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Tag: business

Google to Roll Out Chrome 68 Security Update

After years and years of warning, the time is finally upon us. In July 2018, Google Chrome will release its 68th version, which will, for the first time, clearly mark sites that do not have SSL certificates as “Not Secure” in the address bar.

Previously, a small exclamation point encased in a circle would be included with these websites, but now, the actual words will appear next to the web address to add a bit more shock value to the lack of the SSL certificate. The screenshot below from Google’s Security Blog shows the stark difference that we’ll see once Chrome updates this summer.

If that isn’t enough to have you change to https, Google has also revealed an “eventual” timeline for non-https websites to have this even more threatening alert in the address bar:

Waiting until the last minute to update your site is a recipe for disaster. Updating your site to https isn’t as easy as flipping a switch, and some technical knowledge is required to help it go off without a hitch.

To learn more about the switch from HTTP to HTTPs, check out our blog The Final Countdown: Secure Your Website to Align With Google’s Update to Chrome, or contact us for help in the transition.

May 8, 2018
In Press Releases We Trust: Why They Matter More Than Ever in the Fake News Era
Cision, an ever-growing resource for media and businesses, released their 2018 State of the Media report, which is based on a survey of journalists globally.

Over 1300 journalists responded from six countries, 48% of which work in print (newspaper and magazine), and most of which no doubt have an online version of their publication.

Per the Report, These Are the “Key Takeaways”

• Being accurate is more important than being first.
• Journalists are concerned about fake news and trust in the media.
• Reporters and editors still trust the press release the most.
• PR professionals are being asked to provide accurate, newsworthy information.*

The most actionable insight for businesses is that “reporters and editors still trust the press release the most”—42% rank press releases as the piece of owned media they trust most for accurate information, followed by 29% for a spokesperson, 21% for a company website, and just 4% each for company blog and social media.

This was in some way surprising, as, there are so many articles online that reference other news stories. I’m sure you can recall reading something like “…according to a report by The New York Times.” This may be taboo for some publications, so, for your news to be considered as a topic, it’s critical you are publishing press releases for your company news.

The Best Ways for You to Distribute Press Releases Are:
1. Publishing on your own website (even if the info lives elsewhere like on your blog)
2. Distributing through a service like Cision (PRWeb & PRNewsWire)
3. Sending directly to journalists that have a specific interest in your industry, topic, or business—as the survey says, 27% of journalists say to “tailor the pitch to their beat” (a surprisingly low percentage in this age of personalization).
SEO & Press Releases Have a Complicated History

In 2013, with the release of Google’s Penguin algorithm update, there was a lot of chatter in the SEO community about stopping press releases as a link-building tactic. At the time, it was a paid way to generate links back to your site, which is frowned upon. At that time, many services, including PRWeb, changed outbound links to assure they would not penalize your Google rankings (by updating the links to be “nofollow”). Of course, companies continued to publish press releases, especially those who never once thought of PR as an “SEO tactic.”

In short, take backlinks out of the discussion—distribution of press releases via reputable online sources like Cision is about getting news about your brand out there in a scalable way, which can have a positive downstream impact on your search engine rankings via brand building.

Tell Me More!

To fully dive into the State of the Media report, which goes deeper into thoughts on trust and “fake news,” download it from Cision’s website.

Graphics courtesy of Cision’s State of the Media Report.

* Key takeaways sourced from Cision’s 2018 State of the Media report.
May 2, 2018
Google Moves Toward a More Copyright Friendly Image Search

If you’ve recently used Google’s image search engine, you may have noticed a small change to the options when viewing image results. In an effort to appease photographers, publishers, and stock photo agency Getty Images, Google has removed its ‘View Image’ feature from image search results. This update, along with more attribution visibility for images, comes as Google looks to provide more copyright protection for image owners and publishers. The change to the image search, which is already in full effect, and a plan for more image copyright visibility comes with a new partnership and some likely irritated users.

Copyright Deal With Getty Images

After a 2016 copyright dispute filed between Getty Images and Google, a multi-year deal has been reached that will now allow the search engine to use Getty images through many of their products and services. The dispute, which was eventually withdrawn, stemmed from Getty Images’ allegation that they were losing traffic and revenue to customer sites since users could easily access and download the stand-alone images. They also accused Google of biased search results, claiming the search engine altered search results to favor their own services. This is not the first accusation of the like for the search engine giant. Last year, Google was heavily fined by the European Union in an antitrust ruling that also claimed biases toward their own services. With these recent updates, however, Google looks to be working to gain back the trust and respect of copyright owners.

