posted by Anna Fleet on June 23rd, 2010
I go to the experts when it comes to the question “How much does blog post frequency play into a high SEO page rank?”
In SEO circles this is an age-old dilemma. Does one put quality content ahead of frequent blog post updates? Does quality posts or frequent posts matter more?
Well Google Webmaster Central has this to say…I told you I was bringing in the big guns)…
We know that Google loves quality content. So useful, unique posts will always attract search engines to your blog.
But…
For organic visitors (e.g., people visiting your site on their own) posting frequency is a vital component. Would you continue to show up to a blog if there were no new post in the last month? No, you’d probably assume the user has abandoned it. Posting frequently is a great tactic if you want to engage lot of users.
So I think we can agree that a balance is valuable in this case—of course, depending on your blog goals. For full details, check out the whole YouTube video from Google Webmaster Central video.
Tags: creating SEO rich blog posts, frequency of blog posts, Google blog tips, Google page rank, SEO tips from Google, social networking tips, web 2.0
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posted by Anna Fleet on June 15th, 2010
Here at Design Changes, we love to brag about our friends. Well MFX Partners, our partner design agency has some exciting news about implementing a social media strategy that I think our non-for-profit and small business clients can take to “hart”…no really. MFX Partners’ own Creative Director’s, Brock Hart, was recently invited for a guest speaking engagement at Communitech on Social Media Marketing.
In his peer-to-peer talk, Brock spoke about the vital things to think about and the tools to use when developing a social media implementation for B2B, and also examples that have worked for him!
So check out the post, and if you get a chance, I encourage you to attend the next Business Development and Senior Sales peer-to-peer talk at Communitech (scheduled on the first Wednesday of each and every month).
Tags: Brock Hart, MFX Partners, peer-to-peer at Communitech, social media for B2B, social media marketing, social media strategy, social media tools, web 2.0, web marketing
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posted by Anna Fleet on June 14th, 2010
Are you a small business or not-for-profit organization that’s just started blogging? Well, I attended the Search Engine Strategies (SES) Conference in Toronto, Ontario this past Friday, lucky you, where I was introduced to four simple questions that you should ask yourself in order to help you determine exactly who your target blog audience is and what they will find valuable. The 4 questions are:
1) Who are you writing this blog for?
2) Will your readers understand the technicalities of your business?
3) Will they understand the jargon used in your industry?
4) Are your readers more likely to identify with the features or the benefits of your products or services?
These four little questions are meant to help you create an effective blog strategy—one that will resonate with your readers, and hopefully start some conversation around your industry, products or services and lend credibility to your blog and business.
Tags: blog strategy, blog tips and tricks, SES Conference, SES Toronto, social networking, target blog audience, web 2.0
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posted by admin on June 10th, 2010
Here is a powerful technique you can put to use immediately to get the attention of your audience and make your small business brand more desirable. This technique ensures that the value of your product or service is understood.
The trick is to compare yourself—and by this I mean your company, product, offering, or whatever you’re marketing—with something your audience relates to. You can probably see the value of this when introducing new technologies or offerings that are unique to anything else on the market. This technique satisfies the brain, which habitually seeks familiarity because it feels safe.
Remember, you are being compared to someone or something in the mind of your customers and potential prospects, so it’s important to realize that is your opportunity and responsibility, as someone who cares about your brand perception, to actively position yourself the way that you desire.
If what you offer is unfamiliar, it’s perceived by your potential prospects as risky, so in all likelihood it will be rejected. And if you have ever had the pleasure of presenting a new concept to a corporate team, you’re already familiar with the eye rolling and blood pressure boiling reactions. This is a habitual reaction to what they recognize as unfamiliar—and thus, unsafe. However if you tie your brand to something positive and familiar, then you’ll get their approval.
In tomorrow’s post, I plan to introduce you to some techniques that will help you anchor your brand in a positive and familiar way. But in the meantime please share some comparisons that come to mind when you think of your brand. Remember, think of comparisons that your audience understands and has positive associate with.
~ Brenton Schmidt
Tags: brand association, brand techniques, brand tips, building brand identity, positive brand comparisons, positive brand identity, viral marketing, web 2.0, web marketing
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posted by admin on June 3rd, 2010
Today is the final day of my 3 favorite and most (personally) impactful brand messages series. We looked at eHarmony yesterday, a brand that I feel cleverly marries (pun 
a clear brand message with credible brand proof that builds customer trust in the eHarmony brand and services.
Today, I’d like to end the series with another personal favorite—Geico. Now you probably best know Geico as the car insurance company with the cute gecko with even cuter accent. Well the gecko goes a long way to add personality to a brand that already had a pretty strong brand promise. The ads all state “15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance”, which increases the appeal of the insurance provider (it does for this guy at least) with the key—hard numbers.
