• And the Sergey Goes To ... 2010 Inbound Marketing Awards

  By Keith Moehring | Posted Mar 8, 2010 | 2 Comment(s) | Filed in: Internet Marketing

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  In honor of the 2010 Oscars, we created our own award ceremony to pay tribute to those Inbound Marketers who have made the biggest contribution to the growth and success of our industry over the past year.
  
  The Inbound Marketing Award, or Sergey, is named after Sergey Brin, one of the two founders of Google. (We contemplated naming it after Larry Page, but “And the Larry goes to” doesn’t have the same ring to it.)

  Best Original Screenplay

  And the Sergey goes to ... Dharmesh Shah and Brian Halligan for their book, “Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media and Blogs.” “Inbound Marketing” is an inspiring tale of how an ordinary marketer can transform his or her company’s Website into an awe-inspiring, lead-generating machine. It’s a heroic how-to for any little guy looking to make a big difference.
  
  Runner Up – David Meerman Scott for “The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use Social Media, Blogs, News Releases, Online Video, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly, 2nd Edition.”

  Best Ensemble or Cast

  And the Sergey goes to ... Mike Volpe and Karen Rubin, hosts of HubSpot TV. Every Friday, these two dazzlers of the computer screen deliver all the latest inbound marketing news of the week. In a short amount of time, their show has grown in popularity so much that it now draws A-List guests, including Twitter founder Biz Stone and MC Hammer.
  
  Runner Up – MC Hammer and his back-up dancers for their contribution to the Addams Family movie soundtrack. (The tie in to Inbound Marketing is YouTube. It is a stretch, but we make exceptions here at the Academy for catchy, but forgotten tunes.)

  Best Actor/Actress

  And the Sergey goes to ... Danny Sullivan and Search Engine Land. Sullivan and his team have received rave reviews for their performance at bringing marketers around the world the most useful tips and information when it comes to search engine optimization.
  
  In addition, they host the Search Marketing Expo (SMX) Conference Series, which brings together the biggest stars in the industry to collaborate and expand upon SEO best practice.
  
  Runner Up – Rand Fishkin and SEOmoz for creating great, useful tools complemented with blog posts full of insightful SEO tips, such as Whiteboard Fridays.

  Best Director

  And the Sergey goes to ... Bald Matt Cutts. Under his direction, thousands of unknown Websites have become stars, gaining both local and national exposure to millions of potential customers. These sites have been able to seize the spotlight and notoriety amongst their peers. If you haven't already, check out Matt's Google Webmaster Help YouTube Channel.
  
  Runner Up – Matt Cutts with hair. Just as informative, but not as sleek.

  Best Picture

  And the Sergey goes to ... Google.com. Google gives thousands of unknown, talented businesses the opportunity to share the stage with their top competitors in a way that was not possible 15 years ago.
  
  The "Avatar" (highest grossing film of all time) of Inbound Marketing, this search engine dominated its competition this year, securing a whopping 66.3% of all searches. In addition, what separates Google as a master of its craft is the unique ability to evaluate its own performance.
  
  Google also reaches beyond the computer screen into the political/human rights arena, making a stirring social statement on the suppression of the Chinese government over its people.
  
  Runner Up – Bing.com for their homepage picture usage.

  In Memoriam

  MySpace.com — The first real dominant player in Social Media, MySpace brought together millions of people regardless of age or location. This true trailblazer paved the way for sites like Facebook and LinkedIn to really give companies the reach they need to effectively communicate with their target audiences. And, while the site would eventually be infiltrated by millions of porn sites, we remember it for the doors it opened. Rest In Peace Tom. 

  Keith Moehring is a consultant at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. Follow Keith on Twitter @keithmoehring.

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• Blog Images: How to Find and Use Them Properly

  By Tracy DiMarino | Posted Feb 17, 2010 | 7 Comment(s) | Filed in: Content Marketing, Internet Marketing

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  Images add value to blog posts by making them more visually appealing and interesting, helping readers conceptualize what you’re discussing, and providing searchers another way to find your Website (particularly if they are searching within the Images tab on Google, Yahoo or Bing).
  
  We live in a collaborative online environment; however, finding the perfect image is a little bit more complicated than a quick Google search, and copy and paste.
  
  Below are tips and resources to help you find that killer image for your blog post, without violating copyright laws.

  Free Photos Using Creative Commons

  Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that lets creators grant copyright permissions to their creative work. Using Creative Commons’ free copyright licenses, authors and artists are able to specify how the public can share, use, repurpose and/or remix their work, as well as assign attribution requirements.
  
  For example, some licenses allow only noncommercial use, while others restrict the public from modifying or remixing the creative piece. (See a full breakdown of Creative Commons’ licenses.)
  
  By 2008, an estimated 130 million Creative Commons licenses had been issued. By searching this database, organizations can find free creative materials that they can legally reuse, as long as proper attribution guidelines are followed.

  Searching for Images

  The following sites enable you to search for Creative Commons’ material:

  Creative Commons Search

  Creative Commons Search provides you with eight options to search for creative items: Google (Web), Google (Image), Yahoo (Web), Flickr (Image), Blip.TV (Video), jamendo (Music), WikiMedia Commons (Media) and SpinXpress (Media).
  
  This search feature is a great time-saver, as you can type in one search term in the bar and then search all eight sites at once, making for easy and fast searches of multiple sites for specific terms.
  

  Flickr Creative Commons

  Use Flickr Creative Commons to search for publicly available images by following these steps: Type a query into the search bar and hit “Search;" Click on “Advanced Search;” Select “Only search within Creative Commons material” at the bottom of the screen, as well as “Find content to use commercially” and/or “Find content to modify, adapt, or build upon,” if applicable.

