they chose to follow me for a reason and I sincerely hope I can capture their interest and keep it - chances are they have something to share with me as well.

When I get notification of new followers I don't automatically follow every one - even if it takes a little bit of time, I do check out each and every profile of my followers (now it's taking longer than it used to... but I make the time to do it)

Here's what I look for when I decide whether

to follow back or not: (I'm using @jasontryfon as my example)

Step 1 - Review Twitter Bio - If you can sell me in the short Bio I will follow - generally those who say they are passionate about anything I'll follow. If the Bio is unique and funny, I'll follow. If your Bio gives me enough sense of your business goals and they relate to me or my clients, I'll follow.

If your Bio is generally a product pitch - I probably wont follow, unless you pass step 2...

Step 2 - Review Recent Tweets - Your Bio may be blank or just not grab me, but you haven't lost me yet. I will check out recent tweets to see what you are sharing with the world. I look for personality, humor, sincerity, industry related info (social media, internet marketing), or information that my clients may find useful. I also look for ReTweets, and real conversations - not one sided tweets. (Being a Christian is a plus too.)

Seeing followers in conversation with mutual Twitter friends is always a plus too!

If your recent tweets consist only of "buy this", "great deal on this", "make a million dollars an hour working out of your home" and so on... chances are I will not be following you (sorry)

Still not satisfied after reviewing recent tweets? The game is not over yet - onto step 3...

Step 3 - Review your Site or Blog - I may have already followed you after steps 1 or 2, process doesn't always hit this point, but I will take the time to check out your blog or website for interesting content.

** If you are new to Twitter, doesn't mean I wont follow - we all start somewhere. If you have a Bio and a site link that's relevant I will follow you and will enjoy watching your personality evolve! **

How I introduce myself? I will most definatley send you a DM referencing either one of your tweets, your Bio, or your website/blog. I want you to know that I took the time to learn something about you. I used @jaysontrfyon as my example here and chose an interesting tidbit to ReTweet.

@jasontryfon has it all going on. His Bio

is full of information that is relevant to my industry, his profile background rocks, his tweets are genuine, AND what caught me was on this quote on his background "Jason has gamered his acclaim as a noted customer satisfaction evangelist..." YES! Now you are speaking my language! I let him know that too by Tweeting that little qoute :)

I am big on ReTweeting the good info of others and paying it foward whenever I can. (#payitforward).

So if you are following me and have not heard back from me yet - never fear - I need some time to do the real work!

Why do you follow and how do you introduce yourself? I'd love to hear!

Like this post? Please RT! See yah on Twitter my friends!

@SocialPMChick

Personal Media - Nah - Social Media Sounds Better

2009-03-14T00:47:00.004-04:00

Tonight on Twitter I was reviewing profiles of new connections made throughout the day. I always check out profiles of those following me, and read their tweets before following them. I generally try to RT at least one post for each new person that I follow. I came across this one tonight:

@joelcomm tweets to @GrowMap "Without personal touch, you limit the social in social media"

And to that I say...

Really! SOCIAL Media... Say that again... SOCIAL Media. Be personal - be social!

I have to say, I'm very much enjoying really digging into Twitter and getting to know some really fabulous people! Once you engage others in conversation and take a genuine interest in what other people have to say - rather than what you can get out of it - you'll be hooked!

I almost feel bad - I seem to get out of it, more than I feel I give, but at the same time, others are ReTweeting my goodies, and I got some great shout outs today for #followfriday! It's humbling and so very much appreciated. I only hope I can give back ten-fold!

I really don't know what I have to offer, but I know that I enjoy chatting with and listening to what others have to share. I'm finding the more I listen, the more I am heard. Amazing really.

Your personal touches can go such a long way in Social Media, so long as they are sincere. Insincerity in social networking is spotted a mile away! Maybe you do have something to sell on Twitter, and that's okay - but that will come in time if you are passionate about building real relationships - those relationships will build your brand and drive your business.

A few points I struggle with that I have run into in Social Media networks:

--> You follow me on Twitter, so naturally I want to learn more about you and what makes you tick, and perhaps what I might be able to share with you - but your Tweets are blocked? How the heck am I supposed to get to know you?

--> On LinkedIn... You have a public profile on a business networking site, but when I express a sincere interest in networking with you, I'm told "I only accept connection requests from people I've already done business with" - Now to me that defeats the entire purpose of LinkedIn and Social Media.

--> On Facebook... I send you a friend request because perhaps we work in the same industry, we have a similar interest, or common connections - and am told "I only connect with people I have met face to face". Again - Facebook with 160,000,000 users... I use FB for personal and for business. And I purposely do not keep those profiles separate, after all I am a person, so my personality is personal, and I am who I am personally and professionaly and they are the same person! Make sense? Why would you NOT want to connect and get know a potential information sharing source?

I understand the privacy thing - but in some regards, and on some networks, it defeats the purpose of SOCIAL MEDIA.

I will continue to remind everyone to #payitforward in all you do (Twitter and beyond)! Give more than you want to receive and you'll get far more than you ever imagined possible - but BE SINCERE!

Thanks for the inspiration @joelcomm - I truly look forward to following you!

Why Me? Why You?

2009-03-12T21:50:00.006-04:00

In a recent post @dannybrown asked folks to introduce themselves - so I did. I read his post on Monday, the same day I wrote my "Pay It Forward" post. One of the questions he asked was about what blog post defines you - Ironically it was the post I wrote that very day. I live my life on the premise of paying it forward. If you haven't read it yet - it's a must read! :)

@ChazAtCaz and I discussed this today in the office as well - it's just too true! We reap what we sow, I cannot say that enough.

So I ask you this... Why Me? Why should you connect with and get to know me?

Because I care. Show me that you care and I'll promote the heck out of you. Show me what you are passionate about and I'll share your passion with everyone I know!

My areas of expertise include internet marketing, project management, web development, living a Christ centered life, parenting (not really an expert, more of a work-in-progress), and am in the process of working my way up in the ranks of the social media arena. I am passionate about all that I do, and all that I am.

We all have something (lots of things) to learn, and I know that I can learn from you! What can YOU teach me? Though there are too many to list, some of my recent "teachers" include @auctiondirect, @dougmcsorley, @markfrisk. I am always learning from @chazatcaz! I hope to return that favor one day. To them I say thanks! To you I say - thank you in advance!

To build on what Danny did, I say to you - what can we learn from each other? Please leave me a comment with answers to the following questions:

What are you passionate about?

Who are you favorite Tweeps and why?

What can I share with You?

Where can we connect? FB, LinkedIn, Twitter, Other?

Paying it Forward

2009-03-10T21:44:00.003-04:00

I have to say, that I generally don't pay attention to TV commercials. If I am to buy something, it is because a friend recommended it, or I've done the research (more than likely online). Tonight, this commercial captured my eye... I watched all 60 seconds of it.

What I love about it is not what they are selling, but the message in general. I passionately believe that we reap what we sow, and if this commercial is any indication of how Liberty Mutual treats their clients, then it's a product worth having.

A fantastic ad, which should be applied to every business. I live my life this way, letting the person go in traffic before me, holding the elevator, or pausing for a few seconds to hold the door for someone whos a few steps behind. These little gestures can go along way, and that chance encounter and the smile you bring someone - will more than likely be shared with someone else, and so on and so on.

Just a few weeks ago I was pumping gas, and this adorable elderly man was cleaning his headlights, windows and windshied at the next pump. I jokingly said "hey when you're done with yours you can do mine" with a big old smile. When I came out from paying for my gas, there he was washing my windshield. He informed me he had not done his good deed for the day.

