Anywho, I believe the Wild Wild West nature of the Internet has created an issue of just what will we, as users, of the medium adapt to versus adopt. First, let’s define the words. From Wiktionary, to adapt is “the capacity of an organism to be modified by circumstances”.  Adopt, on the other hand, is “To take by choice into relationship”.

There are certain things we may adapt to but either feel we have no choice or it may be temporary – like changes to Facebook – often times we adapt knowing the powers that be will finally figure out they goofed and change it – yet again. (Okay I will save my rants about Facebook for another post and I have a few).

There are, however, things we take up and adopt willingly. The difference is not subtle and I believe more attention by the major providers of Internet sites should pay attention to it.  Adapt has a breaking point, adopt does not and we will support and magnify the change. It increasingly becomes easy to adapt then figure out we will not adopt and can choose to abandon.

When you make changes to your site, services, or customer service policy – do you know if your customers and prospects are adapting or adopting? I continue to see major companies thrusting changes upon us – changes that people will not adopt or adapt to. The tools to market test have never been better – why is it not done more often?

Is it arrogance – I believe when you reach the 500,000,000 mark it becomes arrogance and I will review that in more detail on a future post.

Where do you find yourself adapting versus adopting?

Rick Simmons is a principal at Dinkum Interactive, a firm specializing in online marketing solutions for small and medium sized businesses around the globe. With more than 25 years of experience in advertising and marketing, Simmons has spent the last four years focused on search engine optimization, and other Internet marketing strategies.  Reach him at 267-626-9094 or rick@dinkuminteractive.com.

Big Banana in Coffs Harbour

I’m a big picture person. This served me well as a special education teacher as I would rarely sweat the small stuff, choosing to focus instead on what really mattered which generally involved some form of learning as well as some form of safety i.e no-one gets hurt. So in this world of SEO that I’ve been absorbed for a decent portion of my professional career, I am also more about what I feel really matters (like conversions) rather than some of the specifics (like rankings). Sometimes though, these things come together and that is why I enjoy analytics so much. Identification and tracking of data has become a bit of an obsession of late particularly with smaller businesses that have so many holes because they’re often wearing multiple hats or focused on providing services than worrying about their marketing infrastructure.

When we first opened shop, we found the easiest way to reflect the work we offered was to add analytics and then target the most important aspects of their website for our reports. A contact form was most likely. Possibly a digital download or a unique URL. That’s kind of where it stopped. So for that person who sent our client an inquiry after going to Google, typing in “Graphic Design Company”, a phrase that they didn’t rank for before but now are front and center on Search Engines, unless the client asked how the prospect found them, we really don’t know where that new client came from because, for whatever reason, there is no inquiry form on their website or the prospect called them on the phone and they never asked how they found them.

So that new client who will be spending $50K in the next year with you came through an initiative that you’ve been questioning about spending $5K/year for mostly because you didn’t ask how they found you. That’s a significant return on your investment but if you don’t know about it, that’s a problem.

Obviously e-commerce makes it a lot easier because we can actually set up revenue tracking and it takes us through the whole process, we’ve also set up call tracking so the client can close the gap between the web and the telephone. Nice and clean thank you very much. Unfortunately most businesses don’t work that way. A prospect may have originated from the Web but there might be several touches with the prospect throughout the sales cycle, several staff members may have to become involved to help seal the deal and in the end, when you close the deal, SEO may well have been the forgotten source.

Having worked in or with larger organizations or agencies, I’ve seen how integrated their initiatives can be. A big CRM that is actually tied together with analytics and fully integrated into the website makes for an incredibly seamless data source. It relies less on staff input  and more on actual hard and fast data and the reporting can be amazing. These things will show you every little detail from a go to whoa. Very impressive. Our aim is to be able to do this on a small scale which is the greatest challenge. Having to rely on workarounds and hacks to get what we need can tighten things up only takes you so far. The gaps still exist.