  Google Image Search

  Google’s Image Search allows you to search for images within Creative Commons by using its advanced search feature. Once on this page, use the Usage Rights drop-down menu to select one of the following (depending on your needs): labeled for reuse, labeled for commercial reuse, labeled for reuse with modification or labeled for commercial reuse with modification.

  Image Attribution

  Once an image is found, be sure to review its attribution requirements. Creative Commons Copyrights will have a copyright icon and a link along the right side of the image.
  
  The link will then take you to a Web page that says how that creative can be used and under what conditions (i.e. not for commercial use, can’t be remixed).  For example, check out the usage page for the image in this blog post.
  
  The image will likely require attribution. To do this, include a photo credit that links to the creator’s page or Website (see the bottom of this post for an example), and then link the photo itself to the creator’s page or Website.

  Purchasing Photos

  If you can’t find the perfect image through Creative Commons, or you're looking for a hassle-free solution, consider purchasing royalty-free images. One affordable way to do this is through iStockPhotos. Images suitable for blog posts can cost as little as $0.95-$1.90 each.
  
  Note: If purchasing from iStockPhotos, the extra small photos are typically ideal for blog post images.

  Spice Up Your Blog Posts with Images

  Using the tips above, you can use other people's images to enhance the visual appeal of your blog posts without worrying about copyright infringement. Just, be sure to only use pictures approved for reuse and to provide proper attribution. When in doubt, ask the owner of the image.

  Or, for you adventurous souls out there, there's always the option of taking your own photos.

  Tracy DiMarino is an associate consultant at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. Follow Tracy on Twitter @TracyDiMarino.
  

   Subscribe to receive the PR 20/20 blog by email or RSS feed.

  Photo Credit: AllyAubry
  
  

• 33 Marketing Strategy Tips

  By Paul Roetzer | Posted Jan 25, 2010 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Internet Marketing

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  Need help getting started with your marketing plan?

  This post highlights 33 tips from the Inbound Marketing GamePlan eBook, which we launched last week as a resource guide for organizations seeking to build more effective and measurable marketing strategies (click here to download the free PDF eBook).

  Discovery (aka The Scouting Report)

  Your organization's Inbound Marketing GamePlan starts with the discovery phase. In this phase, use customer research, industry and analyst reports, media coverage, historical sales data, competitive intelligence, surveys of key internal personnel and secondary online research to conduct a strategic analysis of audiences, the organization and the industry.

  The information gathered during this phase is instrumental in the creation of brand messaging, Website development and the campaign strategy.

  • Use SurveyMonkey to conduct discovery audits with internal and external audiences.
  • Use WebsiteGrader to perform a free analysis of your Website.

  Website Development

  Your Website is a lead-generation and multi-media content publishing tool. It gives your organization the ability to build a strong brand online that creates powerful connections with audiences, and drives business growth.

  The goal of your site should be to connect with audiences, drive qualified Website traffic and generate leads.

  • Do not overlook the importance of strong Website copywriting that is optimized for search engine rankings and visitors. Effective Website copywriting conveys key brand messages, stresses features and benefits, and drives visitors to a desired action (e.g. call, complete a lead form, download resources).

  Target Audiences

  Regularly publishing fresh, relevant, link-worthy content (i.e. blogs, podcasts, videos, optimized press releases, Webinars, case studies, white papers, eBooks and articles) gives organizations and professionals the ability to boost search engine rankings, generate inbound links and drive Website traffic, while bringing value to online communities helps to establish and grow relationships.

  However, content and community also strengthen your brand and enhance your position as a thought leader, which can have a much greater impact on your organization’s long-term growth, stability and success.

  So, when building your inbound marketing strategy, be sure to think beyond prospects, and design a Gameplan to reach and influence all audiences relevant to your business.

  • Peers: Seek opportunities to build strong relationships through online and offline networks, as a means to learn together and advance.
  • Competitors: Remember that your competition is reading and watching. Be strategic in your thoughts and actions.
  • Vendors: Share guest blog posts, exchange links and help to promote their capabilities and expertise.
  • Partners: Subscribe to your partners’ blogs and connect with their leaders in social networks.
  • Vendors/Partners: Create content featuring your Vendors and Partners, and encourage them to become active in social media, thereby extending your reach and influence.
  • Job Candidates: Screen job candidates through their public profiles and online activities before you even grant an interview. Start with name searches on Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
  • Job Candidates: Use your organization’s blog and social networks to announce career opportunities.
  • Media: Follow media contacts on Twitter, comment on their articles and posts, and only pitch them RELEVANT and TARGETED story ideas.
  • Employees: Don’t fight it. Employees, especially younger generations, are active in social media with or without your organization’s support. View social media as an opportunity, not an obstacle. Establish social media policies, encourage professional behavior, and move on.
  • Prospects: Connect with prospects where they are active online, but keep in mind that YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are brands and platforms, NOT strategies. Your organization must build a fully integrated Inbound Marketing GamePlan to consistently drive Website traffic and generate leads.
  • Customers: Authenticity is key in social media. Your customers will see through false claims and blatant self-promotion. If your executives are going to contribute to a blog or participate on social networks, it must be real.
  • Overall: Use social media and content to give your brand personality, and differentiate from competition.
  • Overall: Use Google News Alerts to monitor mentions of your brand, executives, products, services, competitors and industry trends.
  • Overall: Segment and prioritize your audiences, then tailor your content and inbound marketing activities to connect with them in meaningful and measurable ways.

  Campaign Objectives

  Lead generation and loyalty building are the two primary goals of every marketing campaign.

  So what does it take to achieve leads and loyalty?

  We have consistently found that campaigns that focus inbound marketing strategies on achieving four core objectives have the greatest potential to generate leads and build loyalty.