The world needs more of this! THAT I am passionate about. So when you do find yourself a few steps ahead, take the extra 15 seconds to hold the door... And do it with a smile, inside and out.

Internet Marketing Taskmasters

2009-03-06T14:16:00.005-05:00

If you are like any of my clients - they tend to get a bit overwhelmed when told what to do! What I quickly learned upon kicking-off the marketing of a freshly launched (or re-launched) website is that clients often become overwhelmed when they realize the real work is just beginning.

Common misconception: If you build it they will come... (see previous post - this is not the Field of Dreams!)

You must work and rework your site, monitor traffic sources, statistics, conversions and about a gazillion other factors to determine where to focus your energies - and then you need to put the time and energy into it - REGULARLY!

When I review a website's marketing plan with a new client - I warn them... ::: your eyes will glaze over about half way through this, don't be alarmed ::: There is a ton of information and activity surrounding an effective internet marketing plan - and the best type of plan?

A simple plan! Keep it simple! I tell my customers they will get no more than 3 tasks at a time from me. I try to keep the work in small manageable chunks, so when they accomplish a task, they feel great about it.

Not only that, but when you are reviewing website content and updating it, I find it better to do in small chunks to start getting the new web pages indexed while working on others, so you aren't waiting 6 months to promote a whole new website yet again.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Define Your Website With Content

2009-02-26T08:34:00.010-05:00

The transition of a website from "build" to "marketing" is always an interesting one. Very rarely does a new website get launched that is full of keyterm rich content, unique and interesting content, and most importantly... relevant content. That is not to say it does not happen with much pulling teeth and dragging them along kicking and screaming by our most talented production group here at Cazbah. What is does mean, is that once their site is officially in "internet marketing" mode, it is my job as their Internet Marketing Account Manager to help them to "see the light".

Common misconception: If we build it... they will come. This is not the "Field of Dreams" people.

The correct line of thinking is much like the mustard seed - you must plant it, water it and nurture it. Only then can it grow. Like the farmer who works his field - we we reap what we sow. If we work the web site and work it well, we can reap the rewards that will follow.

What generally happens? I am handed an eCommerce website that has very little static content, and product descriptions that leave a lot to be desired. This is okay because it gives me a baseline to work from - and truth be told, I love starting with a website that has zero ranking in Google and is not converting. I am passionate about turning that website into a content rich and interesting website, that oh-by-the-way also happens to sell a product.

Don't misunderstand, there is much emphasis placed on optimizing the product pages with well written descriptions and product titles - with the end goal for those products being that they obtain their own ranking in the search engines, and ultimately convert to online sales.

It's the other content I like to focus on. This is an area you can define an online niche opportunity. Take a look at your customer's base line keyword ranking - what keyterms are relevant that they are not currently gaining any search engine ranking on? (This of course assumes you have done your keyterm research and have a set of keywords to focus on.)

Analyze your list of keywords and see which terms are not getting any search engine ranking. You now know where to start with writing new content for your website. Build informational content that will educate your site visitors about what you have to offer that is unique and different. Why should your customers buy online from you? What makes you better than your online competition? What makes your online product unique? What about the service you offer is by far the best? Help your potential customers make a decision to buy your product or use your service.

Not sure where to start? Here's a simple tip that I have found works with my clients. Often times I am dealing with VITO of Company "X". VITO (or Very Important Top Officer) does not have time to write content, and frankly does not see the value of writing "stuff". "My products are online what more do I need?" If I can get VITO to write just one piece of content to prove my point, I push them to write a Glossary of Terms for their website.

Write me a glossary - start with your top ten keywords and build them into an online glossary. Or take each product and define it. For example I have a client who sells Air Pollution Abatement Equipment. Well not everyone on the planet knows what a carbon scrubber is or what it does - and I tell you with no uncertainty that the search engines do not know what they are.

I emphasize to my clients that they are writing this content more for the search engines then they are for their website visitors. Now, that said - once the search engines recognize the new content as being relevant, and it is well written, the end result of course would be gaining ranking on some of your additional keywords - thereby helping new and potential customers not only find your website, but LEARN about what you do and/or sell online.

I have proven this to be an effective technique to teaching my clients how important keyword rich website content can be. Taking some important keyterms that are ranked somewhere below 30 in Google and working them to the first page on Google is proof that your content can define your website. Once my clients see this online glossary of terms work, they are more than willing to continue writing new content.

Keep track of your keyword search engine ranking on a regular basis. If you a see keyword begin to lose search engine ranking, or a keyword that is not performing - analyze the content (or lack thereof) associated with that keyword and work it!

That's my story... and I'm sticking to it! Content. Content. Content.

Save A Tree: Advertise Online

2009-02-23T20:22:00.015-05:00

With the environment and global warming becoming more and more of an issue, and with recycling - direct mail is becoming a thing of the past. I have a customer, who just last year spent $10k during 2008 for 4 direct mail campaigns (total cost for the year).

Let's break that down - $2,500 per Quarter - roughly 50,000 pieces mailed each quarter, and out of each mailing he probably generated 20 leads, maybe 10 of those turned into qualified leads, and a portion of those maybe then converted to a sale.

The widget he sells ranges in price from $3,500 on up to over $10,000. When he signed on with Cazbah he was still running these direct mail campaigns, and didn't really think twice about continuing them. As his new site was built and launched, he moved over to my care and control where I quickly learned what his spend was on direct mail.

When I refer to direct mail - this particular product is the cellophane wrapped postcards that come in packs. I personally don't believe I have ever opened one of those mailers that has come to my home, they have all ended up in the trash.

Well my line of thinking is this... let's first save a tree by not doing the mailer, less garbage, less recycling... and second, let's save the customer bunches of money that can be put back into his business, and spend a small fraction of that $10,000 and generate more qualified leads on a monthly basis.

Challenge: Convince said customer that spending $300 a month on something like Google AdWords can generate more qualified leads, then the plastic-wrap mailer you've been doing for years! People are resistant to change... (But just how many trees is that?). After much discussion - customer agrees to commence with AdWords for a trial period of one month at a $10/day budget and very targeted ads featuring his product at a low monthly lease price.

Said customer promised to do just one more mailer with direct mail company (against my recommendation) and when I heard of it, said - okay if you are going to mail - push the web site and invite recipients to sign up for email updates and promotions - the mailer went out without that info. So there's $2,500 (or almost a YEAR'S worth of AdWords out the window).

30 days and $300 later - we generated roughly 25-30 QUALIFIED leads, and client received an influx of contact requests through the web site.

Let's compare:

12 Months - Direct Mail - 50,000 Pieces Per Mailer - $10,000 - Annual Leads Generated = Approx. 80. (40 Qualified Leads).

12 Months - AdWords - Annual Spend roughly $3,600 - Annual Leads Generated = 360 Qualified Leads.

I would even venture to guess that after further optimization of the AdWords campaign through use of negative keyterms, and other techniques, the number of qualified leads would increase gradually.

Add to this, from the leads generated through sponsored search advertising (or pay per click), an email captured for each lead. On the leads that do not generate an immediate

sale, you have now fostered a relationship by which you can communicate future promotions and product features via email campaigns.

Consider email marketing and news updates to your subscriber base and or customers rather than mailing them promotions - you'll reach a greater audience, and by sending to an "opt-in" list - you already know you are sending to a receptive audience. It can take some time to build an email list, but there are ways to get the word out.

What's the punchline? Spend your advertising dollars in a way that will maximize your return, and in this age of social media and online awareness. Save a Tree! Save Money!