The use of numbers is an often under utilized principle demonstrated by Geico. After all most insurance providers merely stated something like “we’ll save you money on your car insurance”. This is a very generic idea that generates a weak “same-old-same-old” response by viewers. However, Geico adds the hard numbers to that statement—“15 minutes can save you 15% on car insurance”—boosting the strength of the company’s brand and helping to differentiate them from a pack of other insurance providers who stick to general (and weaker) brand messaging.
~ Brenton Schmidt
Tags: brand essence, brand messaging, core brand messaging, geico marketing, online marketing, web 2.0
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posted by admin on June 2nd, 2010
Yesterday I talked about how strong core brand messages can resonate with an audience, and I featured the first of my 3 favorite and most (personally) impactful) brand messages from the Enterprise car rental company. Enterprise’s tagline “We’ll pick you up” is a functional promise to Enterprise customers with a witty double meaning…read my post yesterday (if you haven’t already) to get the scoop on Enterprise’s core brand messaging.
Today, I’m sharing another of my favorite core brand messages. This one is from eHarmony.
2. eHarmony – The one that gets you married (this key message was taken from the eHarmony website)
The eHarmony brand cleverly marries (pun intended two key principles:
1. The first principal mirrors our discussion in one of my former posts on Brand Essence from our MFX Partners site, which determines “What business are you REALLY in?”. eHarmony is in the marriage business, but what differentiates them from competition dating sites is that fact that they go as far as to promise customers that they will help them find true love.
2. The second key principle is having credible, convincing brand proof, and eHarmony can definitely back up their promise to get you married with compelling testimonials and their one-of-a-kind ‘Compatibility Matching System’ that includes 29 keys areas of compatibility. It’s this tangible process/system that builds solid trust in their brand.
Is eHarmony’s brand message love at first sight for you to?
Tomorrow I’ll feature my third of 3 favorite brand messages. But in the meantime, please share some brand messages that impact you the most.
~ Brenton Schmidt
Tags: brand essence, brand messages, branding tips, eharmony branding, top online brands, web 2.0, web marketing
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posted by Anna Fleet on May 31st, 2010
Today has been dubbed “Quit Facebook Day” by a number of users who have committed to deleting their Facebook profiles in protest over the social networking site’s recent privacy changes.
The petitioning site, We’re Quitting Facebook Website, claims that Facebook’s revised privacy policy “demonstrates a lack of respect” with overly complex privacy settings and in how the site treats user data in general.
An article by Ian Paul from PC World reports that Facebook revised it’s privacy settings this past Wednesday in response to the negative press. However these changes haven’t changed protester’s minds. As of a few minutes ago, 27,000 people are still committed to deleting their Facebook accounts. Even though this number only adds up to about 0.005 percent of the 500 million Facebook users—the site is drawing a lot of negative attention to the world’s largest social network.
So, to quit or not to quit….
Do you plan to quit Facebook today? Why or why not?
Tags: Facebook, facebook privacy policies, online privacy protection, quit facebook, quit facebook day, social networking, web 2.0
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posted by admin on May 28th, 2010
Yesterday I shared the first 3 of 7 Personal Branding Laws for Marketers.
Today, let’s talk about the remaining 4 Personal Branding Laws for Marketing:
4. Law of Distinctiveness
Do be a sheep. If you do things differently, you will stand out. Take for example something our partner company, MFX Partners, they did something truly unique when they sent a client cupcakes crafted in the image of their product…just for fun! Our client ate it right up LOL 
But seriously, most people just do the minimum of what ’s expected. But little extras like the cupcakes help to build a positive personal brand.
Key question: Where are the gaps in your field or industry (or company) when it comes to client care? Identify these and incorporate them as little extras into your services to ensure you stand out.
5. Law of Visibility
Contribute to key conversations, share your point of view, don’t hide out in the background…it will increase your visibility.
Key question: What can you do to become more visible in your industry?
6. Law of Congruency
If you say one thing to impress people, but never deliver; people will question your authenticity.
Key question: What do you need to do to be more authentic?
7. Law of Persistence
Most people give up too soon instead of sticking with it. If your direction makes sense and you have some loyal people on board, stick with the plan and you will build a positive personal brand.
Key question: What do you need to do to push a project forward and see it through to completion?
Remember, everyday should be devoted to building your personal brand. If you walk the talk of the 7 Personal Branding Laws, you will build a well-regarded and truly unstoppable personal brand.
~ Brenton Schmidt
Tags: brand management, brand marketing, brand persona, Brian Tracy, personal branding, web 2.0, web marketing
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One Calendar with Social Networking Powers
