what the blog speech by g.bhalla
DESCRIPTION
Speech for LMA Toronto by Gayatri Bhalla of Greenfield/BelserTRANSCRIPT
MAKE YOUR FIRM UNIQUE
what the blog?what the blog?
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three phases of social media usage:
1. trial 2. transition 3. strategy
three phases of social media usage:
1. trial 2. transition 3. strategy
MAKE YOUR FIRM UNIQUE
lack of credible evidence of online buying behavior
lack of understanding about how to initiate an integrated strategic approach to today’s media choices
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part Ia new brand world
part Ia new brand world
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MAKE YOUR FIRM UNIQUE
the staggering rise of internet use has created seismic shifts in behavior.
we’ve changed.
the staggering rise of internet use has created seismic shifts in behavior.
we’ve changed.
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MAKE YOUR FIRM UNIQUE
finding and choosingprofessional serviceson the internet
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MAKE YOUR FIRM UNIQUE
MAKE YOUR FIRM UNIQUE
MAKE YOUR FIRM UNIQUE
MAKE YOUR FIRM UNIQUE
MAKE YOUR FIRM UNIQUE
…but the unanswered question has been, “Are your buyers searching
for you online?”
…but the unanswered question has been, “Are your buyers searching
for you online?”
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do you go online to search for outside professionals to provide legal, accounting or consulting work for your company?
do you go online to search for outside professionals to provide legal, accounting or consulting work for your company?
3/4 go online to search for professionals(up from 2/3 in 2000)
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MAKE YOUR FIRM UNIQUE
how often do you go online to search for a professional to provide services?how often do you go online to search for a professional to provide services?
75% of decisionmakers search for professionals monthly or less often
matching how often you pitch completely new business…
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what has changed most about the way you find and choose professionals in the past five years?what has changed most about the way you find and choose professionals in the past five years?
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how important are these Internet sources for learning about professionals?how important are these Internet sources for learning about professionals?
85% consider Web sites important; younger decisionmakersare especially likely to find all digital sources important
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if this is true—and it is—how do I respond?
how do I adjust my marketing?
if this is true—and it is—how do I respond?
how do I adjust my marketing?
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some things have changed.some things remain the same.
some things have changed.some things remain the same.
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there are six billion searches on 150,000,000 websites and
200,000,000 blogs every day!
there are six billion searches on 150,000,000 websites and
200,000,000 blogs every day!
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we know our buyers are looking but how do they find us?
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MAKE YOUR FIRM UNIQUE
part IIgetting found online
part IIgetting found online
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there are three ways people find you:
1. search engine optimization (SEO)2. search engine marketing (SEM) 3. social media
there are three ways people find you:
1. search engine optimization (SEO)2. search engine marketing (SEM) 3. social media
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1/2 of decision makers always search for specific expertise & industry (industry search—69% in 2000, now 96%)
they search for expertise via industry…they search for expertise via industry…
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seo is a disciplined, labor intensive process
seo is a disciplined, labor intensive process
set goals and expectations to develop a keyword search strategy: what you can and should be known for
optimize your site structure (re-submit site map, improve title and metatags, increase keyword density, build internal links, etc.) called “on-page seo”
build inbound links called “off-page seo”
start regionally; scale nationally
report, refine, and test
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search engine marketing (SEM) is the the practice of buying paid search listings. Google owns 92% of adwords marketshare and 70% of search share. But buyers must also pay attention to Yahoo and Bing.
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sem is also a disciplined processsem is also a disciplined process
set goals and expectations to develop a keyword spend: how are you supporting your strategic goals?
coordinate with other online and offline activities (your website, blogs, social media)
enhance relevancy: dial campaigns up or down during key events to intercept qualified traffic
watch weekly, report monthly, examine quarterly in order to optimize your response
report, refine, and test
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social mediasocial media
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social media is often associated with gated communities like Facebook or LinkedIn but blogs are also “social” and websites that encourage reviews and comments are also social. In other words, the Internet itself has become “social.”
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facebook passed Google in traffic 3x! facebook passed Google in traffic 3x!
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linked-in is considered more “professional”linked-in is considered more “professional”
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but the lines are blurring…but the lines are blurring…
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twitter is amicroblog
allowing only 140 characters per comment.
People gather in groups using
hash tags (#)
twitter is amicroblog
allowing only 140 characters per comment.
People gather in groups using
hash tags (#)
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three phases of social media usage:
1. trial 2. transition 3. strategy
three phases of social media usage:
1. trial 2. transition 3. strategy
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part IIIthe basics of blogging
part IIIthe basics of blogging
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why blog?why blog?
1. communicate your point of view
2. build your brand intelligently - seed the substance and amplify your voice; by nature, blogs are resonant
3. raise online visibility by creating more content to search (so use keywords!)
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marketers or PR folks posting press releases or excerpts from brochures; this is NOT blogging
WHAT NOT
TO BLOG
1. show the human, relatable side of a firm
2. connect with the audience
3. tell deeper stories than marketing materials permit
4. be personal; don't write on behalf of the company anonymously
The Do’sI will . . . I will . . . I will . . .I will . . .
