Thought of posting some of my social media profiles and new personal website (under construction):

spoke.com/profiles/Kostas_Alekoglu

stumbleupon.com/stumbler/socialman/

digg.com/users/socialman

viadeo.com/en/profile/kostas.alekoglu

alekoglu.com

With Google services expanding I thought it would be a useful insight to list keywords that Google dominates with number 1 positions, both SEO and PPC  in it’s own results (for maximum impact try to read only the blue keywords first):

SEO

1. Google Search – Search
2. Google Docs – Documents, Document, Docs, Doc
3. Webmaster Central – Webmasters, Webmaster
4. Google Analytics – Analytic, Analytics
5. Google Maps – Map, Maps
6. Gooogle Images – Images, Image
7. Google Finance – Finance
8. Blogger – Blogs, Blog
9. Google Translate – Translate, Translation
10. Google Videos – Videos, Video, Vid
11. Google Sites – Sites
12. Google Groups – Group, Groups
13. Google Alerts – Alerts, Alert
    
14. Google Earth – Earth
15. Google Code – Code
16. Google Labs – Lab, Labs
17. Google Desktop – Desktop, Desktop Download
18. Google Talk – Talk
19. Google Trends – Trends

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For small and medium-size businesses that are dependent on their telephone activity to generate revenue there are no excuses for not tracking the calls. When you engage in online marketing through various channels such as SEO, PPC and social media you need to be able to identify your income source.

Social Media Ltd is proud to introduce call tracking services focused on SEO & PPC campaigns. Stop losing track of your sales once the consumer picks up the phone, and use simple software that measures in detail where the call came from, if it was answered and how long it lasted for. Other features include sales and lead tracking as well as call recording, a powerful training tool for those in call centers. You can see the locations of the callers, their telephone number and how many times they called.

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There is a growing notion that SEO is a seasonal process, affected by a company’s sales cycle and that short bursts of activity or heavy investment can yield similar results to that of a PPC or social media campaign. Afraid it is not that simple.

SEO is always a process that is looking to build for the future. Focusing on the moment can not only distract from the end goals but also destabilise any campaign. Since most SEO projects start delivering real results 3-6 months after introduction, you have little ability to predict when positions will break through to the first page, or how long they will stay there if you slow down your efforts.

First positions are like spoiled kids, they need care, attention and further investment for the future. Treat them with respect and you shall prevail. Ignore this rule and you might need to start juggling priorities until it is impossible to see the big picture.

SEO is not seasonal, it is a long term investment, not a cycle, more of a linear line that needs to consistently move forward.

Social media marketing is a lot more complicated than any other form of online promotion and few companies have recognised this. Partly because it deals with multi-facet areas, such as vertical search (based on algorithms), viral and conversational marketing, content generation and sharing, as well as brand association and reputation management. There is a need to engage, interact, blend in, create rapport and then sell the targeted idea, the feeling, the thought. Participation marketing. Community interaction requires several professional skills: Read more

There has been much talk about social marketing and ROI. How do you measure return on investment when advertising in social media networks. How do you track sales or enquiries through them?

You can, of course, track direct referrals to your site, like you would do with any other source and measure direct online sales or inquiries. More often than not however, this is the wrong mindset when approaching this new channel. In the early stages of social media and similarly to those early days of SEO it is all about information being shared and passed around. Not much commercial value to that you might think. Does that information influence buying decisions? Are brands being empowered by positive communications, transparency and visibility? Is the viral element of word of mouth (or word-of-click as some call it) being nurtured in those networks?

The answer to all the above questions is yes. The impact of social marketing on your brand would be similar to that of a great PR campaign. Publicity, brand awareness, positive image and a familiarity that people only gained via TV ads previously.

So stop asking ‘why’ and start asking yourself ‘how’.

See you online.

With YouTube in the top 5 UK sites, Facebook, the most searched for brand in the UK and Twitter, 38th most popular site in UK after entering the top 100 in , it is enough to calculate how much business you are missing out on. HitWise reported that in April 2009 we had the first signs of retailers receiving less traffic from paid search and more from social media sites.

Most companies are rushing into the bandwagon of Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Facebook, exposing themselves in front of an audience, without strategic decisions about the message, the user profile, or the community rules. Product, price, place, promotion, the good old 4P’s.

Setting up a profile, uploading video or some pictures, posting something on Twitter, all don’t require much skill. Like print publishing, a one-way communication channel with low level interaction. The first sign would be limited direct visits back to your site.

This is because social media are a highly interactive two-way medium. Success depends and is measured by the level of user engagement. To achieve this, you need the right tone, an appropriate message, added value element as well as strong content. Add Terms and Conditions to the list, with many companies getting banned on various channels by accidentally violating the rules and it is starting to get a little more complicated. Read more

If you are still thinking about whether to run a social media campaign or not, think again. Companies that dared over 6 months ago are now rethinking their positioning and refining methods. We are helping a number of companies with their social marketing so here are 5 basic points:

1. Communicate. Be sincere and informative but don’t forget you are there to sell.
2. Integrate. If you are going to run successful campaigns then merge activity across channels. Have a central strategy to all your social media interaction.
3. Source content. Social networks are content hungry. Find clever and cheap ways to source valuable content. Work with people that can get you cheap content.
4. Use an agency. Why do all the rookie mistakes when you can have experienced help at hand. Some tasks are too time-consuming so free up resources.
5. Rethink your pitch. Don’t just scream, add value. Think about the user and why would they absorb your message. Be fun and be clever in your marketing to a sensitive crowd with a voice.

Happy social marketing!

There has been a lot of talk the past 12 months about what is so wrong with DMOZ. I have tried to list 5 of the main reasons I believe are causing DMOZ to become a thing of the past and offering some thoughts on how to take things forward and regain popularity: Read more