While these challenges will continue, if you’re a client of ours or working with another Internet Marketing company there are a few basics that you should be covering.

1. Make sure you have analytics installed on your website. We generally prefer Google Analytics because of the price point for smaller companies but there are a bunch of others out there that are affordable and really help to give you a better understanding of your website’s performance.

2. Identify and create conversion points or as we often refer to them, Key Performance Indicators (KPI). If your website doesn’t have an inquiry form, we’ll generally insist on adding one. Phone tracking has also become a pretty significant requirement and while it’s not necessarily cheap, it’s not outrageous and is well worth the investment.

3. Analyze and assess your campaign at least every month. We do monthly reports for our clients which allows us to get a solid overall perspective on our clients’ website performance and will then review with them. We do encourage them to go and have a look for themselves regularly as well.

4. Ask your prospects how they found you. Sure this is pretty challenging in many circumstances but it’s pretty important especially if you’ve invested a good sum of money into your Internet Marketing campaign.

Don’t assume that we won’t obsess over search rankings because there is still a pretty close relationship between a strong keyword position and conversion points but obviously with personalized search and geo-targeting and all the other initiatives that search engines are famous for, it makes for a pretty difficult justification of our activities. For us, analytics is the sweet spot and allows us to not only obsess over every little detail of your campaign, but give us a much clearer big picture.

Paul Fleming is co-founder and VP of Interactive Services for Dinkum Interactive. A trained teacher, Paul has worked in a variety of forms of Internet Marketing but with a focus on SEO. Originally from Australia, he now resides in Philadelphia with his wife, son and another on the way.

The crossover to Internet marketing isn’t as hard as you might think.  In fact, it comes down to babysitting – or as I like to call it during my ‘day job’: adult supervision.

Social media, like most aspects of a successful Internet marketing campaign, is about three things:

• pacing (e.g. a schedule)
• relevance (e.g. attention span)
• strategy (e.g. mature decision making!)

Without those three elements, you’re pretty much sunk, even with the best SEO keywords or targeted landing page in the world.

Part of my job at Dinkum Interactive is to help guide our clients along the path that we’ve mutually decided upon.  This means stepping up and helping to get a blog entry written, an article produced, a facebook event posted, or an email newsletter Tweeted.

At Dinkum we are strong proponents of what we call “adult supervision” when it comes to Internet Marketing activities like social media.  Instead of doing it for our clients (something I don’t recommend for a variety of reasons), we help to monitor our clients’ activities and online behavior – essentially, social media babysitting!   If you’re a client, you’ll catch us reminding you before there is a problem and watching out for the opportunities and trouble spots that lie ahead.  We’ll proactively suggest blog topics to you and your staff, point out LinkedIn conversations in which you might participate, or feed relevant news or blogger musings we stumble across for distribution on your Twitter page.

The reason we believe in this approach is simple: we use it ourselves.  I’m currently being supervised by our own Social Media expert Marilyn Moran – just this past weekend she pointed out a few LinkedIn conversations I was able to dive into, and she gave me a heads up today that my last blog entry was over a week old.  With two kids, a busy work schedule, and keyboard fatigue I’m sure glad someone is watching out for me, and helping our company execute on our Social Media strategy.

Who is watching out for you?

Jacob Smith is a Senior Project Manager and Web Strategist with Dinkum Interactive and has led over 150 high-level consulting and website development projects over the last 10 years. He is active in both the internet and cultural communities, and serves on the board of Philly Car Share, the largest car sharing organization in the United States. Originally from Southern California, Jacob and his wife, Meghan, now live in Center City Philadelphia with their young sons Rory and Duncan.