Along with the removal of the ‘View Image’ feature, Google will also take a step further in providing copyright protection by making attribution information more visible to users. If you complete a Google image search today, you’ll notice that all images come with a disclaimer once the image is clicked noting that the image “may be subjected to copyright.” This change is still a work in progress and will likely include several different updates. Additionally, Google has also updated their mobile image search to contain page title tags below images. This update will most certainly prove to be a vital SEO ranking factor. Though no character limit has been announced, it’s estimated that the length is around 35 characters.

How It Affects Users

Though a minor change, this new update will likely prove to be a frustration for users, who have grown used to the option of downloading the image directly from the image results. The idea here is that users will now be prompted to view the image through the site it lives on, thus providing websites the traffic, and revenue, they deserve. Unfortunately, there still appears to be a flaw in this update. Users are still able to access the image in its own tab by right-clicking on the image and selecting the option to do so, although this may not be the obvious option for every user. It is also not yet clear what, if anything, Google will do to prevent this loophole in the future.

Despite a few shortcomings with the recent changes, It’s a step in the right direction for a company that has drawn criticism in recent years over copyright issues. The question still remains what other steps they’ll take to protect copyright owners and how soon these changes will go into effect.

Images:

Carpool Copyright

Google Tweet

April 25, 2018
Pubcon Florida 2018: Chatbots Are Cool, But We Gotta Keep Marketing Human

I am sorry to say that until last week, the only Pubcon events I’d attended were in Las Vegas, and of course, when after Katrina the show came to New Orleans in 2013 (wow, seems like only yesterday).

So, last week I went to Ft. Lauderdale for Pubcon Florida. It was a really enjoyable show.

To give a little context, Pubcon Las Vegas is like the CES, SEMA, or ComicCon. There is way too much going on to feel like you’re seeing it all. Kind of like Las Vegas itself.

But this show, the South Florida show, co-produced with the South Florida Internet Marketing Association (SFIMA) is much more manageable.

I was able to bundle a little fun with this trip, stopping over in Haines City, FL (my hotel was in Lakeland, FL), to take part in Ironman 70.3 Florida.

Feel free to read my account of it if you’re interested in the exploits of a mediocre, middle-aged athlete.

We Need to Stop Chasing Google

Every keynote speaker at Pubcon were people I would gladly watch any time. I was sad to miss the closing keynote with Purna Virji of Microsoft but glad I caught both Wil Reynolds and Lee Odden. I have seen Purna speak many times and as I tweeted at SEMPDX Engage, I could listen to her read the phone book.

Wil made some really excellent points about how we as marketing companies need to be thinking about our relationship with the search engines and ad platforms, including a great metaphor about the follow of chasing Google when Google is itself chasing the user (searchers, humans, whatever).

It is really easy for us marketers, especially those like me who grew up in an SEO world, to get enamored of the technology and forget that at the end of the day it’s about humans. Or as they use to say in the Yellow Pages, putting buyers and sellers together.

I like Wil. He’s a northeasterner who has been doing this for a while. Our cultural references are similar and clearly our penchant for a well-placed profanity.

Lee Odden was talking about the intersection of PR and Content Marketing. Lee has been preaching the value of content since the early days—perhaps even before The Content Marketing Institute.

According to Lee, “If you want to be in the media, become the media” ~~– I always enjoy when presenters attribute themselves to quotes in their presentations.~~

UPDATED: Lee Odden was nice enough to give me the right image. I included here a screenshot from Twitter so you can see his message as well.

My interest in these two presentations is a little self-serving. Both were arguing for a more holistic view of both the user (browser, searcher, customer) than that of the typical digital marketer.

Trust Building for Brands

My presentation, entitled “Brands Win Online” was a further expression of a theme that we’ve been presenting on for years.

In essence, brands get traffic because they’re brands. Even when, in a Google search, a brand is lower down the list they’ll get the click because of brand recognition. We see this all the time at a tactical level where we are able to influence search results by doing branding focused advertising.

The first iteration of this idea, done this way, was in a presentation to the BIA/Kelsey show called: Presence + Authority + Trust = Winning

Paula has also banged this drum a few times with her presentations on local branding including her MozCon presentation: Fake it till you make it: Brand Building for Local Businesses

There were, of course, other great sessions. Mat Siltala was his usual brilliant self, and I learned quite a lot from Tony Wright whose presentation I had the pleasure of moderating.

Here’s a link to Mat’s presentation on SlideShare: Creating Content for Social Media

Did you know, Tony studied Opera?!

The Benefits of Going to a Growing Conference

One of the great things about this smaller conference is that there were no must-miss presentations. I could have spent all day in sessions and felt like I was learning a ton. And, of course, there are a number of takeaways for me to bring home to the team. Including a Barnacle SEO reference by Steve Shackelford of DealerOn.