  

  • Search Rankings: While your entire keyword universe may include thousands of phrases, most organizations should concentrate inbound marketing efforts on the 30 - 50 most relevant keyword phrases, and rely on the long-tail effect to take care of the rest.
  • Relationships: Don’t confuse reach with influence. Building followers and friends is meaningless without engagement and action.
  • Positioning: Blogging and authentic social media participation are essential to build and enhance thought leadership.
  • Brand: Third-party endorsements of your brand by consumers and media are more important than ever.
  • Relationships/Brand: Focus your content marketing and public relations strategies on reputation, relationship and brand building.
  • Overall: Benchmark and measure the metrics that will have the greatest impact on your organization’s ability to generate leads and build loyalty.

  Strategies & Tactics

  Once you have established, defined and differentiated your brand, and built a powerful, content-driven Website, the key is to strategize and manage an integrated campaign fueled by the four core inbound marketing strategies: Search Marketing, Social Media, Content Marketing and Public Relations.

  • Search Marketing: There are no shortcuts in search marketing. Boost traffic and leads through paid search in the short term if needed (e.g. Google AdWords and Internet Yellow Pages), but concentrate your efforts on generating inbound links, traffic and leads through creating remarkable content and social media participation.
  • Social Media: Be authentic, and bring value. Social media is not as simple as creating profiles on each social networking site and making random posts. It is about listening, learning, building relationships and bringing value to the communities relevant to your organization.
  • Content Marketing: Establish a quarterly blog editorial calendar that sets deadlines, topics and authors. Consider appointing an internal or external blog editor to keep your blog fresh and relevant.
  • Public Relations: Carefully evaluate your PR agency based on performance and capabilities. Traditional PR firms that charge excessive retainers and high hourly rates are struggling to adapt to the social Web and remain relevant as clients demand more measurable results. See page 36 of the eBook for tips on picking an agency (click here to download the free PDF eBook).

  Budgeting

  Traditional marketing budget formulas (e.g. percentage of revenue/assets, competitor benchmarks, etc.) are mostly irrelevant in today’s content-driven and community-based campaigns.

  Why?

  Old marketing budget formulas, pushed by traditional agencies and conservative organizations, focus on strategies that pay for interruption and impressions, which means you buy everything, including: advertising space, mailing lists, printing and postage, in addition to agency costs (i.e. commissions, retainers and hourly fees).

  • Assess the competency of your staff in the core areas of brand marketing, Website development, search marketing, social media, content marketing and public relations. Determine time availability of internal resources to contribute to an inbound marketing campaign.
  • Determine licensing and subscription costs for inbound marketing services, software and tools (e.g. press release wire service, search engine optimization, lead nurturing, monitoring).
  • Define realistic investments of the time and money your organization is able to commit.
  • Plan to spend a minimum of $2,000 per month for an inbound marketing agency. The number one budget factor will be content creation, so budget significantly more if you will be outsourcing planning and production of case studies, eBooks, blogging, videos, podcasts and articles.

  Measure & Evolve

  Focus on meaningful metrics, monitored and evaluated in real time, that enable your organization to constantly adapt and evolve. As a result, you will experience increased efficiency, improved ROI, more leads and higher levels of loyalty.

  • Running a local search campaign? Consider unique call-tracking numbers to monitor incoming calls and connect them back to marketing efforts.
  • Set up Google Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics for your site to gain access to a wealth of information, resources and data.

  Looking for More Marketing Strategy Tips and Resources?

  The social Web is full of remarkable people, content and resources. Organizations like HubSpot, and influentials like Chris Brogan and David Meerman Scott, have built their brands by educating the masses through blogging, eBooks, online classes, Webinars, case studies, Web TV shows and podcasts, often for free.
  
  Take advantage of the wealth of information and guidance available to you. Check out page 47 of the GamePlan for a list of essential resources for inbound marketers.

  Click here to download the free eBook (no registration).

  Paul Roetzer is founder and president of PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. He can be found on Twitter @PaulRoetzer

   Subscribe to receive the PR 20/20 blog by email or RSS feed.

• How To Build Your Inbound Marketing GamePlan

  By Paul Roetzer | Posted Jan 20, 2010 | 14 Comment(s) | Filed in: Internet Marketing

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  It’s time to change the game.

  You have a choice. Stick to the traditional, safe marketing strategies that you have always known, or employ the inbound marketing tools and strategies that are giving organizations the power and agility to overtake the competition.

  If you’d like to go the conservative route, you can stop reading now. For the underdogs and innovators, now is your time. Introducing the Inbound Marketing GamePlan (click here to download the free PDF eBook).

  

  

  Click here to download the free eBook (no registration).

  In early 2007, Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah, co-founders of HubSpot and authors of Inbound Marketing, set out to level the playing field. Their vision and business model have given organizations of all sizes the ability to grow smarter and faster by outthinking, not outspending, the competition.

  Around that same time, David Meerman Scott published The New Rules of Marketing & PR, which remains highly relevant today as a revolutionary book for organizations stuck in traditional, outbound marketing activities. (EDITOR NOTE: The second edition of "New Rules" was released in paperback Jan. 12, 2010)

  The work of Halligan, Shah and Meerman Scott, along with the collective knowledge of the social Web, have inspired us to build and publish the Inbound Marketing GamePlan.  

  The GamePlan follows a standard marketing-strategy methodology, but concentrates on shifting budgets and resources to more effective and measurable inbound marketing strategies.

  Our hope is that this eBook serves as a resource for organizations of all sizes to take a more strategic approach to marketing, and tap into the full potential of inbound marketing to connect with all relevant audiences, generate leads and build loyalty.

  The GamePlan in Action

  • STEP 1: Clearly define and differentiate your brand.

  • STEP 2: Design and deploy a content-driven Website.

  • STEP 3: Go beyond prospects, and consider the impact of your inbound marketing efforts on all audiences.