Passionate Women Who Thrive

2009-02-20T09:12:00.008-05:00

I recently decided to spend the first 30 minutes of each work day doing some online networking. One day I might spend time in LinkedIn, the next day searching out new possible friends on Facebook or Tweeting, but the bottom line is I want to continually look for new people I can connect with - not just because we both like artichokes, but perhaps because we are both in the same LinkedIn Groups, or share common networking goals.

One of my goals is to share my passionate attitude about just about everything in life with everyone I come in contact with - the reason I started this blog in the first place.

This week I was fortunate enough to come across a woman on Twitter who was following me, and upon checking out her info found that we share a common goal. @karolynhart is the new connection I speak of and her passion is to connect women on beauty, health, life, careers, parenting, relationships and everything in between.

I was immediately drawn to her site, just by the address LiveWithThrive.com - what a fabulous URL!

The definition of Thrive is "to grow strongly and vigorously" - something I aspire to do both through my relationship with God, and through my career. One of the ways I hope to do this in my career is by connecting with other passionate and powerful professional women. (Nice alliteration!)

This quote is posted on LiveWithThrive.com as the 'favorite quote' and I can see why:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed it's the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead

It reminds me that everyone has something to say, and something to contribute. Pay attention to your connections, and pursue your passions. I am very excited about participating in this online community and building new relationships with other professional women who Thrive!

Do you Live With Thrive?

Using Social Media to get IKEA's Attention

2009-02-18T13:10:00.008-05:00

I would definitely LOVE to have an IKEA Store in Western, NY. Rochester would be great, but I would settle for Buffalo as well or somewhere in between.

Currently the closest IKEA store is in Hamilton, Ontario - which is a few hours drive, accross the border and somewhat a pain in the neck. When I go to IKEA in Canada, it is an all day trip to get across the border both ways, add in the driving distance, and of course the gas expense (especially now) and the time required to browse at an IKEA store. Something I have complained about for years - every trip taken to IKEA requires much advanced planning...

A co-worker (@fuyukogratton) of mine has a passion for IKEA, and to that end created a blog and online petition in April of 2008 to try to gain signatures and capture the attention of IKEA so they would pity us and build a store in our area. This online petition currently has 119 signatures (I was 118), and I have been spreading the word about this through my online social activities and face-to-face.

Time to put my creative social media energies to work to raise more awareness - so I have yet another place to shop in Upstate New York. I love IKEA!

I sense another social media experiment coming on... If I can find 300+ artichoke lovers in just a few short weeks, I should be able to connect with IKEA lovers out there to help my friend with her blog and petition!

Take a second to sign Fuyuko's petition! We thank you, and Western New York will thank you!

Speed Dating For Social Media Lovers

2009-02-17T15:43:00.007-05:00

Speed Dating - Not just for dating anymore... This is something I am most interested in (Not dating that is...) but rather speed networking.

Imagine an event your city or neighboring town. You show up with a pocketful of business cards and your 1-3 minutes "about me" pitch. If 50 people show up, the actual "meet" of the event could take roughly 2 hours, with some group networking before and after.

In one minute I could easily tell you in broad strokes about myself and what my passions are related to my career and networking goals. I venture to guess, most people can do the same in a minute or less. If I made 50 new connections in 2 hours I would be thrilled - no matter the industry you come from. We can benefit from each other because everyone has different areas of expertise and though your area may be something like pizza ovens, used cars, or even restoration firearms - there is more than likely a chance that you have something of worth that I can apply to my business, and I to you as well.

I attended a local Twestival event last week and met a few folks there that seemed perhaps "not related" to what I do, but walking away from that and realizing what those have to offer whether it's blog expertise, or a specific benefit they can provide to me and/or my clients - each and every network connection is a win-win.

I would welcome the opportunity to attend such an event where I could gather up a large group of connections in a short period of time, and have tidbits of information about each to take away - rather than a shake hands "hello nice to meet you".

And here's my fun tip for how to remember a person's name... People think I'm silly for doing this, but at church on Friday's nights I tend to meet a few new people each week. When I meet them I chat for a bit, and before I excuse myself I look at them while shaking their hand and say their name 6 times outloud. Yes - it appears silly, but it certainly works for me! What's your tip to remember names and other useful information about new connections?

Selling Cars Through Social Media

2009-02-13T15:21:00.005-05:00

A month or so ago I got a request to follow a blog on Facebook's Networked Blog- it was the first request of this kind I had received on Facebook. Having my own blog (of course), I was intrigued by this request - as we are all looking for ways to market our blogs.

The request was to follow Best Used Cars Blog. And why would I follow this blog if I am not in the market for a car? Well the answer is quite simple - because it's a good blog filled with good content.

Eric does a great job of putting an interesting spin on his content, he incorporates video, imagery, humor, facts and presents at a level that everyone can enjoy and understand. He gives the consumer very sound advice to assist in knowing how to buy a car and not get scammed. Given the state of the auto-industry today, and the economy - his blog should be in its prime with the information he is providing.

He also has a few pieces of content that are unique - Car Dealer Confessions, and a Tweet & Greet Interview asking the users questions about their first cars and their personalities related to their cars - it took me 5-10 minutes to complete and I had some fun with it!

Check out this blog - I do reccommend it. Give Eric a Tweet-Out at @auctiondirect as well!

As a final side-note I have found that 2/3 of my blog traffic is coming from Facebook through profile links and Networked Blogs, and the other third is coming primarily from Twitter - just a tidbit I thought I'd share.

12 for 12K: Passion to Make A Difference

2009-02-07T07:54:00.004-05:00

Getting up early on a Saturday is not a usual thing for me. Today, however, I have a volunteer meeting at church because I'm going to start giving back to the recovery group that I attend twice a week that has given so much to my life in more ways than I can put a label on.

I generally start my day with some powerful scripture or motivational writings that jump start me with the right tone to make a difference. I like to start my day with passion and enthusiasm for what I can do in other people's lives.

My day today starts with an email on Facebook from @dannybrown about his 12 for 12k Challenge. You wanna talk about passion? Here's a guy who had an idea to use the power of social media and the internet to raise money for charities and do it in a manor that pretty much no-one can say no to!

Watch this video and DONATE - $10 is all he's asking for! That's one movie (at today's prices) with a soda, it's 3 lattes at Starbucks, who can't give up 3 lattes to make a difference?

Watch this video and visit 12 for 12k to learn more and donate!

I'm in... Are you?

At the very least... if you are unsure - visit 12 for 12k.org and/or follow @dannybrown on twitter to learn more. There is MUCH to learn.

Internet Marketing - A Piece of Cake?

2009-02-03T20:48:00.013-05:00

I had a dinner meeting with a close friend tonight who is re-building her web site and we just chatted through some of the areas she needs to be focusing on to help promote her web site.

I was astounded to find that the company doing her web site was offering to charge her "x" amount for search engine optimization for 3 hours of work per month (and the dollar amount was way off), and made a brief mention of email marketing, but the proposal stated nothing about what they covered under the title of "SEO" and what they proposed for email marketing.

So I lend these thoughts - things to consider when searching for a "marketing strategist" for your web site. Plain and simple... find someone who knows what they are doing - and pay attention to the details they are providing you.

Internet Marketing has several layers to it. I will compare it to my favorite dessert - A Triple Layer Chocolate Peppermint Torte!

The bottom layer of the cake... What I consider the

"technical" pieces of your plan. This layer includes your search engine optimization, keyterm research, meta tags, page titles, image and file naming conventions, site maps and basically, the aspects that are addressed through your site's code/tags.