Thinking ahead for once, I made my trip to the supermarket on Saturday evening, right after finishing my fourth Web Strategy document in as many days.  I was so anxious to get out and away from my desk, that I didn’t take the time to make a shopping list.  I’m an enthusiastic grill master – no need to make a meal plan, let alone a shopping list, right?  Wrong!  Even after spending a sizable chunk of change at the local “Whole Paycheck” I had to return to the store on Sunday.  Despite my repeated efforts and extra investment in our BBQ, I’m intuitive enough to know that my wife didn’t approve of the haphazard collection of (admittedly) tasty dishes I prepared for lunch this afternoon.  It could have been so much more successful “had I only made a plan,” she said.

“Ding!”  Meghan had unwittingly helped me solve a recurring problem: how to explain to clients why a comprehensive Web strategy (”meal plan”) is incredibly important to have in place before beginning any serious Internet marketing campaign.  You simply can’t go shopping unless you have a plan for what you’re cooking!

An Internet Marketing Shopping List
To illustrate our Web strategy process, take a look at the following list of activities that Paul Fleming and I reviewed. These are the potential “ingredients” for a comprehensive Web strategy:

• Search Engine Optimization
• Code Optimization and Tagging
• Advanced Analytics
• Telephone Tracking
• Pay Per Click Marketing (Paid Search)
• Social Media / Social Monitoring
• Blogging
• Testimonials / Case Study Videos
• Weekly Webinars
• Screencasts / Demos
• Optimized Landing pages
• Optimized Press Releases
• Article Distribution
• Platform specific marketing

As my wife will tell you, it’s not about just having the right ingredients (or activities), although that’s a huge start in the right direction.  The “magic” of SEO and online marketing lies in the meal planning:

• What are you making?
• What do you add, and when?
• In which order do you serve up the treats?
• How do you know if you’ve done a good job?

At Dinkum Interactive, we make sure that clients know we are providing more than just a simple service that you partake of when needed. We don’t just offer “snacks” because, when it comes to Internet Marketing, that rarely satisfies.  Instead, we’re all about the feasts!  The feasts we produce for our clients require both thoughtful planning and a detailed shopping list.  We also firmly believe that – just like at a BBQ or family meal – there should be a measure of commitment and a good dose of fun.

In a future post I’ll explain how we create Web strategies, how they differ from Internet marketing plans, and what they both look like in the wild!

Jacob Smith is a Senior Project Manager and Web Strategist with Dinkum Interactive and has led over 150 high-level consulting and website development projects over the last 10 years. He is active in both the internet and cultural communities, and serves on the board of Philly Car Share, the largest car sharing organization in the United States. Originally from Southern California, Jacob and his wife, Meghan, now live in Center City Philadelphia with their young sons Rory and Duncan.

1.     A personal relationship with the key contacts – in this case it meant establishing who the various contacts were, how active they were to be involved in the project, and how each person liked to communicate (in this case: email, skype, and scheduled phone calls).   My job, as a Senior Project Manager, is essentially to help things get done on time, up to quality, and per the specs and budget of the contract’s scope.  It’s also critical that I make sure everyone feels like their expectations were met.  There is no better time to gauge these expectations than on a kickoff call, and establishing a trusting relationship is the most critical step.  More on that in another post!

2.     A mutual understanding of “the process” – even though it sounds simple enough, this can be a tricky one.  At Dinkum our process can be summed up in four steps: research, onsite implementation, offsite promotion, and reporting/ongoing.  However, each client is different and the process does tend to vary as the opportunities are uncovered, so setting up expectations regarding the project’s flow during a kick-off call can be difficult.

For example, a recent new client’s research (Voxel.net – a major dedicated server and cloud computing technology company in New York City) was moving along fine, but not confidently enough for us to move to implementation.  Something was missing. So, Dinkum expanded our research phase to include a day “talking shop” at their NYC location.  Birthday cake was served (red velvet) and as a result, a highly detailed and nuanced online marketing plan emerged.

Even if the process doesn’t stay exactly the same each time, make sure during the first meeting to to paint the big picture, point out the common points for communication and feedback, and give the client confidence that at all times they will be aware and involved in the process.