  • STEP 4: Establish measurable and meaningful campaign objectives designed to achieve the primary goals of leads and loyalty.

  • STEP 5: Build an integrated campaign fueled by the four core inbound marketing strategies: Search Marketing, Social Media, Content Marketing and Public Relations. The success of each strategy creates momentum that drives your organization forward.

  • STEP 6: Establish dynamic budgets that can be easily shifted based on campaign performance and analytics.

  • STEP 7: Define campaign timelines with milestones, tasks and responsibilities.

  • STEP 8: Measure everything, and be willing to adapt and evolve.

  It’s Time . . .

  The social Web and inbound marketing have leveled the playing field. Underdogs and innovators now have the power to grow faster and smarter than their competitors. They have the ability to control their destiny.

  Don't be afraid to completely evolve what you have spent years building. Listen to the markets, adapt to demand and move where others aren't willing or able to go.

  • It’s time to differentiate your brand and build a powerful, lead-generating Website.
  • It’s time to consider the needs and goals of all audiences and connect with them in more meaningful and personal ways.
  • It’s time to stop hiding behind arbitrary measurements, and start building integrated marketing campaigns around metrics that directly affect the bottom line.
  • It’s time to stop paying for placement and start publishing relevant, link-worthy content.
  • It’s time to participate and bring real value to online communities.
  • It’s time to set dynamic, performance-based budgets that constantly shift and adapt based on analytics, consumer behavior and market forces.
  • It’s time to tap into the endless resources of the social Web.
  • It’s time to “get found” when audiences are searching for knowledge, products and services.
  • It’s time to generate leads and build loyalty.
  • It’s time to look beyond traditional wisdom and conventional solutions.
  • It’s time to innovate and lead.
  • It’s time to build and activate your Inbound Marketing GamePlan (click here to download the free PDF eBook).

  Inbound Marketing GamePlan eBook Table of Contents
  

  • Chapter 1> Intro: The Shift to Inbound Marketing
  • Chapter 2> Discovery: Define, Differentiate & Design
  • Chapter 3> Audiences: Segment & Prioritize
  • Chapter 4> Objectives: Set Your Success Factors
  • Chapter 5> Strategies & Tactics: Take an Integrated Approach
  • Chapter 6> Budgets: Calculate Time & Money Investments
  • Chapter 7> Timeline: Track Activities & Milestones
  • Chapter 8> Measure & Evolve: Use Analytics to Adapt
  • Chapter 9> Resource Center: Tap into the Social Web
  • Chapter 10> The Beginning: Look Beyond

  Click here to download the free eBook (no registration).

  Your Feedback

  We welcome your feedback, and encourage you to share this eBook with any professionals and communities that you believe may benefit from its content and resources.

  Thank You!

   

  Paul Roetzer is founder and president of PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. He can be found on Twitter @PaulRoetzer

   Subscribe to receive the PR 20/20 blog by email or RSS feed.

• 7 Ways to Take Control of Your Brand in 2010

  By Laurel Miltner | Posted Dec 30, 2009 | 2 Comment(s) | Filed in: Brand Marketing, Content Marketing, Internet Marketing

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  In 2009, it came to the forefront that the advent of social media had applications outside of connecting with friends and building personal networks. Businesses began to take advantage of the social Web by expanding their online presences and attempting to make deeper connections with their customers, employees and other target audiences.

  However, it’s also become abundantly clear that just as businesses can have a greater voice through online tools and applications, so can the everyday Joe or Jane.  Today, if the stars align just right, a single person can have a major affect on a brand’s reputation.

  

  She didn't give a damn... but you should.

  Sometimes, this can work to your brand’s advantage.  Like when Chris Brogan decides he loves your product and wants to share it with his massive number of followers.  Or, for example, when a single employee makes an extra effort that moves your customer so much she decides to blog about it, and the word spreads like wildfire.

  However, there are also times when people will say negative things about your brand and their experience with it.  These voices, whether internal or external, can cause waves of crisis before you even see it coming.  We’ve seen several examples of this over the past year: from the Dominos gross-out, to Motrin moms, to United Airlines breaking guitars, to people getting fired for dissing their job on social networks.

  Even if negative comments don’t spread widely, the presence of a large amount of small negative comments can harm your brand and your bottom line, particularly when they get indexed by search engines, or appear on product review sites. Honestly,  when was the last time you purchased a product online without first searching for information and reading the reviews?

  So, the question becomes: in a world where everyone has a voice, how do you handle the negative comments people share about your brand?

  1. Listen.

  We often speak to clients about approaching online behavior in three phases: monitor, participate, publish.  If nothing else — even if your company isn’t ready or willing to participate in online conversations — in today’s world it is imperative to have some kind of monitoring in place, to understand what people think about your brand. 

  Even if your company isn’t active on social networks, chances are that your employees and customers are — and they just may be talking about your culture, products or services.

  You can mash together free tools, such as Google Alerts and RSS feeds of Twitter searches, or you can opt for a more robust, paid solution like Radian6. Either way, if you don’t know what people are saying about you, you’re sunk before you’ve even jumped in the water.

  Now that you know what people think, why not take their advice? If you see a common complaint or suggestion, do something about it. Make consumer-recommended product improvements, or host a company-wide meeting to address previously unknown service issues.

  2. Let cooler heads prevail.

  If you’re passionate about what you do, it may infuriate you to see an employee post a negative review about working at your company, or to see that a customer is complaining about the service they received — especially when these situations are out of your control — when you know there were other factors at play. However, deleting negative comments or joining in the negative banter will get you nowhere fast. 

  3. Develop a social media policy, and encourage participation.

  For internal purposes, developing a social media policy can help to set guidelines for employees’ social media participation.  If you’ve developed a great company and culture, trust that your colleagues are happy to do what they do — ask them to share it online. 