The middle layer of your cake... Your content. Know your customers and what they are looking for and provide the content, products or services in your content that will answer questions easily and help them make their buying decision quickly. Your content should also be optimized using the information compiled when building the first layer of your cake by building your keyterms into your content allowing the search engines to find it!

The top layer of your cake... Listening to your website and making the necessary adjustments to content and product offerings. Modifying keyterms, building new content, adding new documentation and information as people your customer are looking for. Work your site through email marketing, blogging and much much much more! What I describe here only scratches the surface of working your site and continuously modifying your strategy to marketing your site to meet the ever-changing needs of your customers.

And then there's the frosting... This outer layer is your brand, your persona, your online personality. Working your site by building your brand through Social Media and Social Networking. Think of it this way... The frosting on a cake is the first thing you see, and usually the first thing you taste on a cake. Relate it to your brand or persona - this is the first impression you make - the face of your business. Professional decoraters take great pride in the details of the impression their cake will leave (as it may result in more business for them in the beauty alone). The same should apply to you and the effort you put into to building your online personality through social media. (Cake image shown at right is a creation of Sincredible Pastries in Central NY)

The frosting does not refer to a flash heavy site with blinking images and glitzy appearances - remember that your site must function effectively and efficiently allowing your customers to find what they want quickly - AND allow the search engines to find your site as well. Flash has it's place and when used properly can be a very effective tool - but that is a whole separate conversation.

The whole cake... This is just a birdseye view of how I see internet marketing and the layers that lie within. There are many aspects of marketing your website most of which I haven't even touched on - I would simply encourage you to ask the questions to your marketing strategist and feel confident that you are working your site continuously and getting the desired results.

A note of caution - be sure that the baker of your cake is on the level... Recently I took on a client at work who was paying a third party company to manage their pay-per-click advertising. When I took over managing their AdWords campaigns I found that this 3rd party company was charging my new client a flat monthly rate for AdWords and my customer never realized that the amount they were paying was almost 3 times the actual amount being spent on their AdWords activity. Fortunately for them, we cut their AdWords budget by roughly 60% and they are still getting the same bang for their buck.

Find a strategist who is passionate about internet marketing and who will share your passion for success in YOUR business. That will surely be a recipe for success!

Getting to Know Your Contacts

2009-02-02T19:56:00.005-05:00

As I have vowed to learn about each and every contact between Twitter, Facebook and Linked in, I'm now a bit overwhelmed with this daunting task. As I sit back and assess the situation, I realize that in just a few short months, I have amassed roughly 1,000 contacts...

That's A LOT of people to get to know... But I will do it, I will get them (you) all organized and itemized. I will review every profile one at a time and try to learn little bits and pieces about each contact.

Today I learned that one new connection on Facebook resides in the same town as two of my best friends from high school. I also learned that he was an Account Manager for Yellow Book, and he and his wife were blessed with a beautiful baby recently.

With almost 700 Twitter followers, I have decided to attack this 5 or 10 at a time... Here's what I learned today about my new contacts - maybe you see something here that interest you, and find someone new to follow on Twitter:

@kidpartyplanner is a pretty cool chick. She has a web site all about kids party planning, and also works to help other women promote their blogs and their businesses.

@robmcnealy has a great philosophy on twitter use - basically... respect my space and time... I will respect yours. Rob has a huge following as a serial blogger and social media expert - I look forward to following his blog and believe there is much to be learned here.

@jennywrites sells a product that is much like the sticker chart I'm currently using to potty train my 3 year old. It's a color-wrist band system (like the "live strong" bands), and with each day or each goal you change colors. Love the concept!

@dannybrown is making things happen with his 12 for 12 challenge. He's working his Facebook Blog and Group, and getting noticed on Twitter. His 2009 challenge to raise 12,000 for 12 charities is a lofty goal. I give him props knowing he faces massives challenges to make this a reality.

@nixthenews well he just has fun tweets, video posts, and other fun stuff to take reality breaks often when greatly needed. Today for example - a video clip of Bill Murray from "Groundhog's Day" - a classic (and today being that day - very fitting). Great Tweets!

Those are just a few I follow, and an example of how I intend to learn a bit about 1,000 connections I have made in the past few months. I am no expert, just a small internet marketing account manager looking to grow and this is just my $.02

But If I add up the $.02 I take from everyone else I connect with online - it sure does add up to a lot of valuable information.

See you on Twitter!

@socialpmchick

Random Thoughts: Social Media & Stuff

2009-02-02T09:56:00.006-05:00

I am getting old... As confirmed by a friend of mine today. I had the perfect idea for a blog post, and from the time I went to bed last night - I cannot remember what it was about. So I'm left with random thoughts which I will share. Random thoughts on Social Media, Careers and more...

Random Thought #1: 24x7 Connectivity is Cool.

Social Media totally cool because I can connect with people all over the world any time of day or night and be mentally stimulated about all things. I can get feedback about a work project or personal thought in a matter of seconds in real time. That's pretty powerful. I'm not talking teenagers in a chat room, I'm talking professionals with expertise in all areas all looking to share information and insights. Ten years ago it was finding a "30 something" chat room on AOL and weeding through to find someone of value to talk to.... Not so much like that anymore - much easier to find real and valuable connections.

Random Thought #2: People really do connect!

I have made 100+ new friends because I love artichokes. Now that to me is excellent! I have yet to really get to know many of these folks, and fully intend to do so because through something as simple as a food interest, I have made these connections. I don't know yet what these people can offer me, or I them, but my guess is there is something for each one. I will spend much time reviewing profiles for all new connections and getting to know everyone.

Random Thought #3: New Month's Resolutions

I decided yesterday: February 1, 2009 that I would be making new resolutions for the month, though actually, they could be "new week's resolutions" or even "new day's resolutions". January was a challenging month for me and I've really managed to learn how to live my life ONE DAY AT A TIME. This applies to my career, my personal life and my relationship with God. Today I am resolved to live only for today and make it the best day possible for me and for every person I come into contact with. Remember - smiles are contageous and actions speak louder than words.

Random Thought #4: What is your Dream Job?

Someone asked me on Friday night if I could do any job in the world, what would it be? My answer was simple - I love what I do, and I cannot imagine having a different career than internet marketing. So in conjunction with Random Thought #3 - I am resolved to make each day the most I can at work and provide the best level of service to my clients. I am resolved to find creative solutions to making their online presence the best it can be. I am also resolved to spread the passion for what I do...

Random Thought #5: Totally Random Thought...

I love my best friend, through thick and thin - good and bad. I will love my best friend today, for who he is today - and not worry about who he'll be tomorrow. I hope my best friend has a great day today, knowing he is truly good at what he does (because he is truly passionate about it) - and doesn't worry so much today about what's on his plate tomorrow. I want my best friend to know that the elephant is not really an elephant...

Everyone should have at least one person in their life they feel this way about and are passionate about - if you do - please tell that person you love them today. Don't wait until tomorrow. That's my passion point to ponder today.

Getting to Know Your Networks

2009-02-01T01:09:00.004-05:00

Facebook Connections

So I recently created a page on Facebook dedicated to Artichokes and in just a week, I have over 100 followers of this page. At first I felt it was just an experiment to see how many people would find it if I worked it through various channels on Facebook, Twitter and yes - even LinkedIn.

What I'm finding now is that I'm actually connecting with some great people! Every person that has "become a fan" of my page I have requested their friendship on Facebook, and am slowing getting to know some really great people!

What's more, I'm asking them all how they found the page - some through silly game applications, some through an actual search on FB for "artichokes" - yes people do search on it (I did), and some by seeing posts on others profiles, and a few from Twitter... It has been a good lesson on what tools are in place to gain some awareness in Facebook.

