Rockin' the SEO

I use the dashboard version of Google to keep track of things, including my blog's rank according to google's blog search tool for my keywords (practical marketing).

Today I saw two of my blog entries ranked way high:

• SEO vs. Promotion
  
• Getting Practical with Social Media

I know, this isn't much of a blog posting. I kept it short because I'm working on getting out what will be a most excellent edition of my newsletter.

If you're not signed up for my newsletter, you can sign up here.

And that's practical marketing.

SEO vs. Promotion

These days, we hear a lot about how Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is vital for web success.

SEO delivers measurable results, but still, I wondered: how does SEO compare with promotion?

I used this blog to perform a test.

On Tuesday, September 22, I blogged "Saving the Monte Carlo," and used PingFM to let my network of friends and followers on Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn and Plaxo know about it.

On Thursday the 24th, I blogged "Getting Practical with Social Media," and loaded it up with my keywords ("Practical Marketing").

Then, I sat back and watched Google Analytics (the chart above is a screen capture with some notes added in PhotoShop).

It's clear that I got more "absolute unique visitors" from my PingFM notice about Saving the Monte Carlo, even though Getting Practical with Social Media remains the #4 ranked post on BlogSearch.Google.com.

Blog rankings change frequently so if you click too long after this writing the post may no longer be ranked.

The bottom line: promotion still works.

In this test, it worked twice as well as SEO.

Does that mean I'm no longer a believer in SEO? Well, let's just say I'm adding a signature line to my future blog postings.

And that's practical marketing.

Getting Practical with Social Media

One of the raps on social media is that it can be very time consuming.

You can manage this down side with a practical marketing strategy and the right tools.

For example, you can drive more people to your content by letting people know about it via LinkedIn and MySpace and Flickr.

The problem is that going from Facebook to Twitter to Plaxo and the rest is not only time-consuming, it can become a metrics nightmare. Which comment on which network drove which visitors to your blog?

Enter ping.fm. Once you sign up for this free service, you can update your status (or highlight your brilliant blog post) on all of your social networks with a single click.

Even better, if you link to your newsletter or blog post, it tracks all the clicks on the link and reports them to you by network. So, you know how many clicks you got from twitter, facebook, etc.

I used the service yesterday to broadcast my latest blog post.

It got the highest number of hits in a single day any blog post of mine has ever had.

Now that's practical marketing.

Saving the Monte Carlo

In a prior blog posting, I predicted that the Monte Carlo hotel on the Las Vegas strip is headed for tough times because it doesn't deliver on its brand promise.

In a nutshell, they promise a high-rollin' hotel on the strip; a TRAY SHEEK venue for 20-somethings to engage in DUH BOTCH OR EE (click the image to see the ads), but deliver a fairly ordinary Las Vegas hotel experience.

I'd like them to succeed. The hotel is affordable, and the room was clean and comfortable. Much of its service was excellent.

As social media shines a spotlight on the lie that is their advertising, they're either going to have to change strategy or lose more money than they already are.

Why not embrace Monte Carlo as their brand? Make it real! Reject being just another hotel on the strip!

At its core, the new brand strategy would be to make the experience of being at the hotel as close to being at Monte Carlo, Monaco as possible.

Here are some practical suggestions for making it happen:

• Replace the existing, generic artwork around the hotel with images of and from Monte Carlo.
  
• Replace the way-finding signage with one that has international style illustrations, plus text in French and English.
• Update the retail stores' inventory to include a few things that might be found in Monte Carlo.
  
• Replace one of the fast food offerings in the food court (currently the likes of Rubio's, McDonald's, Subway, etc.) with La Boulange Bakery or something similar.
• Wouldn't it be great if the roulette wheel had just one 0 instead of 0 and 00, just like they do in Monte Carlo? Betcha they'd pack the roulette tables!
  
• Dump Magician Lance Burton. It's not that he's a bad act: he just doesn't belong at a Monte Carlo that's actually branding itself as "The Monte Carlo." Replace the "Lance Burton Theatre" with a top Jazz club or even a Flamenco show (both popular in Monaco). If six other Las Vegas hotels can offer versions of Cirque du Soleil, it seems to me that the Monte Carlo can get closer to Monaco than a magician, yes? And hey, they can always see if they can get Les Folies Bergere from the Tropicana.
• Replace the generally empty, yet spacious Brand Steak House (click here to see the floor plan) with a tribute to the Monte Carlo Grand Prix. This could be an attraction in and of itself, if done right: wrap-around imagery of the race, a real Formula One car, perhaps a simulation that gives guests the experience of racing the famous course, and finally, a Las Vegas style "Pit Crew" running the location.
  