Brett, Joe and the team put on a great show and have been doing so for the past 17 years. If you’re interested in a more manageable show than the big Las Vegas extravaganza, do check out Pubcon Florida next year.

Maybe, this one will get on autopilot and we can hope to see Pubcon back in New Orleans someday!

April 16, 2018
Five Tips for Creating Customer Advocates for your Tourist Attraction

When your past customers talk to their friends and family about their vacation, are they likely to recommend your business? Word of mouth is critical for sustainable, long-term business growth, and social media has multiplied the number of connections between people sharing travel advice and reviews. In fact, a recent study from Nielsen found that 92 percent of consumers say they trust brand advocates, including recommendations from friends and family. Here are just a few of the ways to encourage customers to help promote your tourist attraction.

1. Attach Your Brand to a Real Person

People naturally connect better with human beings, and it’s even better if customers interact with the same face repeatedly. Do you have a secretary or hostess who can orient new customers to your services and their options? Family-run and personality-driven businesses have an easier time identifying their brand with friendly owners and managers, but any business can make itself more relatable by avoiding shortcuts that result in impersonal service.

Whenever possible, avoid using automated responses and impersonal emails. Over the phone, your business should be represented by a friendly voice. When electronic communication is necessary, try to use the same staff member so that customers have a chance to develop a rapport. By creating that dialogue, you’ll appeal to your audience’s emotional side, which neuroscientific research has linked directly to decision making in the brain. This genuine and friendly first impression is the first step toward creating a lasting customer who can, in turn, become an advocate for your brand among their peers.

2. Create Photo-Ready Shareable Experiences

If you know you’re creating a remarkable in-person experience for your guests, be sure you make it easy for them to translate that into photos, videos, and content online through their social channels. Tour guides and attraction managers know the best locations for group photos, and you can remind parties and couples of the optimal times to take out their cameras. Introverts may be reluctant to ask for someone else to take pictures, but waitresses and tour guides can start the conversation by suggesting a photo op. All of your customers’ friends will be curious to see where the picture was taken.

Whether it’s a funky statue that’s perfect for a photo op or a contest through your social media platform to get guests to share their best photos in exchange for a gift certificate or branded swag, make sharing fun and interactive. You can even offer free Wi-Fi at your location and post signage with your branded hashtag or social media handles to make it as easy as possible for your guests to share right away and include you in their posts.

3. Claim Your Online Presence & Stay in Touch Through Social Media

Speaking of social, don’t forget to continue to foster that relationship with your guests online, even long after they’ve left. One of the most important steps of building customer advocacy is claiming your online presence. Brand your social media platforms with your company logo and beautiful photos of your attraction so that guests will know right away that you’re legitimate. Rather than just trying to promote your business on social media, be sure you also provide helpful information, fun events in the community, and posts that showcase your brand “personality.” When your fans find your posts helpful and relevant, they’re much more likely to share them with their fanbase.

In addition to the usual social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, you need to claim your Google My Business page. Since the Google ratings and reviews appear alongside search results, it’s important that your listing is accurate, detailed, and looks professional. This includes checking your hours of operation and adding photos of your attraction so that guests know they’re looking at the right listing.

4. Collect Emails By Offering Promotions

Every business is offering membership discounts and promotions these days, and an email signup is an easier alternative to the sometimes cumbersome memberships. When advertising on social media and your website, encourage customers to sign up for future promotions. Potential customers who are still planning their vacation will be interested to see whether special discounts or offers coincide with the time of their planned visit. In the meantime, your well-crafted emails will make sure your attraction isn’t forgotten as they get closer to finalizing plans.

At the end of their visit, satisfied customers will be interested to see if you offer promotions they can share with friends. By giving email subscribers advanced notice about special events, you make them feel like they have inside information. When they feel like they have a special connection with your business, customers are more likely to advocate for your business. When their friends are visiting the same destination, they’re even more likely to recommend your business because you’ve continued to make a positive impression.

5. Ask Nicely

Just like Google My Business, it’s important to keep track of reviews on all social platforms. Depending on your industry, Yelp or TripAdvisor or another website may be more relevant. Many business owners forget to ask customers for reviews. Unfortunately, the customers who are self-motivated to write reviews are often the ones looking to vent about a negative experience. Happy and satisfied customers rarely feel the need to go through the necessary steps to write a review, but they’re more likely to take the time if someone at your company makes it clear how much their time would be appreciated.

Whether you’re running a Ferris wheel or a hole-in-the-wall gourmet donut shop, you need customers to spread the word and advocate for your business. Once you’re confident in the quality of your services and products, it becomes a matter of encouraging customers to share their excitement online. The good news is that most of the things that help build advocacy also improve your connection with customers. When you leverage that connection to further improve your business, you can join in the success of tourist attractions that are winning on social media.