3.     A firm date for the next communication – even if it takes you a few minutes to coordinate, a followup conversation must be planned.  At Dinkum, we see projects as only one thing: partnerships.  It really does take two to tango when it comes to online marketing and SEO.  Setting a date for the next rallying point shows commitment from all the key players to collaborate in real time.  While all the work can’t be done during meetings and conference calls, it’s one of the few times during which that partnership can be evaluated and reinforced.

After the call is over I always decompress for a few minutes with Paul, Regina, Rick, Marilyn, or other team members.  This helps us come together as a team and dive with fresh energy into the client’s goals, internalize their expectations, align behind a common process, and get started on executing their web strategy through SEO, social media, email marketing, and other internal marketing activities.

Jacob Smith is a Senior Project Manager and Web Strategist with Dinkum Interactive and has led over 150 high-level consulting and website development projects over the last 10 years. He is active in both the internet and cultural communities, and serves on the board of Philly Car Share, the largest car sharing organization in the United States. Originally from Southern California, Jacob and his wife, Meghan, now live in Center City Philadelphia with their young sons Rory and Duncan.

1. The data still supports it. Citing the MarketingProfs Digital Marketing Factbook continues to support Search as being the most effective channel for results last year.

2. A lot of folks are still doing it (using Search Engines that is).

Granted, #2 seems like a pretty weak argument but for the same reason why stores on streets with a high volume of foot traffic warrants higher rent prices (and in turn gives us the impression that it is more important), numbers alone gives Search enough reason for being high on the priority list for businesses. Like the old ubiquitous Yellow Pages which everyone stowed next to their telephone, millions of people turn to Search Engine’s on a daily basis to find what they are looking for.

Increasingly though, people are turning to their own networks of like-minded individuals as part of their decision-making process. Individuals have built up a network through twitter or Facebook or Google Buzz that they turn to for answers that they would previously have probably Googled. If I have a video question, I’ll shoot it out to my expert (or who deem to be an expert) to answer that question. It’s an increasingly important marketing component but at least for right now inevitably, your network isn’t going to be able to cover what you need, plus they may not be there when you need them. A Search Engine will more often than not, answer your question and will always be there which is why it still commands a high level of importance from Dinkum.

A heads-up to Higher Education Marketing experts Paskill, Stapleton and Lord for inspiration from their post about Influencers.

Twitter

At a recent networking event (my friend Steve Smolinsky would be soooo proud, after all he is the guru of telling stories about folks he meets all over the place), anyway – I met a fine fellow named Dwight.

We do the usual chatting about the affair and what we do for fun activities and when he finds out I am a partner in an Internet marketing firm he tells me a very interesting story I think you will find interesting.

It seems that Dwight was using Twitter for his own Entrepreneurial advising business by putting out on Twitter information he thought might be of interest to other entrepreneurs. He gets a pretty good following and starts to chat with those following him.  One such follower happened to live in Sausalito, California, Dwight lives in New Jersey. After a few months Dwight goes out to see his new friend.

I spoke to Dwight this week and he now lives out in Sausalito with his new friend who he met on Twitter. From the picture he showed me he is doing real well for himself.

Bottom line – Twitter may be known for “real time” communication but the underlying facts are that it is part of an overall communications strategy. Engagement and conversation and for Dwight a start to a new life – how much better can it get than that?

Watch out eharmony.

Do you have any other interesting Twitter stories you want to share?

Rick Simmons

I’ll dispense with the geekery and let you get it from the horse’s mouth:

What’s the big deal with PubSubHububb?

• It’s a big step toward the real-time web
• Businesses with blogs and streams of information can distribute content faster

Granted, the “Hububb” may be greater for businesses with larger amounts of relatively time sensitive information, but this technology will only find more uses in days to come. For those interested in using PuSH, it can be obtained by installing the PuSHPress Plugin (Note: You’ll need to upgrade WordPress 2.9).