The thought I take away from this - as with Twitter and LinkedIn - the same rule would apply. Making these connections does absolutely no good if you don't make the effort to exchange information with and get to know your networked connections!

What's the point of connecting with people if you have nothing share? As on Twitter, share your experiences and expertise, but also share some of yourself on a personal level. Allow people in cyberspace to see that you are real and honest.

Just short post in the wee hours of the morning - but some thoughts I wanted to share.

Does your website have static cling?

2009-01-28T12:47:00.006-05:00

What is Bounce Rate: It is the percentage of users who are exiting your site upon landing on a single page and not continuing to any other pages during that site visit. If a user hits your home page and leaves without digging into your site content that is considered a "bounce". This rule applies to any page on your site a user lands on, whether it's bookmarked or found through search.

Internet marketers use bounce rate to determine whether certain pages of your site are communicating properly. A higher bounce rate means there is much work to be done in improving the content on your site, whether it be an informational site or an eCommerce site. There are factors to look at that on a page by page basis that will affect your bounce rate, and in some situations a higher bounce rate might actually be okay. A page that is bookmarked on a news site that is updated daily with stories and such may have a higher bounce rate. eCommerce sites should not apply the same line of thinking.

Static Cling for eCommerce:

We, as internet marketers, need to be passionate about bounce rate. You want a lower bounce rate on eCommerce sites - mainly because the end-goal would be getting your users to click that magic "add to cart" button and completing the sale. If this is not ocurring on your product pages and your bounce rate is high you may want to assess the following information:

Does the user know WHAT you are selling? It is clear they have landed on a product page and can EASILY purchase? If you are selling, be sure that you product pages communicate that effectively.

Does your product's description provide enough information to assist the user in making the decision to purchase. If you are selling an item that has many applications or uses, this should be spelled out in your description. For example - if you are selling glue, and this glue can be used on wood, plastic, metal, etc - your product description should reflect that and not leave any unanswered questions the shopper may have.

Can the user/shopper easily figure out HOW to buy this product? Is there a clear "add to cart" or "buy now" button or link? In most cases, this should be found above-the-fold (meaning the user does not need to scroll to find it). This is not always possible, and may not prevent the sale, but it's a good general rule of thumb.

Is your price point competitive? People shop around - and the internet is the easiest way to price compare products before making a purchase. If a user lands on your page and finds your product to be overpriced - the user/shopper will "bounce".

If you are running AdWords, is your campaign set up properly and effectively optimized? Be sure if you are paying for site traffic that they are not bouncing quickly. If you are advertising on specific keywords, be sure the user who has searched on that keyword is finding EXACTLY what they are looking for when they land on your site. Use negative keywords to increase the value of your click-through-rate (CTR). If you sell glue that only works on wood and not on plastic - remove the search traffic for "plastic glue" by adding negative keywords. Also be sure your landing pages for your ads allow your user to find what they have searched for immediately. Preferrably the user will land on the product page where they can immediately make a purchase.

At home, we use Bounce to get rid of static and stickiness on our clothing. On the internet, we do not want bounce, we want our search traffic to stick, and we want our users to find what they are looking for.

If your bounce rates are higher - throw away that fabric softener or static guard and start digging into why your traffic is not sticking on your site. Be sure if it is an eCommerce site you are checking your bounce rate at the product level and start working on improving the shopping experience for your user, by making it easy to make a decision to purchase, and then even easier to actually make that purchase on the spot.

These are just a few of my thoughts. I'm sure you have your own sticky points to ponder about bounce rate, and I'd love to hear them!

LinkedIn Networking Group

2009-01-27T14:29:00.005-05:00

LinkedIn Groups... Useful or Useless?

Just a short post to share my insight...

LinkedIn Groups if properly managed can be a very effective tool for sharing information and insights on a particular subject matter. Within these groups, you can network with folks, post related jobs, invite group members to events, share blog posts and discuss relevant topics.

The other thing you can currently do is post spam in group discussion boards. This drives me absolutely batty! I have been spending endless hours digging in to Facebook as viable tool for marketing businesses online and additionally - what toolset and features are available to business owners, and how to appeal to demographics, etc...

So I turned to the Facebook.com group in LinkedIn thinking I could gather up some useful morsels of information - only to find spam after spam after spam post - and sprinkled in there was a post to the effect of "Does anyone at all post anything related to Facebook on here"? As I read through the thread on that post, I found the answer to be... well... "No". So along comes my next experiment...

Social Media Experiment #2

I have created a new group in LinkedIn called Facebook Information Sharing Group. I have enlisted the help of a new contact whom I have made through my networking in recent weeks. He has graciously agreed to help me manage this group. It is my intent to gather up all kinds of people from all industries who currently use Facebook for business or who want to use Facebook for business - and start sharing revelent information.

I hope you'll check out this new group - join it - connect with me and others, and share real and viable information and experiences you have had related to doing business and networking for business through Facebook.

FYI... If you are not on LinkedIn - you should be! Connect with me on LinkedIn.

Artichokes & Social Media

2009-01-23T23:05:00.007-05:00

Artichokes! I could eat them every day of the week and never get sick of them!

I am passionate about artichokes and will eat them no matter how they are prepared. (Though my favorite is simply steamed and served with lemon butter.) I must brag... I make a mean artichokes french!

I even have artichoke plates - and I don't believe in single-use appliances or things that are frivolous and take up too much space to be used twice a year. And - I do use them often...

Social Media Experiment:

So... I got to thinking - I've been working with Social Media a bit and expanding my knowledge on ways to network - so I created a silly page on Facebook dedicated to Artichokes. It was really just something I tried for fun, and I just created it last night.

But I'm interested in testing out my networking capabilities and expanding my network of friends through a common interest.... artichokes!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Artichokes/46316484818?ref=nf

13 fans in 24 hours! People really do love artichokes, and they are finding my new page! How exciting!

Not really a work related post, but it will be a great exercise in the power of social media and how people with common interests find each other. If you know someone who loves artichokes - then pass it on!