The competition in travel and tourism is intense. Without a strategy that differentiates them in a meaningful way, they can only compete on price.

On the other hand, if the marketing folks choose to make a visit to the Monte Carlo... a VISIT TO MONTE CARLO, no place else will be able to compete with them.

Better yet, they'll be capitalizing on who they truly are, to a target audience with a desire for what they're selling.

Do You Deliver (on your Brand Promise)?

We recently vacationed at the Monte Carlo hotel on the Las Vegas strip.

Their web site and advertising lead us to think WOW, this will be a swank hotel brimming with glamour. We even dared hope for a touch of the real Monte Carlo, with its famous casino, grand prix, etc.

Fact is, the Monte Carlo is a thoroughly generic hotel with no link to Monte Carlo other than its name.

The headlining entertainer is the thoroughly generic Lance Burton. The premier restaurant is a thoroughly generic steakhouse called "The Brand." The menu gets a little "French-er" at Andre's Restaurant & Lounge, but other restaurants include Diablo's Cantina, a pseudo-Irish pub, a Subway, a McDonald's and a Starbucks.

There were no references to Monte Carlo's famed art, architecture, design or culture anywhere.

For all of its "Monte Carlo-ness," the place could have been called "Vegas Bob's."

Once upon a time, big marketers could spend big bucks to make a mediocre product or service successful.

Thanks to social media, however, the power of big spending on advertising and promotion is declining. Social media sites like Yelp are allowing more and more prospects to get the real story.

The bad news for the Monte Carlo is good news for entrepreneurs. If your marketing and promotion reflect who you are, and if you've positioned yourself properly, bigger competitors won't be able to win your customers just because they out-spend you.

Instead, when your prospects check you (and your big spending competitor) out in social media, they'll find that you (and NOT your big spending competitor) are the real deal.

It's always been important to have your brand aligned with who you are as a company.

Now that the truth of your brand can be checked out by anyone with access to the Internet, it's more important than ever.

Adding Value: The Restaurant

I've blogged about the importance of adding value to whatever it is you're selling (else you're only competing on price). But, it's not always obvious how to do it without breaking the bank.

We recently vacationed in Las Vegas and had dinner in an upscale restaurant. Fabulous dinner; they did a great job.

But here's the kicker: after we got home to Long Beach, we got a personal, handwritten note (talk about old-school!) from Brian, our server, thanking us for having dinner there! He even spelled our names (Luis & Litha Maimoni) correctly!

It didn't take a lot of time; it didn't take a lot of money. But it sure added value, didn't it?

Meantime, if you'd like to read my review of the restaurant, click here (it'll be the 2nd review). To see Brian's note, click the Del Frisco's graphic.

If you've seen a low-cost, value add for any business (here's another example), I'd appreciate your comment in this blog. Thanks!

Social Media and the Steakhouse

There's something you should know about me: when it comes to fine dining, I'm all about the steak.

I'm not talking "petit filet" or "surf and turf." I'm talking slab of Meaty-Meat-Meat!

During my recent stay in Las Vegas, I planned a pilgrimage to one its legendary Temples of T-Bone. The problem was choosing the right Cathedral of Cow, as all the major chains have "missions" there.

Enter social media in the form of consumer review site Yelp.com:

• Ruth's Chris: good steaks, bad Vegas location.
• The Palm: a definite possibility.
• Delmonico's: sounds good but it's got that Emeril thing. Meaty-Meat-Meat don't need no stinkin' "Bam!"
• Morton's: another definite possiblity.
• Smith & Wollensky: One review says it's practically empty on a Friday night, and another says "My $47 steak tasted like an over-marinated hunk of Spam soaked in soy sauce." Next!
• Brand Steakhouse: It was right in our hotel; no social media needed to know it was always empty, all the time.

As I reviewed the reviews, I found Del Frisco's Double Eagle. I'd never heard of the place (there aren't any in California), and its name didn't exactly inspire confidence. But holy cow, the reviews!

So we went. It was fabulous.

I'm neither the first nor the last to jump on the Yelp bandwagon, but my experience made it obvious how powerful social media has become. Its ability to guide buying decisions and confer trust is rendering it into an online kingmaker.

Social media: it's what's for dinner!