  Allow employees to share their professional experiences with their personal networks through blogs, photos, videos and status updates.  Passionate people are going to do this anyway in person – why not document it online for the world to see?

  A social media policy can also put support mechanisms in place for helping employees understand what information they can and can’t share online, what times social media participation is appropriate, and what the ramifications may be if they step outside these boundaries.

  4. Be the best customer service representative you can be (whether you work in customer service or not).

  If you see someone complaining about a bad brand experience onsite or by phone, don’t you talk to them about it? Why should it be different online? Reach out to the naysayers, ask them what the problem is and see if there is anything you can do to help.  Turn their negative experience into a positive one through your proactive approach to improving their interactions with your brand.

  5. Publish your own content.

  Develop a content marketing strategy, and start developing multi-media content that is highly relevant to your target audiences. Consider the following:

  Start a company blog. Write articles and eBooks that your potential buyers will find useful and want to share. Work with your happiest customers to develop case studies about their experience that you can share online. Post photos and videos from around the office and at industry events. Interview people that you think are smarter than you — record these and use the audio for a podcast, post a quick video, and write about it.

  While you can’t control people’s perceptions of your brand, you can certainly work to influence them, and build your reputation by publishing content.

  6. Understand that you can’t always win.

  I can’t think of a single brand that has a 100% positive reputation. There will be times when things fall through the cracks, and there will always be negative Nancys and Neds who just want to complain online because they can — especially when they can do so anonymously.

  If your company is doing its best, providing the best products and services you’re capable of, hiring the right people and making ethical business decisions, you need to trust that the community you’ve built will stand behind you.

  If you give the majority of people great brand experiences, whether they be employees or customers, and offer ways for them to share these perceptions online (whether through online reviews, blog posts or simple comments on social networks), I can all but guarantee that these are the attributes that will stick out when people look for you online.  Bury the naysayers with your positivity. Just do it authentically.

  7. Put in the hard work.

  I know… you’re busy. We’re all busy. Most of us are already trying to squeeze 50+ hours of work into a 40-hour workweek.  But this is how people interact today, and to survive and thrive, you have to adapt.  I challenge you to make it your goal in 2010 to, at the very least, start listening to what people have to say about your brand online, and put a basic social media policy in place.

  Go to http://www.google.com/alerts and set up email or RSS feeds for your company name.  If you’re feeling ambitious, also include your name, any major product names, your CEO’s name and your main competitors.  See what people think about you, and how you stand up against others in the industry.

  Lastly, Remember:

  Even though it might seem a daunting task at first, making your business the best it can be, and keeping your employees, customers and other stakeholders happy was the plan from day one, right?  Didn’t you always want to be the best?  Didn’t you start your company, or choose your career path, in hopes of being the industry leader? Now just may be the perfect time to refocus on that, and make it happen.

  Laurel Miltner is a consultant at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. Follow Laurel on Twitter @laurelmackenzie.
  

   Subscribe to receive the PR 20/20 blog by email or RSS feed.

  (Image courtesy of Blackheart Records)

• Is Social Media for Everyone?

  By Dia Dalsky | Posted Nov 12, 2009 | 6 Comment(s) | Filed in: Internet Marketing, Social Media

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  In 2009, companies and the consuming public have been focused on the idea of social media and its increasing role in the evolution of business marketing. Great examples are being set by brands like GM, Whole Foods and possibly your local news station, which have led to businesses in every industry scrambling to get connected.
  
  Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or the large amounts of social sharing tools (e.g. digg, delicious, StumbleUpon and so on), businesses are starting to realize if they aren’t participating, then they will be left behind.

  

  So should every company start “tweeting” on Twitter, “friending” on Facebook and “connecting” through LinkedIn all at once? Not necessarily. But that’s what a lot of businesses are doing, and without a strategy to support their efforts, many don’t realize they could be hurting their brand more than they are helping it. 
  
  Social media is not as simple as creating profiles on each social network site and making random posts. It is about listening, learning, building relationships and bringing value to the communities relevant to your organization.
  
  Social media, when connected to search marketing, content marketing and public relations strategies, can help your organization boost search engine rankings, build relationships, manage and strengthen your brand, and enhance your positioning as a thought-leader and innovator. In other words, you need a strategy.

  So, is social media right for your business?

  Here are six questions to consider before launching your brand onto the social Web.

  1. Have you defined your brand?

  Every organization must differentiate and define itself. For starters, answer the question, “Who are we (in 140 characters or less, and without meaningless jargon)?”  Until you can define who you are, you can’t expect anyone else to understand. For instance, PR 20/20’s Twitter bio reads that we are an, “inbound marketing agency, PR firm. Focused on content marketing, PR, social media, search engine marketing.”

  2. Do you know your audiences?

  Every business must understand its audiences’ needs and clearly define its buyer personas. Discover where your audiences congregate online, and what types of communications and content they value. With this information, create and implement a strategic social media campaign that will reach and influence all audiences relevant to your business.

  3. Have you established a content strategy that will deliver value?

  When sharing content and participating in social media, the most important question to ask is, “What value can I bring?” Consider your organization’s knowledge and capabilities, as well as the needs and goals of your audiences, then publish things that matter. This will help your brand connect in meaningful and personal ways. Zappos.com’s CEO, Tony Hsieh, does an awesome job at delivering content to his followers on Twitter.

  4. Do you know where your audiences are and how to connect with them?

  Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook are the obvious starting points, but do your homework and discover where your audiences are congregating and connecting. Start by researching forums, blogs and niche social networks for opportunities to engage with your core audiences. Learn about where they want to receive information and how your business can bring value to their experience on the social Web.

