“Do we need to be in the social space?” is probably one of the biggest questions facing companies today. Twitter might not be right for all companies (although I wish the Lincoln Park Athletic Club would get on it), but there is something for everyone to gain from social media: The ability to listen.
Before social media, company-customer communication was primarily one-way. Sure, customers could fill out surveys or file complaints, but a dialogue did not exist. In 1995 Netscape went public, essentially giving the Internet life. The cost of communication was virtually free in this new, infinite plane. Less than a decade later social media was born and now customers and companies can have conversations.
Listen to what customers are saying. No matter what business your business is in, it is important to understand what the world is saying about you. The idea of finding this information through the thousands of social media tools out there is daunting, but if you know where to look, the results are easy to find.
While there are do-it-yourself applications like Google Analytics and Yahoo Pipes, companies are actually developing software to trace social space content now. Amber Naslund visited us at Loyola University Chicago yesterday to discuss Radian6’s social media research software. The Chicago-based company’s software not only measures social space mentions down to the minute, but comes equipped to analyze the results as well.
Photo by Ralph Braseth
Amber was a fantastic guest with great insight. If nothing else, she demonstrated that social media is here to stay. While the social media tools will change, the principle of the revolution will not. The ability to listen and connect with customers is an extraordinary advantage that allows companies to respond, build relationships and learn their people.
Filed under: Ad/PR World
Consider how we use the Internet. Whether looking up a recipe, shopping for car insurance or checking the statistics on your favorite sports team, most Internet activities begin with a search engine like Google or bing. Frequent Internet users breeze through search results and often find whatever they are looking for in the first few hits. This means a website needs to be at the top of that first results page to catch the user’s attention.
It is a PR professional’s job to get their client noticed, which in this case means as close to that top results spot as possible. Understanding the search process (and what makes a website more searchable) is key.
Here are a few things to consider when designing a website with optimal search-ability.
- Content: The more content on a website, the more text search engines have to draw from. The content is what users are searching for, so make sure it is high quality and worth the click-through. Once users land on your page, keep them there.
- Links: Links result in click-through and build relationships with other online destinations. Simply put, more links equals more web traffic.
- On-the-page elements: Keywords and phrases that users might search for should appear on a website as often as possible. Headings and subheadings are a good place for keywords because search engine crawlers can easily identify them.
- Off-the-page elements: Keywords can show up in the technical jargon of your website too. While users might not view the html that stitches web design together, search engines pick up the keywords hidden in the page’s coding.
All of these components arm a website with tools to catch the attention of search engines, and therefore hopefully a searcher. Initial search-ability is invaluable because search engines also take into account how often a website is visited.
High user traffic adds value and bumps sites up in search engine results. Website visits, therefore, grow exponentially, gaining momentum with each new visit. This ability, however, is a double-edged sword.
Take into account this example of both traditional and non-traditional search optimization. Keyword: “United Airlines.”
The first two search engine results link to the actual United Airlines website- exactly what that company wants. The United Airlines website has links from other locations, high keyword appearances and important content for users.
The third result, however, is a YouTube video titled, “United Breaks Guitars,” which bashes United Airlines for poor customer service. Of 20,800,000 search results, this video shows up at number three because it has a massive amount of user visits.
While this YouTube video is a PR nightmare for United Airlines, it is also a great example of how lesser-known companies can use search optimization to get their website noticed. “United Breaks Guitars” may have started small, but because it is entertaining it was no doubt shared millions of times between users.
The moral of this story is that the users themselves ultimately decide what will show up in search results. Understanding the search process allows PR professionals to harness the power of users who make websites popular. Interesting content is successful when tailored to what people search for, where they search for it.
Filed under: Ad/PR World
The overwhelming popularity of vampire-human love stories in recent
years is undeniable. While such plot-lines have been around far before
the publishing of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, the cross-over of
vampire-mania into mainstream media is worth taking note of.
As if vampire-based television shows don’t draw enough attention by
themselves, they are working out to be great subjects for alternative
media campaigns too.
The CW’s new teen drama The Vampire Diaries kicked off its first season with a blood drive branded “Starve a Vampire. Donate Blood.” Along with partner American Red Cross, the five week blood drive tour stops at high schools and universities this fall. This inspirational campaign is clever and actually does good too. Who wouldn’t want to support this effort and show?
HBO’s TrueBlood also got noticed for recent advertising. The hit show premiered in New Zealand over the summer and an advertising team at DRAFTFCB created a campaign that was both clever and also unique to natural surroundings. A billboard that read “On Hold. Vampire Lair Discovered.” was placed above a temporarily halted construction site. This billboard no doubt gets quite a lifted eyebrows from nearby drivers. The campaign definitely gets attention.
So what is the big deal? The vampire-backed advertisers have found a way to get the attention of an audience that has grown up less susceptible to traditional forms of media. First, they harness the power of one of the biggest fads on the market. Second, if it is interesting enough, alternative media campaigns can get people to take a break from their iPods and pay attention to an advertisement or event.
I’ll admit, if you’ve got my attention here, I’ll at least give your show a shot.