Need help getting started? Learn more about our consulting services to help build a solid reputation for your attraction.

Images:

Spongebob

Camcorder Dad

Parks and Rec

April 13, 2018
Mobile Travelers: 4 Ways Mobile Search is Used in Vacation Planning

We’ve come a long way from lugging around heavy guidebooks and drawing out routes on paper maps. In fact, we’ve even come a long way from planning vacations on desktop computers. Google shares that a growing number of travelers are planning vacations on their mobile devices, with mobile’s share of travel visits growing 48 percent in 2016, and mobile web conversions for travel sites growing 88 percent that same year. As a result, it’s increasingly important for businesses in the tourism and travel industries to optimize their websites for mobile and make researching and booking trips easy for mobile customers. Here’s how!

“Micro-Moments”

According to the same source from Google, the key to a successful mobile travel site is leveraging micro-moments. These are moments of intent when someone acts on a need—for example, looking for a hotel once they’ve booked a flight to that city. Google names the core four micro-moments of planning a trip as I-want-to-get-away, Time-to-make-a-plan, Let’s-book-it, and Can’t-wait-to-explore. Different businesses in the travel industry will prioritize different micro-moments—for example, an influencer on Instagram might focus on I-want-to-get-away while a local tourism bureau might concentrate on Can’t-wait-to-explore. But, catering to customers across all four micro-moments certainly can’t hurt!

1. I-want-to-get-away

Also called Dreaming Moments, these are the times when people start thinking about their next vacations—and Dreaming Moments happen often. Again, according to Google, 37 percent of U.S. travelers think about planning vacations once a month, and 17 percent think about it once a week or more. In 2015, 38 percent of non-branded travel searches came from mobile devices. Today, that number is only increasing. So, how can travel and tourism businesses cater to this growing audience?

One option is using SEO services to help your website rank higher in search engine results for questions like, “What to do in [destination]?” and, “Where is [destination]?” These are two of the top travel questions people ask Google. Another great resource is YouTube. Google estimates that roughly 106 million of YouTube’s monthly unique visitors are travelers, and 64 percent of people who watched travel-related videos did so during Dreaming Moments. This means that learning to attract customers on YouTube is a must for businesses catering to I-want-to-get-away micro-moments.

2. Time-to-make-a-plan

Also called Organizing Moments, these are the times when travelers have decided to take a trip but are still considering different hotels and airlines with an open mind. During these moments, travelers are figuring out the logistical details of their journey—like how long flights will take or how much hotels will cost. And, they’re figuring out these logistical details on mobile. On Google, mobile flight-related searches are up 33 percent year over year, and mobile hotel searches are up 49 percent.

To reach customers during Time-to-make-a-plan Moments, consider online advertising campaigns, or Google services such as Hotel Ads and Google Flights. And, of course, make sure that your website is fully optimized for mobile!

3. Let’s-book-it

Booking Moments are incredibly important—not only because they’re the times when travelers start spending money, but also because these moments may have the most room for newcomers to make an impact. Going back to data from Google, 46 percent of travelers who do mobile travel research made their final booking decisions on mobile but did the actual booking itself on a desktop or laptop computer. This means that customers are likely not getting everything they need from mobile during Booking Moments. Businesses that improve their mobile booking have an opportunity to rise above the competition.

Google recommends Book on Google as a way to increase conversion rates for mobile Booking Moments. But, other ways to improve customers’ mobile booking experience include streamlining the check-out process to remove any unnecessary steps and making sure your site is secure. Customers will be more likely to book on-the-go if they trust that their information is safe and secure.

4. Can’t-wait-to-explore

Also called Experiencing Moments, data from Google proves that these are also areas of huge potential. Travelers are increasingly planning their vacation activities while they’re on the trip, with 85 percent of 2016 leisure travelers deciding on activities after arriving at their destinations. Here again, travelers are making these plans on mobile. In fact, mobile searches from hotels increased 30 percent in 2016. Companies who aren’t catering to this growing audience are missing out on potential business.

So, how can a travel industry business appeal to customers in Experiencing Moments? Provide travelers with information! The same source from Google found that 53 percent of leisure travelers are interested in visiting new places, compared to just 18 percent who want to return to previous destinations. This means that the majority of vacationers are somewhere they’ve never been before. Offer recommendations for restaurants or attractions, and make these recommendations location-aware—Google searches for “places to eat near me” more than doubled in 2016.

Travel is increasingly becoming a mobile-centric industry, and businesses have a lot to gain by targeting customers in these core travel micro-moments. Whether it’s improving YouTube reach to grab viewers during I-want-to-get-away Moments, or making sure a site is hosted on a secure server for Let’s-book-it Moments, Search Influence is here to help. Bon Voyage!