  5. Do you have the internal resources needed?

  You can’t outsource social media participation. Like any relationship, it requires time and a commitment to authenticity. Make sure you have the people, permissions (i.e. management support) and policies in place within your organization to make social media an integral, ongoing part of your marketing and communications efforts.

  6. Do you know how to measure and monitor your success?

  The network platforms previously mentioned come equipped with the elements needed to track the growth of your success, or reach. Start by benchmarking your social network profiles (i.e. number of followers, fans, subscribers, comments and so on) and continually track these figures monthly. There are also a number of free tools you can employ, such as HubSpot Twitter Grader, Google Feedburner and more. It’s also important to connect these metrics to your business acquisition and retention goals.

  One size does not fit all businesses

  There are endless opportunities for organizations in social media. However, it’s not about doing it ALL, but rather it’s about deciding on the RIGHT combination for your business, and doing it WELL.

  Related PR 20/20 Social Media Posts:

  • Why You Actually Need to PARTICIPATE in Social Media
  • Twitter Strategy: An Incomplete Guide for Beginners
  • Getting Started on Facebook: Five Tips to Maximizing your Company’s Page
  • Six Tips for Maximizing Your LinkedIn Profile

  Dia Dalsky is an associate consultant at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. Follow Dia on Twitter @DiaDalsky.
  

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• 13 Website Migration Steps to Keep Your Rankings

  By Keith Moehring | Posted Nov 6, 2009 | 4 Comment(s) | Filed in: Internet Marketing

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  If not done correctly, migrating your current Website to a new site with different URLs can have grave consequences. We’re talking drops in keyword rankings, a dramatic decrease of indexed pages, less traffic from referring links, dogs and cats living together, MASS HYSTERIA! 

  Fortunately, if you follow the 13 steps below, you can seamlessly transfer search engine credit and links from your current site to the new site.
  
  NOTE: If you don’t have a Website development background, be sure to work with someone who does. There are numerous technical elements in this process that if done wrong will hurt your site.
  
  Pre-Step: Make sure the new site is still in a dormant phase and cannot be seen by visitors or search engines prior to starting this process. An effective way to do this is to keep the new site behind password protection or on a designated test server.

  Step 1:  Create a Sitemap

  Create a sitemap that outlines all the pages of the new Website and the internal link structure. Below is an example we created using MindJet.

  

  Step 2:  Review Analytics and Identify Key Pages

  If your site doesn't have them already, install Google Webmasters Tools and Google Analytics. Using these tools, you can ensure that all of your pages are being crawled and indexed properly, review traffic sources and patterns, and identify ways to improve your site's marketing and search engine effectiveness.  

  Make sure to review these tools to discover the current site pages that have links coming to them or are ranking well for specific keywords. If at all possible, these pages should also be included on your new site and a 301 redirect (see step 8) should point the old URL to the new URL telling search engines and incoming links that the page has permanently moved.

  Steps 3 & 4: Create or Migrate Content

  (3) Decide which new site pages will need new content and which pages will have migrated content.
  
  (4) Provide your Website development team with a listing of the URLs for the pages with content that needs to be migrated over to the new site.

  Step 5:  Populate

  Start building out the new Website by creating the pages, uploading or writing new content, inserting images and graphics, formatting the content appropriately, and linking internal pages to each other.

  Step 6:  Optimize

  Optimize the pages with unique, keyword-rich Page Titles, URLs and Page Descriptions (your Content Management System should give you control of these). Be sure to include alt text on all images and optimize the anchor text of all internal links.

  Step 7:  Review and Test

  Review and test the new Website to ensure everything works properly and is formatted correctly. This includes all links (main and sub navigation, call-to-action buttons, and text links within the copy), page copy format (headlines, sub-headlines, paragraph spacing, bolded phrases, etc.), and optimization activities (Page Title, URLs, Descriptions, Alt Text and Anchor Text).  
  
  Be sure to test in a variety of browsers to make sure the site is optimized for all visitors. Major browsers to test include:

  • Internet Explorer 6, 7, 8
  • Mozilla FireFox
  • Safari
  • Google Chrome

  Step 8:  Point the Old to the New

  Develop a Side-By-Side URL Chart that features the new Website URL tag (any part of the URL that appears after the .com) and the old URL tags that need to be 301 redirected to it. (See example below.) Send this to your Website developer so they can set these up prior to the launch of the new site. Every page on your old site should be included. If a page does not have a similar page on the new site, redirect it to the homepage.

  

  Step 9:  Launch Your Site

  Have your Website developer activate the new Website by pointing the DNS to the server that contains your new Website’s files. 

  Step 10:  Activate 301 Redirects

  Activate the 301 redirects defined in the Side-By-Side URL Chart.

  Step 11:  Test Links

  Test to make sure all the links pointing to your old URLs automatically redirect like they are supposed to.

  Step 12:  Submit Sitemaps to Search Engines

  If possible, submit the old XML sitemap and new XML sitemap to Google Webmaster Tools and Bing Webmaster Central. This step will make the search engines crawl your old URLs, see that they have moved and change their indexes accordingly. If nothing else, submit the new XML sitemap to both these search engines. If your new site platform does not automatically provide an XML sitemap (to check, add /sitemap.xml to the end of your URL) talk to your Web developer.

  Step 13:  Check Google Webmasters Tools

  Wait until Google Webmaster Tools updates (24 to 72 hours) and then fix any errors that occur.
  
  It will also benefit you to read Google’s blog about moving your site. According to Maile Ohye, Senior Developer Programs Engineer, Google Inc., it has been reviewed by at least 12 Googlers for accuracy.

  A special thanks to Clay Schossow (@newmediaclay) at New Media Campaigns for his help developing this post.

  Keith Moehring is a consultant at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. Follow Keith on Twitter @keithmoehring.
  

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• Does Inbound Marketing Really Work?

