luni, 12 noiembrie 2012

How To Brand and Grow Your Company Through Marketing

How To Brand and Grow Your Company Through Marketing

How To Brand and Grow Your Company Through Marketing

Posted: 11 Nov 2012 06:41 PM PST

Posted by dohertyjf

Companies want to grow. Obvious statement, right? This is the reason why we all have jobs as marketers; companies need to grow and they need people who understand how to do that.

I have a startup client who uses this as one of their mantras:

I think it's true. Today I want to talk about how small businesses and startups can grow their brand company through smart marketing even when they don't have a huge budget.

Let me also say that I have stopped telling companies "Oh sure, we'll get you ranking for (insert keyword here)," because that's a small-minded approach to marketing and growing a company (especially a startup). I now tell startups to focus on growing their branded traffic, because that is ultimately how you get links, mindshare, and win online. This advice has only increased since the Penguin and Panda algorithms started rolling out. We're not seeking to trick or game the search engines; we're seeking to build brands online.

Here are a few ways to build branded mindshare.

Produce content

As Will Critchlow said in his SearchLove presentation (embedded at the bottom), you don't have to have money, but you do have to have one of these:

  • Time
  • Talent
  • Balls (aka take risks)

Often, what you need to do first is establish your thought leadership, and that is done through content.

Some of my favorite examples are MailChimp's Resources:

And Grovo's resources:

I also respect what the founders of BufferApp have done by getting content all around the Internet to grow their startup. They've written on leading blogs such as ProBlogger, and now they're even being asked to do interviews, such as this one from Blueglass.

Leverage channels other than search

When looking to grow your company, you should not just leverage search (though it is a great medium for growth). For more on this idea, read Matt McGee's classic You Can Diversify or You Can Die from 2007.

We have so many channels to leverage for growth at this point on the Internet. You've all seen this:

I also want you to think about how you can use other platforms, such as forums or social networks, to tell a story and get attention.

For example, Grovo built out their History of the Internet on their Facebook Timeline:

When they launched it, they did outreach through PR and got exposure (and links) from all these places and more, driving over 300 signups:

Their branded traffic increased after being flat, and has kept increasing to this day:

Have a spokesperson

Having a spokesperson, or public face, is highly underrated by most companies. Potential customers don't (usually) connect with a brand, but they do connect with a person.

Would SEOmoz have grown its community, consulting, or software as quickly without Rand as the face of the company? I don't think so. In fact, his author page is the 8th most linked-to page on SEOmoz.

There are many ways companies can get their spokesperson (a CEO, a CMO, an awesome consultant) known:

  • Meetups
  • Conferences
  • Blogging
  • Presentations
  • Social media
  • Q/A Forums (like Moz Q/A)
  • Engaging in online conversations (forums, blog commenting, social media)

Display these people prominently on your website.

Get real

This goes along with the spokesperson point above, but one of the best ways to start getting your company known is to be involved locally. I don't care if you are a tech startup or an international pharmaceutical brand - being involved in your local as well as online community is one of the best ways to build your branded searches and brand advocates.

Here's one example:

Yes, yes, SEOmoz is doing marketing that increases their branded searches (for both SEOmoz AND Mozcation). They're not trying to get us to link to them saying "SEO software," either :-)

Be lovable

I've often challenged clients with "What makes your customers happy, and what is going to make your brand lovable?" In my opinion, there is nothing worse than a faceless brand. It's not trustworthy, it's not likable, it's not fun. Even if you are in a serious industry, you can have a brand that people love because they connect with it.

For example, do you know this guy?

Or this guy:

Or this gal:

Mailchimp has Freddie, and they've even sent out large plush versions such as this one in SwissMiss's studio in Brooklyn:

We associate the face or mascot with the brand. It's called affinity and it works.

Look for search opportunity

Finally, one way to do this in the search results (see, we're still talking about SEO as it pertains to marketing) is to look for areas of opportunity. What are your competitors not doing that you can do? Are they not marking up their sites with Schema? Are they not leveraging image search? How about videos and video snippets in the search results? 

That's where you need to go. And use Tom Anthony's SERP Turkey to test if the investment to get those results is worthwhile.

Will Critchlow and Rand Fishkin's presentations from SearchLove

To wrap all this up, I'd like to leave you with a few thoughts. Building branded searches, honestly, is harder than building rankings. Branding is a longterm play, and it's not something that you can do overnight to gain traction. If you're looking for a quick hit to suddenly get a lot of users, branding isn't your answer. But ultimately, it's the right answer for growth and a successful business.

I'd also like to leave you with a couple of presentations about inbound marketing on a budget. This kind of inbound marketing will also win you branded searches. Will and Rand went head to head, as they are known to do at Distilled's conferences, about "Inbound Marketing on a Shoestring Budget". Both had stellar presentations, so I wanted to provide them here for you to flip through and get more ideas:


Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!
Publicat de 1 la 09:28 0 comentarii

Seth's Blog : When you don't know what to do...