Images:

Take Me Away

Want to Get Away

Bon Voyage

March 26, 2018
5 Tips for Engaging Email Marketing

Sending frequent emails isn’t enough. In fact, if your content isn’t thoughtfully developed for your target audience, your hard work can find its way to the spam folder. From collecting email addresses to allowing people to unsubscribe, basic newsletter marketing is required to reach your audience’s inbox. Once you’ve got an interested audience, engagement is the first step to generating conversions.

Craft a Strong Subject Line

If your subject line isn’t engaging, the email may not be opened. Your subject line needs to communicate the content of the message clearly. Are you talking about a new product that’s not available anywhere else? Create urgency by emphasizing the timeline on the sale or promotion. From commercials and social media, we all have a basic understanding of how to make a compelling pitch. The challenge is creating an original subject line for each email marketing blast.

Your subject line should attract interest like a BuzzFeed headline, whether it’s describing an upcoming sale or exciting news updates for your stakeholders. Numbers are easy to digest, and they make better use of fewer characters. An email with “5 insider coupons” is more appealing than a vague promise of a special promotion. Similarly, “curiosity gap” is a term for headlines that give just enough information to make readers curious to read the rest of the story. Give the reader just enough information to pique their interest, and they will open the email in search of the answer.

Create Valuable Content

Before you put too much work into planning the perfect subject lines, make sure that your email marketing blasts are worth opening. Collect compelling, interesting, and useful information that rewards subscribers who continue to open and read emails. With both your website and email marketing, content is king. Whenever practical, offer special advantages and updates on future events. Are your subscribers offered insider discounts and advanced notice of sales?

If your email marketing campaign suffers from a high rate of people clicking “unsubscribe,” then you aren’t meeting the expectations of subscribers. Think about the types of content that would most interest your target audience, whether they are interested in regular news about your industry or only occasional updates, presented in a timely manner. Offer special promotions and tips that reward people for continuing to follow along.

Optimize for Mobile

Many viewers will be sorting through their inbox on a smartphone. In fact, mobile devices are where 65 percent of emails are first opened. Those first seconds are critical in determining whether the recipient reads the message, archives it to read later, or deletes it immediately. A complex, information-rich chunk of text may get archived for later, but that’s no guarantee that it won’t be forgotten.

If you have too many images or a poorly formatted page, you’ve already alienated a lot of potential readers. A modern email marketing campaign needs to leverage a mobile-friendly approach to newsletters, as well as websites. Short lines of text and a fast loading speed are essential. When targeting readers on their mobile devices, try to get them to engage while still on their smartphone. Keep your message short and clear, and quickly convert views into leads with an effective call to action.

Use Compelling Calls to Action

What’s your desired outcome for your email marketing campaign? Whether you’re looking to collect more followers, increase website traffic, or turn subscribers into repeat customers, the call to action should reflect your goals. The call to action should have a sense of timely urgency, and it should dovetail with the value offered by your email. Are the readers looking for a coupon or more information about new technology? Direct readers to your website for additional details. Have them call or visit your contact page to use the coupon today.

Be careful about sounding too gimmicky or cheesy, both with your subject line and your call to action. We’re all familiar with the promotional hyperbole of excited advertisers, promising that this one-time offer is the best thing ever. Try to avoid language like “click here,” which is both overly specific and vague. “Here” doesn’t explain the content or purpose of the page that you want the reader to visit. “Click” places all the emphasis on the first action you want from the viewer. A stronger call to action would focus on the benefits of calling or visiting. Will they learn more about a new service? Will clicking or calling allow them to schedule a free consultation or request a proposal?

Break Up the Text With Subheadings

Attention spans are shorter, regardless of whether readers are pausing with their smartphones or relaxing with their laptops. Even a compelling subject line won’t compensate for a large, intimidating block of text. Break up your message into short paragraphs with frequent subheadings. Get conversions instead of TL;DR responses and deletions.

Like subject lines, subheadings should summarize content in a concise and interesting way. Readers who aren’t interested in the first paragraph may find a later subtopic appealing. Similarly, readers on a tight schedule should be able to skim the page to locate the information most relevant to their needs.

Email marketing is an effective way to generate leads, but it only works with an engaging message and appropriate formatting. Contact our team to learn more.

Images:

Internet Dog

Mobile CTA

March 20, 2018
#FreelanceFriday: Freelancing Tips for College Students

This blog is part of our Freelance Friday series, where we discuss everything and anything related to freelancers. For more freelance information, tips, and trends, follow us on Twitter.

College is expensive. Tuition is sky high, textbooks cost an arm and a leg, and everyone needs a little extra income to go out and fully enjoy the college experience. Even with scholarships and saving accounts, it is nearly impossible to avoid some kind of financial strain during these years pursuing higher education.