Bon Appetit!

~~~~~~~~~~~ Follow Up ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's been about 48 hours since I created the artichoke page (not quite yet), but I'm averaging about 1 new fan per hour which is cool. Hope to keep it up. Connecting with folks all over the world.

Here are the 3 ways people are finding the page so far:

- Through the game applications I added to my page that I know are high traffic applications (Hatchlings and Scavenger Hunt) - Since my Artichoke page is just for fun, I thought this might be a great way to drive some traffic and hit a few artichoke lovers along the way. (I was right!)

- People are seeing it on their friend's walls after they become a fan and coming and checkin' it out! (And I'm making new friends left and right!)

- And... believe it or not -people are actually searching in Facebook for "Artichokes". Well how many people would really do that? I did, and all I orginally came up with was a band called "The Artichokes" - so I decided to create my own. I guess there are other people out there as goofy as I am about this unique food.

I am enjoying this project - it's a nice diversion... and something fun to test out.

7 Minutes of Awesomeness!

2009-01-22T23:35:00.005-05:00

This is probably one of the coolest YouTube videos I have ever seen. Wanted to share it and hope you'll pass it on. It's just over 7 minutes of awesomness and really demonstrates the power of YouTube combined with the power of passion and humanity. I'm suprised Oprah never caught on to this...

Imagine if everyone in the world did a project like this...

Projects that Drive you

2009-01-22T22:37:00.009-05:00

I make my living as an Account Manager at an Internet Marketing Firm in upstate, NY, and I am VERY passionate about my clients and helping them make their small businesses succeed online. I love what I do, and take great pride in the little successes along the way that lead to long term relationships.

BUT... These past few months, I have been given the chance to work on some thing I have been truly passionate about. Our company's new web site. Working with Charles Broersma, the founder of our company, has been a challenge. I mean that in a good way... because he is demanding, and probably more passionate than I am - but we have a great working relationship and we get 'er done!

In a previous life I worked as a project manager at another web development firm, where I was overseeing custom site development, and all aspects encompassing that from RFP responses, scope and budget development, team member selection and managment, risk mitigation, and so on - and I loved all of it.

My work now is somewhat different - in that my days in the hands-on development and input for direction of a new site being built from scratch does not happen any longer. I now get the sites AFTER they are built and launched, and then run with them, developing strategies for my clients to make their new sites the best they can be, get them optimized, ranked and ultimately drive traffic and sales to result in new customer relationships for them.

Shown here is a snapshot of the current site... soon to be a memory... This site development project has been exciting for me working with Charles to develop a message for the site, and then coming away from that with a concept - after several iterations and a few headaches here and there (mostly for Charles). I miss the days of creative input & last minute stresses, trying to dot every "i" & cross every "t".

Puzzled yet as to what the new site will look like? Wait and See!

So here we are at the 11th hour and the site is due go live in the next 24 hours. There are press releases to get out, email blasts to send and meta tags to be updated. Final quality control check and few last minute tweeks and then we are good to go!

I remember the days of all the final details of a new site launch. My favorite was a PBS site I worked on that was a complimentary piece to a documentary. Warrior in Two Worlds. When you are so passionately involved in a site's success there is a huge amount of excitement and anticipation that goes along with it's launch.

It's been a fun journey, and very rewarding - gaining the acceptance of my peers on this new project and having a team review that was very positive this afternoon. I am mentally exhausted - yet exhilerated... and Ready!

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what what is ahead. - Phillipians 3:13

Waking the Passion in 2009

2009-01-09T07:53:00.003-05:00

Short post today:

We are now 9 days in to 2009 and I've been searching for my passion this year... It finally dawned on me that I never truly lost it (at least not all of it). My year has started out on a rough note personally, however, I am letting go of control of that and turning it over to my higher power.

What I CAN focus my passion and energy on is what I am good at - my job. I was reflecting last night on the things I've accomplished for my clients so far this year already and was suprised at how long the list was.

Mind you - some of the items on my list are still "in progress" - but I'm feeling pretty accomplished this week. I've got online virtual tours in the works, optimized AdWords campaigns, email campaigns, new product feeds, press releases, testimonials - and much much more.

The most exciting project - my company's new web site is being redesigned and should hopefully be up and running VERY soon. So check out the old one before it goes away because the next release is going to blow it out of the water - THAT I am passionate about.

I will probably repurpose my blog in 2009 as I find my focus and set some goals for the year - so stay tuned - I'm hoping for an exciting year professionally.

The Passion Bug

2009-01-06T12:16:00.004-05:00

Passion is in fact contagious - even when you don't think you want it. The word contagous as defined by Google means "easily diffused or spread as from one person to another", as in a contagious grin. Well I haven't had too many contagious grins this past week - but I can tell you that passion IS contagious.

I know this to be a fact because my 2009 has started out with zero passion - very lack luster and dull. I will say, I had my vision of what 2009 could have become for me personally - and was very passionate about the road I was going to take to get there. I was on a road to self discovery - a road which to me was very scary and very exciting all the the same time. I am by nature a very passionate person, but when you lose something that you value most in life, it challenges you to dig deep and re-evaulate your passions in life.

There were 4 things in my life that I was very passionate about until last week. Those 4 things were my relationship with God, my family (including my children), my career, and my most valued personal relationship with my best friend. I was pretty balanced in my passion for each of those things and though some require more effort than others, these 4 things kept my life in balance and kept me very focused on the year ahead and what I had hoped to accomplish.

What's interesting - is when you lose one of those things that you are so passionate about - it throws your entire balance off. I haven't lost my job, I haven't lost a family member, and I haven't lost my faith in God - though I'm pretty upset with Him right now. So I had this even scale - a balanced life and now find my scale to be completely tipped in one direction and lacking passion because I lost my best friend (or I should say he chose to lose me).

I for one - do not function well when I don't have passion in my life. And these days I am struggling to find it. Here's where the viral effect of passion comes in...

I have had a bad several days to say the least - in losing probably the most valued relationship I have ever had in my life. My family (passion #2) is the best around - and decided it best to invade my home, not for a day, but for the weekend to keep me occupied. The bottom line? I have a nicer TV than my mother, and both of my brothers and my sister-in-law are big football fans. I am not passionate about football. THEY are passionate about football and wanted to see the game in on a big screen (and on some level were probably thinking they didn't want me to sit home and pity myself).

So the family shows up with bags and bags of food and snacks (along with their pillows and personal effects for the overnight visit) and the invasion had begun. It's all good. I sit with them, though I'm not really watching the game - not passionate about football, though I used to be. I ask an occasional question - who's playing, what's the score, was that a first down? blah blah blah without much real interest in the game.

Now my brother and sister-in-law just moved back east from San Diego - so they of course were rooting for San Diego in what turned out be an exciting OT game (though I went to bed at halftime) - through which there was much yelling and screaming at my house.

Sunday rolls around and we are watching the playoffs again. This time I go to the store and get food to make snacks for my family - I'm happy to have them there. I have to admit now that there has been much yelling and screaming that by the time the second game has come on - the passion my family has exuded for the game has rubbed off on me and I find myself yelling at the TV.

So in the end - I'm grateful to my family for coming over and sharing their passion for football with me, and while I'm not jumping on the wagon as a football fan, I am happy to be reminded that there are things in life to be passionate about, even the simple things like football - and I just need to now figure out what my new things are.

It's those little things in life that we are passionate about that lead us to other passionate people and give us things to look forward to. For now, I look forward to this coming Sunday. As my family was leaving this past Sunday they informed me they'd be over again at Noon this coming Sunday to share some more passion for football.

As for me, I now need to find a way to fill this huge void in my life, a relationship I was completely passionate about. I will temporarily fill it with the other 3 things in my life I am most passionate about, but the void remains and seems to grow bigger every day. After some time, I'm sure something will take its place, but I suspect that will take quite some time or may never occur.

I will continue my search and in the mean time will take pleasure in the things that those closest to me are passionate about, as seeing that passion does bring me joy.

SEO - Search, Experience, Opportunity

2008-12-18T18:20:00.012-05:00

SEO back in the day was the latest and greatest thing. People realized they could improve their search engine ranking through optimization of their site. Everyone jumped on the SEOwagon. It started with meta-tags, and people packing their sites full of invisible keywords to get ranking. You remember - white text on white background that nobody but the search engines could see. That just doesn't fly anymore.