 

When you don't know what to do...

That's when we find out how well you make decisions.

When don't don't have the resources to do it the usual way, that's when you show us how resourceful you are.

And when you don't know if it's going to work, that's how we find out whether or not we need you on our team.

Making instructions is harder than following them.



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6 people you might know on Google+

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Why there is zero chance that my next pizza order will be with Papa Johns; CEO cutting workers to avoid health care.
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duminică, 11 noiembrie 2012

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Japan Plunges Into Deep Recession; GDP Shrinks 3.5% Annualized; Japan Current Account Turns Negative First Time in 30 Years; Watch the Yen

Posted: 11 Nov 2012 11:03 PM PST

The global economy took another turn for the worse as Japan plunged into recession following two consecutive quarters of growth.

Please consider Japan's economy shrinks annualized 3.5%.
Japan's economy shrank an annualised 3.5 per cent between July and September, the steepest decline since the earthquake-hit first quarter of 2011, as exporters suffered big falls in shipments to key markets such as China and Europe.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda described the gross domestic product figures as "severe", while Seiji Maehara, economy minister, said Japan had possibly entered a "recessionary phase".

In a speech on Monday, Masaaki Shirakawa, Bank of Japan governor, said there was "no question that the [central bank] should exert every effort to enhance its easing effects as much as possible". He said domestic demand was "unlikely to increase at a pace that will outperform the weakness in exports".

The Japanese government's monthly survey of "economy watchers" – which includes barbers, hoteliers, car dealers and others who deal with consumers – has recorded six falls in a row since April. Last month the index stood at a level little better than that of April 2011, in the immediate aftermath of the quake.

Japanese manufacturers from Nissan to Shiseido have reported steep falls in sales of their products in China, following a wave of demonstrations against Tokyo's nationalisation of some of the islands in mid-September.

Japan's top seven automakers have cut their projections for Chinese sales by a fifth, for the fiscal year to March, according to calculations by the Nikkei newspaper.
Japan Trade Deficit Largest in History

As Japan spirals out of control, please recall Japan trade deficit hits record as relations with China poisoned.
Japan registered its biggest-ever trade deficit for a half of a fiscal year, in a sign that the sovereign debt crisis in Europe and the strained relationship with China over a territorial dispute have eroded Japanese exports, government data showed today.

For the first half of fiscal 2012 through September, Japan logged about USD 40.6 billion (3,219 billion yen) in goods trade deficit, up 90.1 percent from a year earlier and the biggest since the Finance Ministry began recording in 1979.

In September alone, the deficit stood at 558.6 billion yen, the third straight month of red ink and the largest for the month of September, the ministry said in a preliminary report, augmenting fears that violent anti-Japan rallies and boycotting of Japanese products in China have weighed on the exports to the biggest trading partner.

Exports to China fell 8.2 percent to 5,921.1 billion yen in the first half and slid 14.1 percent to 953.8 billion yen in September, sharper than the 9.9 percent fall in August. It was the fourth consecutive month of deficit as various products, ranging from auto and auto parts to steel and semiconductors, declined notably.

The balance showed Japan suffered the biggest September deficit with China of 329.5 billion yen, as imports gained 3.8 percent to 1,283.3 billion yen.

Resentment in China has accelerated since the Japanese government decided last month to nationalize part of an island group in the East China Sea, also claimed by Beijing and Taiwan.
Japan Current Account Turns Negative

The trick for Japan is how to finance its national debt, now at a majorly unsustainable 235% of GDP.

Japan was able to do so for years on account of its current account surplus, of which trade is typically the largest component.

You can now kiss that surplus goodbye because Japan Current Account Turns Negative
The world's third-largest economy has run a surplus in its current account, a measure of trade in goods, services and investments, for several decades—meaning it's earning more from exports and investments abroad than it spends at home. In fact, Japan the world's biggest creditor nation.

The surplus has been in the spotlight recently, since Japan also has the developed world's biggest debt load, now nearing a quadrillion yen ($12.5 trillion)—more than double its gross domestic product. As long as the current account surplus remains, economists say, Japan is in little danger of a Greek-style crisis, since its debt is largely being funded by household savings.

While that remains the case, Japan reported Thursday that the seasonally adjusted current-account was in deficit in September—for the first time in more than 30 years. The sudden surprise drop has some economists warning that Japan's ability to generate wealth is eroding faster than expected, and its fiscal situation could be more fragile than many had thought.

The Finance Ministry says Japan won't slip into a structural current-account deficit very easily, since deficits in the trade of goods and services will be offset by huge surpluses in what the country earns on investments in overseas assets such as U.S. Treasury bonds.

But the Japan Center for Economic Research argues a structural deficit in could be as close 2017, noting fuel-import levels are likely to stay high if most nuclear plants stay off.