  By Paul Roetzer | Posted Oct 26, 2009 | 11 Comment(s) | Filed in: Internet Marketing

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  Inbound marketing is on a roll: A new book. A growing online community with a free university. A skyrocketing startup with a wildly popular blog and a fresh $16 million in Series C funding. Plus jam-packed summits in cities around the country.

  So is it a fad, or is it fundamentally changing the way organizations think and market? And, more importantly, does it work?

  One PR Firm’s Story

  I had my first conversation with Dan Tyre of HubSpot in September 2007, just months after Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah founded an upstart software company based on their belief in what they termed “inbound marketing.”

  Dan talked to me about search rankings, blogging, lead intelligence, Website Grades, inbound links and content.

  I have to admit that most of it was new to a PR guy who had spent his career in publicity, marketing strategy, branding, communications and sports marketing. But despite my uncertainty, I saw a tremendous opportunity to evolve our agency, and our industry.

  It took two more calls with Dan before we signed on with HubSpot, plus another 10 months, and countless conversations with Brian, Dharmesh, Dan and Peter Caputa, before we fully committed and began our transformation into an inbound marketing agency.

  The Results

  We have worked with dozens of clients to integrate HubSpot and build inbound marketing campaigns. Regardless of the industry — financial, insurance, technology, professional services, software, consumer services, real estate — we have seen consistent success for organizations committed to inbound marketing.

  And while we can’t share their analytics, I believe so strongly in the value of inbound marketing, and its importance to businesses and the future of the PR industry, that I figured what better way to prove it than to show you our own results.

  Now those closest to me know that I tend to be somewhat guarded when it comes to PR 20/20’s business strategy and data; however, there are times when all of us have to step outside of our comfort zone in order to advance an idea.

  So, starting in April 2008, when we fully activated inbound marketing for our own agency development, here’s what has happened:

  Our Website Grade has gone from 57 to 87, while the top 156 PR firms in the industry maintain an average Website Grade of 49.

  

  Dramatic increases in traffic, driven almost exclusively by content marketing, search marketing and social media participation.

  

  Site traffic generated through multiple sources, including continued upticks in organic search and social media traffic.

  

  Our blog has seen an increase in subscribers of more than 900%, moved up to a Technorati ranking of 266,049 and been named to the Junta42 Top Content Marketing blogs.

  Blog Subscribers
  

  

  Technorati Rank

  

  Increase in inbound links from less than 100 to more than 5,500.

  

  Most importantly, our revenue growth during this period has outpaced the PR firm industry average by more than an 8-to-1 ratio, according to industry data detailed in PRWeek’s 2009 Agency Business Report.

  9 Tips to Make Inbound Marketing Work for Your Business

  Based on our experiences, and the analytics of dozens of client campaigns, here are nine tips to help your organization plan and activate an effective inbound marketing campaign:

  1. Disrupt the market. Stop relying on PR and advertising to make you appear more interesting. Differentiate your organization from competitors, bring real value to customers and continually innovate.
  
  
  2. Get educated. Start with the Inbound Marketing University and new Inbound Marketing book by Halligan and Shah, as well as The New Rules of Marketing & PR, a classic by David Meerman Scott.
  
  
  3. Find the right agency partner that has a proven track record of integrating inbound marketing strategies. Traditional PR firms, SEO companies and ad agencies most likely are not the answer.
  
  
  4. Get to know your buyer personas and set measurable objectives for your inbound marketing activities.
  
  
  5. Design and activate a fully integrated inbound marketing strategy focused on six key areas: brand, Website, content marketing, search marketing, social media and public relations. Keep in mind that YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are brands and platforms, not strategies.
     
     
     • Brand Marketing: Define the difference and establish your positioning.
     • Web Development: Design, connect and grow.
     • Search Marketing: Get found.
     • Social Media: Monitor, participate and publish.
     • Content Marketing: Publish fresh, relevant and link-worthy content.
     • Public Relations: Build relationships and enhance communications.
  6. Practice patience and dedication.
  
  
  7. Benchmark and measure everything, in particular inbound links, leads and sales.
  
  
  8. Adapt, execute, evolve and take risks.
  
  
  9. Be willing to deconstruct your brand and business model to remain relevant, and position yourself where the market is going.

  What Do You Think?

  • Is inbound marketing a fad?
  • Has your organization seen similar success through search marketing, social media, content marketing and PR?
  • Are your agencies providing the level of knowledge and support needed to succeed in inbound marketing? Which agencies are most qualified to take the lead (PR, advertising, SEO, interactive)?

  Related Posts

  • Disrupt or Die: 6 Tips on Disruptive Innovation
  • Dawn of the Inbound Marketing Agency
  • Navigating the Long Tail of Opportunity
  • Top PR Firms Fail to Make the Grade Online
  • Beyond Prospects: The True Potential of Inbound Marketing

  
  

  Paul Roetzer is founder and president of PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. He can be found on Twitter @PaulRoetzer

   Subscribe to receive the PR 20/20 blog by email or RSS feed.
• Beyond Prospects: The True Potential of Inbound Marketing

  By Paul Roetzer | Posted Oct 5, 2009 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Internet Marketing

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  Inbound marketing is all about getting found by prospects and generating leads. Right?
  
  According to HubSpot, champions of the inbound marketing movement (see online software, book and summit), “Inbound marketing software helps your company get found by the qualified prospects that are looking for the products or services that you sell in search engines, blogs and the blogosphere, and social media.”
  
  And it does. As a HubSpot customer and Partner Agency, we have witnessed first-hand the lead-generating value of inbound marketing. But inbound marketing can do so much more for your business.
  
  For example, consider its brand loyalty and retention attributes with existing customers. Or, how about its ability to help recruit and retain employees, connect with mainstream and social media, influence competitors and engage with peers?

