I was honored to be invited last week to speak on content marketing at the BIA/Kelsey Leading in Local conference in Austin, on a panel moderated by the Senior Analyst Jed Williams. During the panel I talked about several foundational themes related to content marketing that seemed to generate some conversation (you can read a full recap of the panel here on the Kelsey Blog), so I’ve expanded my panel comments for all those who might be interested in what we talked about.
In the last 9 months, a series of reports and research have begun shining the spotlight on a segment of the Local Media market that– up until now– has been under the radar for many. It’s called Digital Marketing Services, and as Borrell Research recently commented in their first report on the topic: “Suddenly digital advertising is yielding the spotlight to digital services…local advertisers are spending two and half times more on these online marketing services then they do on things like (untargeted) banner ads…”
If you’ve never attended a Local University Seminar– you are missing something unique. The world’s top experts in Local search and digital marketing—who usually only speak at major conferences in places like New York, San Francisco and London—come together and travel to towns and cities that typically don’t get to see this level of talent. And Local University isn’t just about watching- the intimate setting lets local businesses have a once in a lifetime opportunity to ask questions and have one-on-one conversations with the top minds on Google, Yahoo, Bing, Facebook, Twitter and every important digital marketing platform.
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock over the last year, you’ve been hearing the phrase “content marketing” everywhere. In fact, a recent a survey of client side marketers worldwide by Econsultancy and Adobe showed one area of digital marketing jumping dramatically in the last year to become the top priority for 2013, and it was–you guessed it– content marketing. And as Digiday recently wrote describing the shift happening in the ad landscape: “Advertisers are no longer content to relegation in the boxes along the periphery of the page. Talk to any major brand, and the word ‘content’ will come up within the first five minutes.”
At the BlueglassX conference several weeks ago, I was having a conversation with fellow panelist David Mihm prior to our Local Search Session about a fact related to local businesses digital marketing priorities that amazed both of us. Far more local businesses have set up a Facebook page then have claimed a Google Place page, by what David has estimated in the past to be a factor of 3 to 1. And as BIA Kelsey recently announced (as reported by Search Engine Land as well as local search expert Mike Blumenthal)- “An astounding 41.7% of SMBs surveyed by BIA/Kelsey say they see Facebook most importantly as a (customer) acquisition tool”.
I had a great experience this week at BlueGlassX Tampa Moderating the “Local Mobile Domination” session the morning of day two at the conference. On my panel were two of the current Rock Stars of the local search world- David Mihm (formerly President of Getlisted.org and just now joining SEOMoz) and Dr. Michael Dorausch of Planet Chiropractic (who has been featured in USA Today and Investors Business Daily for his skills in local). To set up the session I shared a bunch of industry data on how and why the “market” for local search– meaning the number of searches as well as the opportunity for local businesses to drive results through organic search rankings– is exploding right now. Since I pulled a lot of data during my research and had only a limited amount of time to present during the session, I’m adding some super special bonus info here for all of you local search propeller heads.
Posted in Local SEO, Mobile, Search Engine Optimization
When Google+ first launched, the critics pounced. “Why launch another Social Network?” they said. “Google+ is just trying to be Facebook and it will never amount to anything in terms of users”. And even today, most people don’t understand the implications of the platform Google created. So here’s the news flash campers- if you are any kind of content creator (news, journalism, etc), are marketing a business, or care about your personal brand as a thought leader in your industry, you need to get on the stick and make Google+ the center of your world- now. The signs are in place that Google+ will have rapidly increasing influence on your– and your content’s– online visibility, and if you’re by the side of the road when the full impact hits, you’ll wish you had boarded the clue train a long time ago. At the center of the reason why is something called AuthorRank, and I go into detail below on what it is and why you need to start caring.
Posted in Search Engine Optimization, Social Media
The analysts at Business Insider Intelligence just recently released an overview of where we are in the evolution of the Internet in 2012. The data they collected was one of the best summaries I’ve seen recently covering the shifts happening in the digital world- a great overview for newbies and veterans alike who want a high-level orienting picture of the industry. I recommend you view the entire deck, but since it’s fairly long I’ve pulled what I think are the most striking slides and collected them below with some commentary.
John Battelle (author of “The Search”– covering Google’s rise) recently described an experience that vividly shows how quickly the marketing landscape is changing given the impact of social media. I’d recommend anyone involved in the advertising and marketing world read his account, as a powerful reminder to become fully immersed in social right now to stay relevant as the landscape shifts. In his post, Battelle recounts his recent visit with GM CMO Joel Ewanick, whose marketing group offices feature a real-time video wall with a constant stream of consumer conversations related to the auto maker on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Google+, as well as breaking posts and articles. During the visit, Battelle asked about a Facebook post that had just appeared on the video wall criticizing a local GM dealer. Ewanick casually related that his team would quickly engage with that customer and respond as part of their normal process of doing business, and sure enough Battelle later followed up and saw that the team had rapidly engaged the detractor- expertly addressing the customer’s situation.
Posted in Search Engine Optimization
Just in the last week, the 2012 Local Search Ranking Factors survey was released by David Mihm- the 5th edition of his study. While the release didn’t make headlines in the search industry, I would argue that if you are trying to understand the basics of local search, this is the place where you want to start. So what exactly is the Local Search Ranking Factors Study and why should you pay attention?
I’ve been working in marketing and advertising since 1985, online marketing since 1992, and had my first experience with the revolution that is search working with the pioneering AltaVista search engine in 1996. I’ve run $100 million TV campaigns for Fortune 500 companies and lived the wonderful, reliable era of mass advertising and long client lunches by the Four Seasons LA pool. And what I can tell you having done this for a while is the safe and predictable orbit of your marketing universe has ended. If you are a marketer, advertiser or just a business trying to get a few customers, disruption is here. All that you need to do to get done what you need to get done, is changing very quickly. Social Media, Content Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Paid Search, Analytics and Mobile Marketing are revolutionizing the way you get people to buy whatever it is you’re selling. And you either need to get on the bus and starting tooting the horn, or at the very least figure out how not to get run over. This blog is here to help you do that.Read More
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