So, with time and experience typically at a premium for students, are there any legitimate ways to make some extra money on the side?

Yes! Freelancing!

Freelancers, digital nomads, work-at-home parents, and all independent workers currently comprise 33% of the U.S. workforce (approximately 53 million people). Freelancing is an umbrella term that encompasses writers, editors, graphic artists, designers, photographers, videographers, and many more people with specialized, in-demand skills. And, what’s great about freelancing is that it is open to anyone, including cash-strapped students.

Freelancing is a great way to get relevant work experience, which–whether through part-time jobs, internships, or freelancing–is incredibly important for a college student.

Where freelancing offers a distinct advantage over a normal job is in its flexibility. Most jobs have a fixed schedule, whereas freelancing (in most cases) offers you the chance to work on your own schedule. It also allows you to work from anywhere–your dorm room, apartment, library, classroom, or when you go home for the holidays.

If you decide to give freelancing a shot (and you totally should!), here are a few things you need to consider first, as well as a few things you need to do to position yourself for success.

Figure out How Much Extra Time You Have

Life as a college student is busy. You are already balancing classes, labs, papers, exams, presentations, and various extracurricular activities. Adding freelancing to the mix is only going to make you busier.

A commitment to weekends and holidays will help you as a freelancer, but no matter when you work, prioritization and productivity are key. Because you are a student, schoolwork should also come first, but beyond that, you will need to figure out how to find more time in your schedule to freelance. You can prioritize your freelance work based on things like deadline, pay, research/planning/setup, estimated time to complete, and other markers.

Determine What You’re Good At

Your freelancing side gig does not need to relate to your major, but it can’t hurt. Freelancing opportunities can fall into all, one, or a combination of three things: something you are passionate about, something you are knowledgeable or skilled in, or something that is in high demand.

Every topic with a web presence needs content creators. There are tons of niche markets you can work your way through, especially as a writer. If you really want to flourish, especially at first, stick to what you know best, but don’t be intimidated by exploring something new. College is the time when you should be exploring new things to help discover what you want to do in life.

Identify Your Goals

What do you want to gain by freelancing? More money? Of course. Experience? Always a plus. But what else are you looking to gain from this? Are you looking for a gateway to a full-time job? Do you just want to try out a field before committing to it? Will you continue freelancing after college?

These are all great questions to ask yourself before and during your time as a freelancer. The answers should not dictate whether or not you do it, but they should provide guidance and purpose to what you are doing.

Get the Right Tools

What do you need to be successful as a freelancer? For most, a computer and reliable internet access should go without saying, but what else?

Well, that depends on the field you are operating in. For some, that is all you need. The internet can help with the rest. Other more specialized skills will need more–graphic designers may need the latest software programs, while photographers will need a good camera, lighting, and other equipment.

Know what you need upfront and familiarize yourself with these tools. Freelancing may be a side job for many, but that doesn’t make it any less important when it comes to planning, preparedness, professionalism, and time management.

Understand You Will Have to Start From the Bottom

This is a tough pill for many to swallow. Like most jobs, you have to start at the entry-level position. It’s a nearly unavoidable rite of passage. Accept it and work your way up. Thankfully, ascending the freelance food chain is typically easier and quicker than climbing the corporate ladder.

It is important to build your skills and constantly improve your services and presentation. The more you freelance, the more you will learn how things are done, what you should and should never do, etc. Reaching out to other freelancers for advice and support is always a great idea.

Self-Promote

Once you have been working for a while, it is important to create a portfolio of your best work as an example of your skill and proficiency. This is a crucial tool for landing other gigs. You can even include some pertinent school assignments as well, especially when you are just starting out.

Creating a personalized website or blog as well as engaging on social media are also great ways to showcase past projects and seek out new work. Many freelancers today use Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on industry news and find relevant opportunities.

You shouldn’t feel bad about this kind of self-promotion. It is a crucial part of freelancing. And speaking of the importance of self-promotion, check out our freelance Twitter account. We frequently share the latest freelancing trends, tips, and best practices.

Build Your Professional & Adult Skills

Freelancing can help you build valuable workplace skills. Just like school, deadlines are extremely important, as are promptness and efficiency. Similarly, freelancing often calls for collaboration with a wide variety of people. While you may already be using these skills in school, freelancing will allow you to put better hone them in a more professional setting.

As an independent contractor, you will learn to deal directly with your clients and gain valuable experience handling a variety of situations as they arise. You will also learn more about contracts as well as taxes.

Treat Freelancing Like a Real Job

Many people have made this mistake, especially those who have never freelanced before. They contract for a little while before quickly realizing that it is a real job. You are getting paid to provide a skill or service. You have to consider deadlines and often collaborate with others. How is that not a real job?