If you really want to get into the ugly details, you can also read about PubSubHububb on Google’s Project Page.

Enjoy!

Bill Rowland

Search Result Presentation

Google feels that it has quite a few areas that need improvement within its presentation of search results; I’m sure that this may be the case for many businesses too. Interestingly the first two focus on basic Search Engine Optimization practices, while the last focuses on something that may not necessarily warrant undue attention:

Title Tag Format and Length

The humble Title tag is among the most powerful SEO tool around and apparently Google doesn’t use the as effectively as it could. Descriptive, keyword-rich Title Tags are important. Only 10% of Google’s pages have adequate Title Tags.

Description Meta Tag Use

67% of Google’s pages do not have an adequate Meta Description – that’s pretty sucky.  While Meta Descriptions Tags reportedly don’t count in Google’s ranking, an informative description means a lot to users and have a dramatic impact.

Appealing Google Sitelinks

While Webmaster’s cannot control when site links are displayed, those that receive them don’t make them appealing. This may not apply to most sites, but Google suggests blocking unwanted or unappealing sitelinks using Google Webmaster Tools.

URLs and Redirects

Google’s products have a variety of URL structures that use both subdomain and directory forms (i.e. http://maps.google.com/ vs http://www.google.com/latitude/) that may or may not include a trailing slash. Most of the metrics in this section were determined not to be  gradable, so rather than geek out highly technical stuff specific to Google, I’ll offer some of their advice that may be more useful:

Avoid Multiple URLs that Serve the Same Content

For example www.google.com/products and www.google.com/products/ are considered two separate pages resulting in diluted reputation.

Prevent 404 “Page Not Found” Errors

Create a 301 Redirect for searches that users commonly employ that result in a Page Not Found error. Businesses can do this by regularly reviewing their analytics information.

Send 301 Redirects to the Canonical URL

Ok. We’re not going to get into a discussion of Canonicalization here, but when it’s necessary to redirect a user’s request, send that request to the canonical URL. This will allow that URL to accumulate reputation rather than spread it out over several (and effectively getting no benefit).

Consolidate Reputation Consolidate Reputation

Use 301 Redirects whenever possible. Also, remember that http://mysite.com is different than http://www.mysite.com so make sure you’ve picked your preferred URL and redirect the other accordingly.

Google had a bunch more, but these pretty much cover it. Sorry if I went off on a tangent, but this is important stuff.

On-page Optimizations

On page optimization can encompass a wide range of areas for most websites, but Google focused on just 5 in its report card.

Heading Tag Use

22% of Google’s pages fail to use Heading Tags; most businesses fail to use them at all. Heading tags provide structure to content for both users and search engines. Unfortunately, most businesses simply style copy on the webpage, rather than use Heading Tags which will help search performance.

Logo Image Alt Text

Using text that is brief, descriptive and keyword rich is important for any image, not just a logo. By Google’s own admission, it makes it easier for their search engine to understand what the page is about.

Descriptive Internal Anchor Text

Using descriptive (& ideally keyword-rich) is a good way to give the search engines a clue as to what exists on the destination page. By the way, Google ranked itself as “Satisfactory” but I thought that this was important enough to throw in.

SEO Report Card: How’s Yours?

Overall, I enjoyed reviewing Google’s own SEO Report Card, but I’m more interested in yours. How would your site perform? Please share you thoughts in our comments section. If you don’t know how well your site would perform, we’d welcome the opportunity to crack the hood and take a look for you; contact us today.

Bill Rowland

Website Content Is Everywhere

Whether businesses realize it or not, they have plenty of existing content that can easily be recycled for a variety of uses. While I’m discussing recycled content for use on the web, that same content can be used for offline purposes as well, such as marketing materials, article submissions to industry journals, tradeshows and other applications.