The Japan Research Institute, another think tank, says a structural deficit could start in 2022 if crude oil prices keep rising. Hideki Matsumura, an economist with the institute, said it could come earlier if the current strong-yen trend, which hurts Japan's ability to sell overseas, continues.

"Many countries are catching up with Japan in the manufacturing field," he said. "If they can produce similar products for a cost 20% to 30% less than Japanese do, Japan will soon find no demand for its products."
Bug in Search of Windshield

As my friend John Mauldin suggests, Japan is a bug in search of a windshield. I highly doubt Japan can make it 2022 or even 2017 before it runs into serious issues.

Actually, Japan has extremely serious issues already, it's just that the market is ignoring them for now. If interest rates rise by a mere 2% or so, interest on the national debt will consume 100% of Japanese tax revenue.

Global imbalances are mounting. I suspect within the next couple of years (if not 2013) Japan will resort to the printing press to finance interest on its national debt and the Japanese central bank will start a major currency way with all its trading partners to force down the value of the yen.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific.

Corporate Bankruptcies Soar in Australia; Just a Start of What's Coming

Posted: 11 Nov 2012 05:08 PM PST

Nearly every day I receive emails from "Brisbane Bear" regarding the sorry state of affairs in Australia. Here is another one to consider: Insolvencies for quarter near record high
CORPORATE insolvencies hit their second-highest peak on record in the last quarter, as the aftershocks of the global financial crisis continued to flow through the market, The Weekend Australian's Anthony Klan reports.

According to the Australian Securities & Investments Commission, there were 2552 insolvencies in the three months to September, which was up 10 per cent on the previous quarter.

In last year's September quarter, total insolvencies reached a peak after 2961 companies hit the wall.

"All states and territories except the Australian Capital Territory experienced a rise in insolvency appointments compared to the previous quarter," ASIC executive leader of insolvency practitioners Adrian Brown said.

According to ASIC, all types of insolvency were up on the previous quarter, led by voluntary administrations (up 17.2 per cent) and receiverships (up 13 per cent).

Court-ordered liquidations rose 9.2 per cent in the quarter and director-initiated voluntary liquidations were up 7.8 per cent, according to ASIC.

Receivership appointments were driven by rises in NSW and Victoria, up 25.4 per cent and 14.7 per cent respectively.

In the past three months, voluntary administrations soared 37 per cent in Queensland, followed by Victoria, which was up 19 per cent.

Mortgage funds such as Provident Capital and Banksia Securities were among the highest-profile collapses in the past quarter, owing investors almost $800 million combined.
Just a Start of What's Coming

I expected this action as did Brisbane Bear who writes "Brisbane is the capital of Queensland so it's no wonder I am so bearish!"

For a detailed look why this was easily foreseen (notably the China connection and Australia's housing bubble), please see


The Reserve Bank of Australia, Australian housing bulls, and most economists (Steve Keen a notable exception), did not see this coming.

The Reserve Bank of Australia expects all to be well next year.

Implications

I suggest this is the beginning.

Australia's housing bust will smash the commercial real estate market, and the commodity slowdown in China is icing on the cake.

The Australian dollar is stubbornly high in the face of these problems, but don't expect that to last.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com  
Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific.

Spain Declares 2-Year Moratorium on Evictions Following Suicides; Policy Will Blow Up Spectacularly

Posted: 11 Nov 2012 09:29 AM PST

El Pais (via Google translate) reports Government will give a two-year moratorium to end evictions.
Social pressure, political and, above all, the shock of facts so overwhelming as two suicides in recent weeks, the second on Friday, has led the government and the PSOE to move faster. Both contacts for accelerated progress towards an agreement to halt evictions more extreme than in any case, will not materialize until next week. That agreement, however, will not be retroactive and would apply to mortgages signed, but not those that are in foreclosure. It would not serve to cases like Egaña Amaya, the woman who committed suicide in Barakaldo.

The Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, solemnized the idea during an election rally in Lleida: "These days we see terrible things, inhuman situations, a person committed suicide when she would be evicted. It is a difficult subject, you have to take it with all seriousness and humanity. The government is talking to many people, we talked this morning with the PSOE. I hope we can talk on Monday of the temporary cessation of evictions affecting the most vulnerable families. And the threshold of exclusion, to better implement the code of good practice, so you can renegotiate the debt and remain in housing. It is a difficult subject, I hope we can give good news to the whole of the Spanish."

Policy Will Blow Up Spectacularly

The problem with an eviction moratorium should be obvious. People will have no incentive to pay their mortgages for the next two years. Many people will take that option and it will further stress the Spanish banking sector already deep in trouble.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com 
Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific.
Publicat de 1 la 23:07 0 comentarii

Seth's Blog : You can't argue with success...

 

You can't argue with success...

Of course you can. What else are you going to argue with? Failure can't argue with you, because it knows that it didn't work.

The art of staying successful is in being open to having the argument. Great organizations fail precisely because they refuse to do this.



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