SEO is really only a very small part of Internet Marketing - and to do it effectively you have to consider several variables when selecting your keyterms and where you will place them. You will also need to know the why and the how. Lets examine the "S" the "E" and the "O" in search engine optimization. In my example SEO stands for Search, Experience, Opportunity.

S is for Search

Obviously we are optimizing for search so that is one of the key components - what are people searching for? To determine your keyterms you need to know the answer to this question to find your baseline. This comes from knowing your customer and knowing their product or service. One thing to keep in mind is that if your customer may sell 3 kinds of apples - they may consider "apple a" to be more popular than "apple b" or "apple c". Does that mean you focus your efforts on "apple a" - Heck no!

There are more questions to ask before you can determine what your keyterms will be, and to take that a step further, to determine your baseline from which you will do your keyterm research. Ask your client... Which product are you most passionate about and why? What is your most unique product and why? Which of your products has the highest profit margin for you or perhaps which is your "loss leader"? How have your customers typcially found you in the past, and what are they NOT finding, but may be looking for? As you start to gather these answers, you'll come up with other ideas for your keyterm research.

E is for Experience

You truly need an experienced marketer to assist with your keyterm research. When researching keyterms - you dont want to just pick the ones you think are most relevant. Using the example above, there is far too much competition on the word "apple" - so we look for relevant AND related words that your customers may find you on.

Finding the right keyterms is only half the battle - you have to understand the competition and search volume on each keyterms and how effective you will be in utilizing that keyterm throughout your site. While "apple" may in fact be the most popular keyterm, you should consider the fact that if 5,000,000 other sites are competing on that term, the chances of you getting top 10 in Google is frankly slim to none and you'll probably want to enhance it a bit.

Start to look for variations of your keyterms that have high search volume and low competition. Consider the differences between "apple a", "apple b" and "apple c" and broaden your research. As you do this, you will start to see some suggested keyterms that may work for you with perhaps less competition but solid daily search volume.

O is for Opportunity

As noted above - there are opportunities in search optimization and what variations you may use. Lets for example say that "apple a" is actually a "chocolate apple". You might want to consider common misspellings of the word "chocolate". This does not work in all cases, but in certain situations if done properly - you can monetize that common misspelling by capturing those users who perhaps type a bit too quick and search on "chocalate" - believe me - it happens. You certainly don't want to include these misspellings in your page content, but can strategically place them in your meta-tags.

Another way to look for opporunity is in examining the different products and competition for each. "Apple a" may be your most popular product, but effective optimization on "apple b" or "apple c" can most definately drive traffic to your site, and the end result is that more than likely you'll sell a bunch of "apple a" as well.

Consider also your customer's expertise - perhaps beyond the products they sell. But your site content should include keyterm rich content related to your business - there is alot of opportunity in getting ranking on content pages that are informative and useful that will drive traffic to your product or service.

SEO - A small piece of the puzzle.

While SEO is important - there is so much more to it than just loading your site full of keywords. You have to know where to place them, how to structure your meta-tags and where they belong in your page content. Be sure when you hire someone for the purpose of SEO, you hire someone who truly understands and has the experience to get you the results.

Add other aspects of Internet Marketing and Social Media to your online marketing and if done effectively can be a recipe for success. Continue to monitor the success of your keyterms. Find the areas of weakness and expand on them - your keyterms may still be the right ones, but you may need to reprioritize and develop relevant content to support those keyterms.

Listen to your site and what it's telling you. Work your site and be proactive in updating content, adding products and getting involved in related online communities. Always promote your site continuously through the various avenues of online marketing.

Good luck with your SEO - Hope to see you in Google's Top 10!

These are just my thoughts on SEO, I'd love to hear yours! Leave me a comment or find me Tweeting as @SocialPMChick.

Flash Bulb Moments

2008-12-12T14:21:00.008-05:00

As I am Twittering around this morning a thread formed around building trust with clients & showing them the value of internet marketing. This is something I get VERY passionate about because I see the tangible results of internet marketing each any every day and how that relates to my customer - the small business guy who makes a living selling his widget. There are a few parts to this thought so bear with me...

Part 1. The Customer's Perception. "Trust Me," I say.

When kicking off the "internet marketing" phase for a customer's new website - the initial call sets the tone for the rest of your relationship with the customer. The message you need to deliver to your customer is that they need to be patient with you - and with the patience comes the results and with those results comes the trust that is so critical to your long-term partnership. Telling them it could take some time (and we are talking months not weeks) to ramp up - they dont like that. That's where the trust comes in... "Trust me, give it some time and let me do what I do best - you will see..."

Part 2. What Exactly IS Internet Marketing? "Fasten your seatbelt," I say.

A small business owner who is selling his wares has probably spent the last 30 years doing just that... Selling his wares... Now we are telling him - you need to keep selling your wares - AND you need to work your website. Many of these customers are challenged to even set up an email account let alone understand the meaning of a blog, online press (or social media) release, linking strategies, content development, search optimization - let alone the idea of doing online "social marketing". A VERY common thought I hear from customers is that "they are just trying out this online marketing thing - they dont think their customer's shop online" I love to prove that one wrong!

Part 3. The Flash Bulb Affect "See what you've done? Now let's try this..." I say.

Now here's the really cool part, and I get totally passionate about this. A challenging customer who didn't think we could make their online presence successful - starts to see some the sales come in, and starts to see other sites linking to him, his bounce rate is dropping, he's getting repeat business, and reaching audiences he never thought he could reach. These little instances are all little tiny flash bulbs that go off - one after the other. I think of those old camera's with the flash cube insert with the 4 bulbs - remember those?

Once that last flash bulb has gone off - they "get the picture". I had one of these light bulb moments today with a client and it just made my day. THAT is why I do my job with passion - I live for those moments.

Be sure you deserve the trust you are given.

There is no greater satisfacation for me than making my customers successful online (whatever that means for them). More so when that initial trust took a long time to earn, but once earned led to a beautiful working relationship and ultimately a professional friendship.

I am very passionate about the why's and how's of internet marketing and helping my customer realize the meaning of all it all.

Variety is the Spice of Life in Marketing

2008-12-11T14:46:00.003-05:00

During a conversation with a coworker today (and a new employee at my company) I was chatting it up about why I love my job so much - there's that passion again. This chap said to me that he couldn't get motivated in his last job because it was the same old - same old every day.

Exactly! I thought... Here at Cazbah - I get to manage the online marketing activities for a buffet of industries. Switching gears by the minute. How many times a day do I switch gears?

One minute I'm sending a press release about multi-deck pizza ovens... Then on to preparing an email blast about restoration of antique firearms, and before you know it, I'm helping someone publish their blog post about automotive expertise. Sprinkle in there some content for medical laboratory testing equipment and perhaps some linking activites for industrial air scrubbers! I cover the gammit in one day. Oh and let's not forget the internal marketing activities for Cazbah and the new website to be unveiled in early 2009 (which will, of course, Rock!).

Every day is exciting in online marketing - moreso now with social media thrown in there. The whole Twitter thing is fantastic. I'm meeting new tweeters and sharing ideas hour by hour. What I get out of Twitter and other Social Media hotspots are ingredients I can then toss back into my buffet of clients and apply to their online success.

Find me on Twitter as SocialPMChick - I'd love to hear about your day and what's on your buffet!

Developer vs Marketer - Who's Got the Passion?

2008-12-10T08:56:00.009-05:00

I was inspired by a post I read this morning written by Tony Wright to share my observation about why so many software companies (and could also relate to small business) fail. Mind you this is just my small-minded perception - but my career path has touched so many different industries from medical to manufacturing to software marketing... I believe I have a clear understanding now of "the right way to do business" (as it relates to software).

Tony's blog this morning was about software product development and how the product (or techie guy) and the business (or marketing guy) play a role in that process. His article is an excellent analysis of how things generally work and that while both are critical to the product development process, their roles take shape and form and different phases of the product development process. Both are imperative to the process so long as the end-goal and clear consensus on the product being delivered is identical.

Here's where my mind spun off... I kept coming back to the question 'what is the perfect balance in software product development between the techie guy and the business guy?' And here is what I came up with...