Tips to Re-purpose Content

Our experience in developing content for a variety of businesses has given us some insight that businesses may find useful when recycling content for use on the web. Here are a few tips that we’ve learned over the years:

Think Broadly – Before assessing anything, it’s important to think broadly about content. Articles, brochures, interviews, conversations, FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), presentations, videos, audio recordings and photographs are just a few examples of content. Remember every customer contact, vendor contact, sale, or event can be mined for content.

Not All Content is Good – After wrapping your head around the types of content, it’s important to understand that not all content is good. Maybe that kid in marketing is a lousy writer or the subject of an article is a bit off-topic, so an understanding of what materials may best meet your goals is valuable. As I mentioned previously, quality website content is relative and subjective; furthermore only your customers and prospects can define “Good.”

Share the Challenge – Regardless of the size of company, sharing the challenge of content creation with employees can be a big win for everyone. Some indirect benefits include:

• It creates a challenge
• It gives employees the ability to contribute in other ways
• It acknowledges employees’ experience, knowledge and expertise

But best of all, it reduces the level of work required to recycle content.

Get Ready to Herd Cats – Most companies can be disorganized at times, so patience should be used when assembling all content for assessment. Involving employees will help in speeding up the process, but that’s not going to cover all of the bases. Vendors, industry publications and anyone else that has created company-focused material should be contacted in an effort to get every bit of valuable content.

Change the Channel – Thinking broadly about they type of content has already been mentioned, but considering the delivery channel is just as important. Content originally created as a written article, such as PowerPoint presentations, Sales Brochures or Owner’s Manuals can be recycled many times using a variety of mediums. A good example is to take a lengthy item already published in an industry journal and repurposing it as several posts for the company blog.

Add Value – Just because you’re recycling content, you shouldn’t be lazy about it. While it’s possible to use existing content without making alterations, it’s probably not a good idea. How would you feel if you were watching a video about a cutting edge technology that originally came out a year ago? Use your existing content as a base and add some value too.

Recycled Website Content: Examples

After offering some helpful tips on content recycling, I thought that I’d offer a few examples. These are just a handful of ways in which businesses can get more mileage out of materials they have already created:

PowerPoint Presentation – Business presentations are a great source of web content. Post the presentation on SlideShare, use the presentation as the focus of a blog post or create an embeddable video using an application like Camtasia to make it more dynamic.

Deconstruct an Article – Take a previously published article and break it into smaller pieces for a set of blog posts; if the original is not posted on your website, then post it.
Press Releases – Press releases can be used in an original or adapted form. Since most traditional press releases are pretty dry, don’t hesitate to make changes that make a press release more interesting and enjoyable to read.

Republish Old Posts with a New Spin – Maybe you’d like to forget that mid-90s prediction about the internet going nowhere, but you can refresh the subject and get some use out of it by writing about why you were wrong. Furthermore, you could build on it by creating a series on the biggest developments that proved you wrong.

Photos – Treat your photos of company events, products, industry trade shows and everything else as potentially valuable content. Sure, you can use them on your site, but you can also use them to build links via Flickr. Note: Remember to tag them correctly and use the proper Creative Commons http://creativecommons.org/  license that requires a link back to your preferred page.

E-Newsletters – Non date-sensitive (aka Evergreen) content can always be used on a website or blog, but what about a company’s email newsletter? Alternatively, all that hard work in creating content for the newsletter should not go to waste when it can be used in another form, like on a blog, in a brochure or on the company website.

Go Mine for Gold

Most companies that struggle to create website content do so unnecessarily. With the application a little creative thinking and some elbow grease, content recycling can be an effective technique to minimize work and maximize online marketing performance.

So what are you waiting for? Get your helmet on and start digging for gold.

Do you need some help creating a Content Development Strategy for your business or website? Contact Dinkum Interactive and we’ll be happy to give you a hand.

Bill Rowland

For anyone interested, the prior posts in the series include:

Website Content Basics: Going Old School
Website Content Basics: What Is Good Content?
Website Content Basics: Planning Is Important