In essence, freelancing is even more than just a job. You are essentially starting your own microbusiness. If you go into it knowing this, you can somewhat avoid the learning curve and work through any missteps early on that could cause you to lose clients, doubt your own abilities, or even quit.

Use Your Freelance Career to Jumpstart Your Post-College Career

Because freelancing is a real job, don’t be hesitant to include it on your resume and discuss it a significant positive in job interviews after you graduate. The work you’ve done has given you experience in the workplace–use that to your advantage! Be confident about your transition into the job market. You will have more experience than your fellow graduates.

Of course, you can also continue, and likely expand, your freelancing business after school. You have spent the time and effort to build these relationships and skills, why not continue utilizing them!

Image Sources:

President Obama

School Supplies Animation

November 10, 2017
Diversity in the Workplace: Why Who’s at the Table Matters

In the corporate landscape, it’s easy to overlook words like diversity or inclusion, which often get tossed out as buzzwords lacking real meaning. But building an inclusive workplace where employees with different backgrounds, viewpoints, and identities can succeed is a benchmark for company success as well. In fact, a 2015 McKinsey report found that ethnically diverse companies are 35 percent more likely to outperform the national industry median and 15 percent more likely to have better financial returns.

But let’s be real—diversity in the workplace is far from the norm.

According to the New York Times, there are more male CEOs at S&P 1500 companies named John or David than the total number of female CEOs. And of the CEOs at Fortune 500 companies, only five are African American.

This issue isn’t just for leadership either. A study from the Society for Human Resource Management found that 41 percent of managers surveyed said they were “too busy” to create structured diversity efforts in the workplace. Even so, more than half of employees surveyed by Glassdoor said they think their companies should be doing more to increase diversity.

This data shows that there’s immense work to be done. But we can look to companies who have successfully incorporated diversity into their operational ethos as an example for what works—both for the employees and for the bottom line.

Defining D & I in the Workplace

Diversity and inclusion can’t be achieved without first setting a clear definition for what these words mean, how they align with the business’ values and mission, and what systems are in place to create them. Building an inclusive workplace means being accepting and accommodating for gender and race, but also for sexual orientation and identity, religious affiliation, disabilities, age, and even thinking styles or backgrounds.

By creating a workplace with diversity of thought—as in, collaboration among people with vastly different perspectives and viewpoints to solving problems—organizations can create systemic change. A study from Deloitte found that diversity of thought can help prevent “groupthink,” allowing for more creativity and more thoughtful decision making.

But how does diversity of thought become a reality in the workplace?

It Starts at the Top

If diversity is built into the company ethos, then its leaders should be advocates on the frontline. For example, Arne Sorenson, president of Marriott International, regularly advocates for LGBTQ equality in the workplace. Marriott was ranked #7 on the 2016 Best Workplaces for Diversity list and scored a 100 on HRC’s 2017 Corporate Equality Index. Ethnic minorities make up 64 percent of Marriott’s workforce, with 2.7 percent of employees identifying as LGBTQ. Sorenson has fought for LGBTQ rights publically, even writing an open letter on his LinkedIn account about diversity in government and business.

You can also include the LGBTQ community at large in your brand’s marketing efforts. Take a look at these ideas.

Offer Benefits That Enhance Inclusivity

On an operational level, businesses can also build inclusion into the brand identity by offering benefits that defend their stance on diversity. Rather than just relying on an annual cultural sensitivity class or a blanket statement in the employee handbook on diversity, companies should take a multi-faceted approach that includes diversity in the training, communication methods, and employee benefits.

For example, AT&T offers Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Employee Networks (ENs) connecting over 130,000 members from across the company’s global workforce. The ERGs are nonprofit organizations that support, mentor, and advocate for communities in the company, including ethnic groups, the disabled, women, LGBTQ employees, and military veterans. The ENs are more informal, employee-led initiatives that convene around specific professional development issues.

Groups like this give a voice to individuals who might feel marginalized and help individuals find common interests—both key for building a culture of inclusivity.

Other ways to help enforce and validate inclusivity include offering English as a Second Language classes for foreign employees, providing benefits for employees with same-sex partners, and working with other companies that share the same values (or saying no to companies that don’t).

Make Diversity Measurable

While meeting quotas doesn’t determine your company culture or employee morale, it does make a difference. Including diversity goals in annual reviews for managers and building it into hiring practices can help set the baseline for what diversity really looks like in your company’s daily operations.

Some companies have even created positions dedicated solely to diversity. Abbott, ranked #10 on DiversityInc’s 2017 Top 50 Companies for Diversity, has a Director of Next Generation Recruitment, Diversity, & Inclusion who focuses on using technology to hire and retain employees with diverse perspectives. While not every company has the budget to devote an entire position to D & I, small businesses can still make diversity part of the recruiting, hiring, and review processes in order to measure success.