  The Power of Content and Community

  The social-Web savvy, analytics geeks (including me) that have become advocates of inbound marketing know that the true power is driven by two things: content and community.
  
  Regularly publishing fresh, relevant, link-worthy content (i.e. blogs, podcasts, videos, optimized press releases, Webinars, case studies, white papers, eBooks and by-lined articles) gives organizations and professionals the ability to boost search engine rankings, generate inbound links and drive Website traffic, which obviously can generate leads. While bringing value to online communities helps to establish and grow relationships.

  
  However, content and community also strengthen your brand and enhance your thought-leadership positioning, which can have a much greater impact on your organization’s long-term growth, stability and success.

  

  
  So, when building your inbound marketing strategy, be sure to think beyond prospects, and design a gameplan to reach and influence all audiences relevant to your business.
  
  

  • Customers
  • Employees
  • Job candidates
  • Bloggers
  • Mainstream media
  • Partners
  • Vendors
  • Competitors
  • Peers

  
  Every inbound marketing plan should start with lead generation, but the most powerful campaigns will use content and community to build loyalty.

  Paul Roetzer is founder and president of PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. He can be found on Twitter @PaulRoetzer

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  Image courtesy of Intersection Consulting.

• 5 Internet Marketing Tips for Your Book Launch

  By Tracy DiMarino | Posted Sep 11, 2009 | 6 Comment(s) | Filed in: Internet Marketing

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  With about $13.70 billion dollars worth of books sold online in North America per year, it makes sense that more and more authors are turning to the Internet for their book marketing and promotion. Online, they can now connect with their consumers and generate interest in a way they couldn’t do before.
  
  In addition, the social nature of the Web makes it easy for consumers to discover and recommend books, since people are actively rating, reviewing and sharing books online.
  
  Recently, many books have experienced great sucess online. A few examples are:

  • BusinessWeek bestseller, The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott
  • BusinessWeek and Amazon bestseller Tribes by Seth Godin, and
  • New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Amazon bestseller Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Juilen Smith. 

  Below you will find some of the online strategies these authors and others used to get people excited about and reading their books. 

  

  Launch a Website / Subpage for the Book

  Create a designated spot online for the book, whether it is a dedicated Website like Rohit Bhargava uses for his book Personality Not Included or a subpage on a personal site like David Meerman Scott uses for his books. People will appreciate having a specific location online where they can go for more information or to purchase a copy. Make sure to include the following information, if possible: book summary, author biography, purchasing information and testimonials.
  
  Also, it’s a good idea to have a detailed media room so that media representatives, bloggers and prospective customers can easily find everything they want to know. For an example, see author of Thank God It’s Monday, Roxanne Emmerich’s media room.

  Provide Free Book-Related Content

  By offering free book-related content, many authors have been able to pique interest in their books before publishing. If you’re looking for similar success, consider offering free content, such as an eBook, Webinar or iPhone app as a means to generate excitement. Below are some examples.

  • David Meerman Scott preceded his book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR, with a free eBook on the same topic and an informative blog.
  • Connie Dieken (client), author of Talk Less, Say More, which will be released this month, is offering a free iPhone app, containing the book’s main messages.
  • Gary Vaynerchuk offered a free chapter of his book, Crush It, before its release.

  Engage with People on Social Networking Sites

  Use social networks to your advantage. One success story comes from Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, who recently launched their book, Trust Agents. Chris and Julien leveraged their large online networks by engaging people in conversations about their book’s topics and encouraging people to share the book with others. Here’s the result:
  
  (As stated by Chris on his blog)
  
  “YOUR effort paid off. YOU made Trust Agents a New York Times Bestseller. You pushed. You tweeted. You blogged. You showed people twitpics. You took part in the Trust Agents community. It was all you.”
  
  To emulate their success, here are some suggestions on how to actively communicate with potential customers on sites, such as Twitter and Facebook.

  • Setup a Facebook Fan page for the book and update content regularly. Here’s the one for Trust Agents.
  • Use Twitter #hashtags when discussing the book and its topics.
  • Ask questions to stimulate discussions.
  • Incorporate multimedia elements such as videos and presentations. For an example presentation, see author of The Adventures Of Johnny Bunko, Dan Pink’s creative PowerPoint presentation, which has been viewed 122,089 times on SlideShare and embedded 430 times.

  Encourage People to Refer the Book to Friends   

  With the Internet, there are plenty of ways for people to recommend goods and services to each other, and authors should capitalize on this. Below are some suggestions.

  • Ask people who like the book to leave positive reviews on Amazon.
  • Hold a tell-a-friend campaign. For an example, look at this one for Survival is Not Enough by Seth Godin.
  • Encourage people to add the book to their LinkedIn Amazon Reading List.
  • Embrace online book communities, such as GoodReads, where people share what books they are currently reading and recommend books to others.
  • Have fans use the Visual Bookshelf App on Facebook to alert others of the books they are currently reading.

  Create Your Own Social Networking Site

  Some authors have also had success creating their own social networking site. If this makes sense for your book’s topic and you think enough people might be interested in joining, it’s a strategy worth considering. Below are some examples.

  • Seth Godin formed an online community around his book, Tribes where anyone that pre-ordered a copy of his book was invited to an exclusive Ning community. Here, members could interact with each other, share ideas and get exclusive content.
  • Kevin Ferrazzi had a similar strategy with his online community, which was built around his book, Who’s Got Your Back?. The community, called Greenlight, is designed to help people form relationships that will help them achieve their plans, goals and dreams, reinforcing the main topic of his book, “you can’t succeed alone.”

  What Do You Think?

  What are some online strategies you’d recommend for launching a book? Share with me your resources and suggestions.

  Tracy DiMarino is an associate consultant at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. Follow Tracy on Twitter @TracyDiMarino.
  

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  Photo Credit: margolove
  

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