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technical considerationstechnical considerations
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technically speaking: blog on your domain (why promote someone else’s URL?)
www.firmname.com/blogwww.firmname.com/blog
www.typepad.myblog.com www.wordpress.myblog.com
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technically speaking: use keywords in posts and title tags
• just like with SEO, you have to know what terms your audience uses in search queries
• blog posts AND titles should be keyword rich
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technically speaking: integrate your blog with your marketing activities
• highlight your blog on your homepage with callouts
• add links to recent posts in your email signatures
• your blog should serve as your social media hub - your Twitter profile page, Facebook Page, newsletters, etc.
• . . . connect the dots
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technically speaking: track progress, pageviews, returning visitors
technically speaking: track progress, pageviews, returning visitors
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best blogging practicesbest blogging practices
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best blogging practices: focus your voice and content
• your brand personality comes to life in a blog - voice, tone, target
• different practices should maintain different blogs
• build a body of work overtime: it demonstrates thought-leadership and helps your SEO
• be personal; don't write on behalf of the company anonymously
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best blogging practices: calendarize
• blogs require regular care and feeding: people subscribe via a news feed
• put together an editorial calendar and post it
• rotate authors; consider regular “columnists”
• flex for breaking news, industry events
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part IV:now what?
part IV:now what?
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you gotta get out thereyou gotta get out there
• broadcast your messages - let people know your have a blog
• you can’t just sit in your office writing compelling content; you have to share it with others interested in similar topics; this is why it’s called social media
• contribute and comment on other blogs (which ones? fish where the fish are - know what your clients read)
• as with all good marketing, include specific calls to action: "comment", "download", "subscribe”
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intercept relevant searches with targeted paid search
target and intercept the audience
www.TrustWorthy.com
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adjust for breaking news? a missed opportunity
target and intercept the audience
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augment seo bridge the gap while seo ramps up intercept competitive searches dial up or down the campaign
seasonally/during events/when relevant news breaks
search engine marketing allows you to…search engine marketing allows you to…
target and intercept the audience
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engage across a broad range of digital channelsengage across a broad range of digital channels
guest blog post
Twitter and Linked In
target and intercept the audience
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build a digital relationship with prospective and existing clients
build a digital relationship with prospective and existing clients
build a digital relationship
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twitter: # tag for health caretwitter: # tag for health care
build a digital relationship
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facebook: engage in discussions facebook: engage in discussions
build a digital relationship
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linkedin: extend your professional network
linkedin: extend your professional network
build a digital relationship
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1. join the right industry discussion groups2. participate in those group discussions; only individuals
can do this, so set up a rotation within the firm to expose more individuals as authors/experts
3. discuss and promote your services only when relevant; don’t turn this into a gorilla-gram—“me, me, me” chest thumping
4. post links to your thought-leadership (e.g. white papers, articles, webinars, blog posts) when relevant
5. create a specific landing page for people coming to your website via LinkedIn and collect data on who downloads those materials by requesting their email address
6. encourage your employees to promote themselves and your firm via LinkedIn
what to do on LinkedInwhat to do on LinkedIn
build a digital relationship
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a business scenario: own an event
build enthusiasm, interest and awareness
before during and long after the event
a business scenario: own an event
build enthusiasm, interest and awareness
before during and long after the event
own an event
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1. creating pre-event buzz2. engaging during the event3. continuing the dialogue afterwards
own an event by…own an event by…
own an event
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traditional, offline promotion is episodic with a precipitous drop post-eventtraditional, offline promotion is episodic with a precipitous drop post-event
EVENT
save--the-date postcard/email
invitation bypostcard/email
event networking
follow-up calls
TIME
RE
AC
H
own an event
MAKE YOUR FIRM UNIQUE
effort spent on promotion rarely matches investment in time and costs of event
effort spent on promotion rarely matches investment in time and costs of event
own an event
MAKE YOUR FIRM UNIQUE
digital tactics amplify pre-event buzz…digital tactics amplify pre-event buzz…
save--the-date postcard/email
invitation bypostcard/email
EVENT
event networking
follow-up calls
TIME
RE
AC
H
link on website
posts on assn/member sites
own an event
event microsite
sem
post on social networks
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EVENT
and enable broadcast messages during eventand enable broadcast messages during event
save--the-date postcard/email
invitation bypostcard/email
follow-up calls
TIME
RE
AC
H
link on website
posts on assn/member sites
event microsite
eventnetworkingtransformed
EVENT• updates via social networks and blog posts• document event with content polls, photos, podcasts and interviews
post on social networks
own an event
sem
MAKE YOUR FIRM UNIQUE
EVENT
creating a long tail post-event, multiplying investmentcreating a long tail post-event, multiplying investment
save--the-date postcard/email
invitation bypostcard/email
follow-up calls
TIME
RE
AC
H
link on website
posts on assn/member sites
eventnetworkingtransformed
EVENT• updates via social networks and blog posts• document event with content polls, photos, podcasts and interviews
conversation continued on microsite viaemail followupand drive-to-site marketing
webinarsbased onevent content
updatesvia socialmedia andblog posts
own an event
post on social networks
event microsite
sem
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part V:real life examples
part V:real life examples
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www.greenfieldbelser.com
www.greenfieldbelser.com/blog
www.twitter.com/gbltd or “@gbltd”
www.youtube.com/greenfieldbelser
www.facebook.com/greenfieldbelser