How Good is SEO for Lead Generation?

Turns out, not so good, at least according to B2B marketers surveyed by Marketing Sherpa earlier this year.

Respondents were asked to rate the quantity and quality of leads generated for each of several search tactics (click the chart to see it at full size).

It seems respondents' feelings about SEO were mixed. While 71% of the respondents said they use it, only 13% said that it generates a high volume of high quality leads. Almost twice as many said it generates a high volume of low quality leads.

This brings me back to my post yesterday, where I asked about trading off of quality vs. quantity when you're blogging.

I'll bet better content creates better leads. It'd sure be interesting to measure.

9/15/09 PS: HubSpot just published data supporting the premise that SEO generates leads... but not always the leads that convert to sales.

Note: The total percentage of each column reflects those who are using that tactic. For example, 71% of respondents use 'Search engine optimization'. The remaining 29% do not use this tactic.

How Long Does It Take to Write a Blog Post?

Yesterday, I came across a blog entry from Compendium Blogware saying that it only takes 10 minutes to do a blog post.

Wow, I thought to myself. That's pretty good. It usually takes me a couple of hours (or more!) to write a decent post.

So, I commented on their post, asking if 10 minutes was really enough time to create "prospect worthy" content. Not to put too fine a point on it, but it seems like 10 minutes is about enough time to throw some keywords into a recycled thought and post it as one more bit of internet info-junk.

Unsurprisingly, my question didn't make it past their moderation, so it never saw the light of day. Heh.

Even so: can you have a successful blog if you only put 10 minutes into a typical posting? Can you really grow relationships with your target audience using "off the top of your head" thinking?

A day or so later, they posted:

There is a misconception that each blog post you write has to contain unique content - but that is not true.

They go on to explain that if you're trying to get followers, then sure, unique content is good. But, they say, followers aren't the point of blog marketing. Instead, you're trying to attract visitors by blogging regularly, and inserting your keywords as much as you can. Blogging, in their view, is another form of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Fine. They're not interested in growing relationships. They're interested in getting click-throughs.

The problem is, as with other forms of SEO marketing, getting people to your web site (or blog) is only half the solution. Once you've brought your prospects to the water, you still have to get them to drink.

But will they, if your content is the product of (a perhaps over caffeinated) 10 minutes? Or, not finding anything original, or insightful in your posting, will they simply click away?

Here's what they said:

Still not sold on the idea of generating good content within 10 minutes? Consider this: Who knows your company best? YOU. You are the one that can write the most meaningful information about your company the quickest.

True enough, but: nobody really cares about my company but me. If I'm going to keep attention, I'm going to need to be writing about the issues my target audience deals with.

Here's the thing: the folks at Compendium are not alone. There are plenty of people pumping out quantity content over quality content.

Obviously, in an ideal world, we'd all write top-quality, original, insightful posts. But Compendium is right when they write:

In a world that's so fast-paced, every minute is precious.

At some point, everyone has to trade off quantity for quality, or vice versa.

As a blog reader, I'd like to hear your opinion about where we business bloggers should invest our time. Once you're reading our blog or web site, do you do a quick scan and then decide whether or not to buy? Or do you do a lot of reading and thinking before going forward?

Go ahead and post your comment. I don't moderate; your thoughts will show up immediately for the world to see.

Creating an Irresistible Offer

Congratulations, you’ve gotten Mr. or Ms. Prospect to look at your web page or advertisement or flyer, and now you'd like him or her to take the next step in your selling cycle.

How can you make it happen? Should you restate the benefits of your product or service in powerful selling language?

I say no.

You must move the prospect from thinking intellectually to feeling emotionally. Your prospect needs to move from appreciating the benefits to "WOW! I should really DO this. NOW!"

It may be hard to think of ways to emotionally connect with a "target market." After all, a target market isn't a person, a target market is a concept.

Instead, imagine an individual who is likely to buy from you. Make the person real. Give them a family, a job; give them wants, needs, and attitudes. Make more than one persona if you need to.

Next, take a page out of Dr. Linus Pauling's book and brainstorm. Here are some thoughts (and snarky links) to get you started:

• Make them an offer they can’t refuse (remember Don Corleone?)
• Shock and surprise them (remember Howard Stern?)
• Make it obvious.
• Solve an urgent problem.
• Show a big payoff.

Brainstorm until you've got a lot of ideas. Having trouble picking which one to use? Try the simplest one.

Now go sell something!