When diversity is measurable, employees feel accountable and empowered to make it a priority. Give employees outlets to share feedback anonymously about the success of diversity initiatives, and be transparent about what is working and where the company can still improve.

In today’s globalized economy, a diverse workforce can better reflect the needs and wants of a much bigger, much more varied consumer base. By building diversity and inclusion into every facet of your company, you’re building a workforce that is more empowered, innovative, and ready to take on the complex problems of our ever-changing, increasingly-connected world.

At Search Influence, we realize that we still have a long way to go in order to foster an inclusive and diverse community—especially in the tech industry. Learn some ways we fight for women in the workforce and read more about our company culture.

October 27, 2017
How to Preserve Your Online Reputation as a Plastic Surgeon

We’ve all had it happen. Your small business or practice is reaching customers, connecting with them on social media or through chat on your site, and giving them helpful answers to their questions. It’s natural and supportive, just how it should be. And then, after all that work to build your reputation, someone posts a negative or snide review of your work. This one post, while frustrating to see, could put a damper on your reputation as a skilled, trustworthy plastic surgeon. But let’s face it—there will always be vocal customers. Here’s some advice on how to handle these moments of crises.

Be Proactive, Not Reactive

The first step in monitoring how your practice is perceived online is by listening to social channels. An analysis of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn will help you notice what patients are saying about you. This way, you can catch small concerns before they become major headaches. When patients comment on your page, engage with them in a genuine way (even when it’s positive!).

Also, you and your partners should evaluate some of the top physician-review websites, like yelp.com, vitals.com, and healthgrades.com. While you’re at it, claim your online listings. Managing your online reputation starts by claiming your listings on key online directories and social networks. These directories and networks allow you to share information that presents your practice in the best light.

Make Sure Your Website’s Content Doesn’t Make False Promises

Even the slightest exaggeration about what a product can do for your patients can be a red flag for Google and a false promise for your patients. Examine your existing content on your site, keeping a keen editing eye for any hard promises for products or treatments, i.e., “Our facelift procedure will turn back years on the clock” or “you will get the results you want.” Promises like these cannot be broadly made for every patient. By being upfront with your patients about expected results, you can limit any confusion, outrage, or dissatisfaction with outcomes.

Respond Quickly and Politely to Negative Reviews

Nearly 70% of patients who post negative feedback tend to respond positively if their concerns get noticed and responded to. Be prompt and be professional. If you or your staff make a mistake, it’s best to own up to it and make a genuine apology instead of trying to defend your position. A sincere apology can work wonders in diffusing a delicate situation. Instead of responding with your initial emotional response, remain calm and genuine—remember, everything on the internet never truly goes away, so don’t use a canned response. By staying professional, polite, and personal, you’ll not only help that one patient, but you’ll also show your community that you’re a physician who cares. You’ll also possibly grow your practice by garnering an influx of potential patients. And, when you can, try to take the conversation offline. More often than not, your answer to their complaint won’t be so simple that it can be summed up in one or two sentences. Also, there will likely be patient-specific information that should not be shared online.

Consider Patient Confidentiality

If you’re going to be talking about a specific patient on your website or through your social media channels, make sure to get their permission first. This includes instances where you are just uploading their image and not using their words. Facebook posts with pictures receive 53% more likes than those without, but these could put your practice in danger if you never get permission from the client to begin with. Patients should be notified if their image will be used, details of what the image will be used for, its expiration date, and a note detailing the patient’s right to revoke consent before it is signed off by the patient.

By practicing due diligence on the front end, you’ll save yourself from a mountain of legal trouble and paperwork down the road. For more detailed information about your online presence and patient confidentiality considerations, check out our blog here.

Use Facebook to Tout Your Expertise and Build Trust

According to a report done by Search Engine Watch, 33% of people use social media for healthcare information. Also, nearly 90% of respondents aged 18–24 said they would trust medical information shared by others on their social media networks. That’s putting a lot of trust into others for a very integral part of our lives—our health. By making sure you have a strong presence on social media, you add valuable, trusted medical advice in a channel where, far too often, people are given either misleading or false information about how to diagnose and treat medical symptoms.

Ideally, by continuing to connect with and respond to your patients on platforms like Facebook, you can start to turn them into promoters of your practice, not just patients that visit once or twice a year and then go about their normal routines. You’ll be top of mind when their friends ask about a local clinic to get an injectable filler or a breast augmentation procedure.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to manage your practice’s online reputation, reach out to Search Influence. One of our experts will be happy to help you develop and keep a healthy online presence in your local community.

October 18, 2017