The best combination of the product/techie guy and the business guy is when both have a clear understand of the end product and precisely who the product is designed for - and equally who it is NOT designed for. Building software for a particular market segment is one thing - selling to that very market segment and setting guidelines on who your customers should be is another. Both parties should never waiver from the marketing or development goals because they are both in 100% agreement on what the product is and who it can best serve. THAT is a pretty powerful combination.

I would add - if you develop software that is suited only to small business - then you should NOT sell to big business (even with a bigger price tag). Your specialty product will not meet their needs, and you will be unable to support it because it was not designed for big business. I have survived many rounds of layoffs and have seen companies close their doors for that very reason. Too many eggs in the "big business" basket (a basket you have no business being in)! Once those large eggs are removed there aren't enough of the smaller eggs where you should have been focusing all along.

The right business model is a clearly defined product with a definitive purpose and a very specific target audience. Finding and selling to that audience is both challenging and VERY rewarding when you see it at work.

Here's where the passion part comes in (and yes I would be remiss if I did not tie this in somehow). A software guy, generally speaking, is totally and completely passionate about building the next greatest release on the market for whatever industry he serves. How many developers do you truly know that think it's a hum-drum job - and how many developers do you know that truly get excited and passionate about "what they can build".

Add to that a business guy who is truly passionate about what the end user (the targeted customer) will experience through using that same software - knowing full well that to be truly successful we must learn to say no to some customers and focus solely on those who we KNOW will benefit from the product we are delivering.

The end result - you have a passionate techie guy and a passionate business or marketing guy with a common vision (maybe for different reasons and that's okay). If they stay on course and get that product developed and deliver it to exactly who it was intended for and it works as originally planned for said target that's pretty powerful stuff. And those targeted customer segments will refer to other companies in the same targeted customer segment and so on.

I have seen this model work and it continues to work very effectively. Moreover - those two techie and business guys are indeed both very passionate about their role in the process and that passion will drive the company further ahead and will continue to better serve those targeted customers. It is their combined passion that will allow their product to evolve naturally to meet the needs of its target.

I am forutnate enough to work for such a passionate business guy and I see the value of this model each and every day. It is a formula for success and continued growth.

"We want passion for our business.. workers who can interpret and execute our mission, who want to build a career, not just take a temporary job."
- Howard Schultz

Passion Under Construction

2008-12-08T09:54:00.004-05:00

Passion Feeds Passion - I cannot say that enough. Things that may seems bothersome to you or I? I guarantee there is someone out there who feels passionate about that very thing. If not? Would anything ever get accomplished.

Take Road Construction for Example. Here in Upstate New York, there are two seasons: Winter & Construction Seasons. (A long standing joke in upstate NY) Well as the years go by, the Construction Season seems to spill over into Winter. Most of us (and I used to be one of these), would either avoid road construction projects altogether, or complain and sigh driving through at 40 MPH or less.

Think about this - Somebody, Somewhere had a passion for change. An enthusiastic mind said, lets improve the experience people have on this particular stretch of road. Somebody, somewhere had a "vision" a passion to make this change occur.

There is at least one person out there who finds it exciting to build a project plan for this type of project and get bids for materials and figure out how many construction barrels and signs are needed, and how long it will take and what the phases will be. What is the critical path? Who are the stakeholders? What are the major milestones? How will I handle a schedule shift (or bump in the road)? There is someone with passion for this very thing. My best friend helped me see this perspective and it has changed the way I view construction projects.

Over the summer - traveling to my mother's house for a visit, we drove through a construction project to "see the progress". He said to me, most people avoid these projects - I intentionally drive through them to see how they are doing it and to see the progress. Interesting! Someone actually WANTS to see this project and see it succeed, and is excited about its progress.

Several months later, the same project is still going on. Yesterday as I'm driving through I think to myself how cool this stretch of road will be, and I snap a photo on my phone to send my best friend to show him the progress.

Six months ago I would have avoided that stretch of road altogether, or would have complained about the extended time it took to make my trip. Thanks to my friend's passion for construction that he derives from his career, it has affected the way I view road construction and changed a big negative for me, into a very big positive.

Remember - for everything we come in contact with, someone has to have a passion for it in order to make it so. Maybe the thought of someone else taking pleasure in what may seem like less than perfect situation - for the greater good, can help you to appreciate it just a little bit more.

Professionally Passionate

2008-12-04T16:34:00.009-05:00

Have you ever encountered a person (or people) in your career that just seemed too happy to be working? Or perhaps worked for a company that seemed just too good to be true (or so you thought)? As I've unlocked my passion I have discovered the perfect job does exist!

It used to be when I came across "happy" working people, it was all commission based or salary based - it was not a real happiness that drove them, but rather the joy in realizing they could buy that new gadget on payday or take a vacation with their next commission check. Now granted, that helps, but just because we get a paycheck, does not imply we are happy in our jobs - and most certainly not passionate about them.

Well Charles Broersma, CEO and Founder of Cazbah (or ChazAtCaz on Twitter) is the real deal. I will never forget the first time I met him, before I had my job offer... I physically felt a buzz of energy sitting across the table from him - we may have been discussing my past employment, but his engery and excitement for his company and where he was going was just mind boggling. I walked out of my interview that day thinking to myself "this is where I belong". 2 days later I had the job.

Charles' passion for his business is like a virus for which there is no vacciene. Maybe it's because I did not get my flu shot this year that I caught that bug, but I'm sure glad I did. I find myself spending much time in the company of someone who explodes with energy and ideas. At any given moment, Charles will literally BURST into my office with a mind-blowing thought or idea, which will usually spark one of my own, which will in turn re-spark another for him and so it continues.

He is passionate about his employees, his vision for the future, and most importantly passionate about what we give back to our clients. We serve small businesses who provide niche products and services and who are (what's the word?) passionate about their product but need help finding their markets online? It's the perfect fit! Passion feeds passion!

On a good day, I have given Charles at least one thought-provoking headache because I've made his brain swell. If you see him on Twitter be sure to offer him something for the pain. If you catch me on Twitter - I invite you to share YOUR passion with me!

So try to pursue the very things that you are passionate about- that is the difference between good and great!

-- Shawn Doyle

Do YOU have passion?

2008-12-04T13:49:00.000-05:00

To blog or not to blog has been my question for a while now... Until I could figure out what I had to share with the world it made no sense, but I now realize it is my passion for everything that I want to share - and how that passion continues to evolve in all that I do and all that I am personally and professionally.

I suppose where to start with this blog is to allow you to know who I am and why I am here. At just 38 years young, I have been employed in the marketing and internet industries for just about 15 years - a lifetime it seems. Somewhere between 37 and 38 a lightbulb turned on inside me and I realized that I was just existing and needed to surround myself with things I am passionate about. Starting with a new job... Having been home with babies for a few years and re-entering the work force, I made a very conscious decision to choose a career where I could be passionate about my career and truly enjoy what I am doing - rather than to just be a drone.

Writing a resume is the easy part in going back to work - it's the "objective statement" that is challenging. Do potential employers ever really read your objective statement? Maybe not, but that's not the point. I needed to know what my objective really was and what kind of job I wanted - so I felt it critical to write that statement for myself. With the help of my best friend, who knows me better than anyone, and about more iterations than I can count, the word that kept creeping into the statement was "passion". And my passion started to evolve.

And so here I am - employed at Cazbah in the Account Management group and I must say I am truly passionate about who I am and what I am doing. My job is evolving and so am I.

I hope you will continue this journey with me as I explore what passion means in my career and my life and how it is contributing to my personal success. I will share stories about passion in project management (is that really possible?), passion for learning new technology, passion for social media, passion to see my peers succeed, passion for my client's personal success and so much more. I believe with true passion anything is possible. Are you passionate about your work? I'd love to hear from you and perhaps share your stories in future posts as this blog and our passion evolves together.

“A great leader's courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.”

- John Maxwell