The online channels: Tips and Techniques28 September 2010by Ramsey [email protected]
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
Today’s Objectives
• Help you understand how your efforts online can extend your brand.
• Provide you with specific, actionable tips and techniques, to increase website visits.
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
Agenda
• Your website• Leveraging the channels:
– Email– Google Search– Facebook– YouTube– Twitter
• Commenting and Contests• “4:1 Rule”
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
Ramsey Mohsen, Consultant and Social Media Strategist• Digital Evolution Practice Lead for Social Media
• Leads/executed/advised social media engagement efforts for Hallmark, Gordmans, Ferrellgas, Midland Radio, KC United Way
• Recognized regional and national speaker on social media
• Prolific video blogger, one of the first life-casters on justin.tv, over 1 million views on YouTube, globally featured video on YouTube home page for over three days, covered by national and regional mainstream media for video blogging efforts
• Named one of Kansas City’s inaugural “twenty in their twenties”emerging civic leaders in their under thirty
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
58% check email first.• …people start their day by checking their email.
- eMarketer, July 2010
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YouTube is #2• YouTube is now the second most used search
engine in the world.
- Comscore 2010 report
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50% log on• Of the active users, 50% log on to Facebook every
day.
www.facebook.com/press
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One-Third• The proportion of women who check Facebook when
they first wake up – even before going to the bathroom.
- Oxygen Media and Lightspeed Research
photo credit: mashable.com
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
Your website isn’t good enough.• It’s not a destination.• A website is 1 component of a larger online
strategy.• You must have “outposts” for discovery.• All roads should lead back to your website(s).
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
No. Social Media isn’t replacing anything.
• It’s 1 part of the spectrum of communication.• It should be “with” not “instead of”.
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
You need to have a digital strategy.
The channels all support each other.•Email•Google Search•Facebook•YouTube•Twitter
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• 58% of people start their day by checking their email.
• Integrate email and social media to increase customization and relevancy.
• No questionable ROI.
• A/B testing, multivariate, and segmentation.
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
Email: Tactics
• Weekly or monthly “best of” emails.– highlight comments and specific people
• 1-click sign-up field on every page.
• Prominent “Share with a Friend” email.
• Send “Welcome” email 1 week after sign-up.
• Grow your list!– “give to get” campaigns– Shows and conventions collect emails– Contact Us form should have “opt-in” checkbox
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
Google Search
• PPC vs. SEO (“pay” vs. “pray”).
• Rewrite your print headlines.– print = short, to the point, save space– online = longer, proper nouns, first/last names,
cities, state
• Inbound/outbound links.
• META tags and page titles configured.
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
• Take advantage of your profile photo.– 200 x 600 px of space
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
“Facebook Collect” for Email
• By creating strategies and tactics in which you combine email and social media, your digital efforts work together and complement each other rather than being disjointed.
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
YouTube
• Within the description of each video on YouTubeplace links back toyour website for moredetails.
• Use tags.
• YouTube =authoritative link-back
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
YouTube
• “How to” instructional videos perform well.
• If you feature or highlight a video on your website, provide additional information not in the video.– “behind the scenes”– teasers, “What’s your favorite part?”
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
• “No one reads all your Tweets. Get over yourself.”
– Twitter is like gigantic gushing stream or river of many things…
– Your followers will not see everything you post. The more you Tweet, your chance of being “noticed” in the huge river of Tweets increases.
– @replies are the “email” of Twitter
– Time of day DOES matter.
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
• The “fire hose” vs. niche
• Link your author names and Twitter handles
• Search for and use local #hashtags
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Commenting
• Commenting should be on every part of your website. It’s a huge traffic driver.
• Email alerts sent for follow-up comments to users.
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
Commenting
• "An online community that allows commenting is a strong traffic driver, but it's also an ethical responsibility. If you write content that you want your audience to discuss, you should provide them with the tools to do just that on your website. If you do not promote open discussion, you're not properly serving your community.“
– Whitney Mathews: Online Editor, LJWorld.com
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
Easy Contests
• Simple and light contest(s) work. Ask Dunkin Donuts.– Post a photo.– Just leave a comment.– Share an experience.– Pick from a list of options.
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
Rapidly Evolving Space
Social media is green field, moving and changing daily.
While good models and best practices are emerging…
there is no single right answerfor any substantive length of time.
Try. Learn. Refine.
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
The “4:1 Rule”
It’s not about you.
“If you build it, they won’t come.”
Follow the 4:1 Rule
For every ONE social object (piece of content) that isabout you, there needs to be FOUR social objects that are:
• informative• inspirational• entertaining• engaging• re(markable)• promote others
@ramseymwww.ramseymohsen.com
Questions?
Ramsey Mohsen www.ramseymohsen.com
[email protected] @ramseym