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Googleplasty: How to Reshape Your Search Results (Part 2)

As more businesses begin to take efforts to improve their online presence, standing out in search results of highly competitive markets and areas becomes even more difficult—and nowhere is this perhaps more true than in the cosmetic medicine industry.

In order to reshape your search results through the art of “Googleplasty,” you must know what factors make your business rank high in a Google search. Since we now know all about the different types of search results from part one of this two-part blog series, let’s talk about the most important factors that play a role in how high your practice ranks.

The following three “Top 5” lists of factors are from from Moz’s 2014 Local Search Ranking Factors survey. The information came as a result of surveying 40 industry experts to determine what had the most influence on ranking in Google search results.

As you can see, all of the factors that are integral in competitive markets also play a part in either localized organic or maps pack results. Due to their repeat importance, I think they’re the five factors most worthy of discussing in detail.

1. Domain Authority of Website

First up on our list as the most important factor in competitive markets is Domain Authority, which isn’t much of a shocker. Domain Authority is a proprietary measurement (created by Moz geniuses) of a domain’s power within a 100-point scale. This score can be used to predict if a site is likely to rank in Google’s search results and can also be used to track a site’s growth and increase in strength.

It is a metric that combines other metrics such as age, number of links, and quality of links, so it’s not easy to manipulate through singular or direct efforts. As it is directly put on Moz’s site, “The best way to influence this metric is to improve your overall SEO.”

Using Moz’s MozBar to see domain authority of pages in search results, you’ll see that the top five business sites in the localized organic results for “plastic surgeon albany ny” have Domain Authorities of 31, 32, 22, 21, and 26, respectively. As you can see here, having a score that is higher by a single point won’t guarantee that you rank above your competitor, but in this search example, business sites past the first page of results tended to have Domain Authorities lower than 20.

2. Consistency of Structured Citations

While this factor isn’t as high ranking for localized organic results, it is third for the top maps pack factors and second here in the top factors for competitive markets. One reason for this is that in many competitive markets, such as plastic surgery or cosmetic dermatology, you’ll find maps packs in search results.

To start, a citation is a place on the Web where a business’ name, address, phone number, and often website can be listed (sometimes referred to as the NAP of a business – name, address, phone). Any combination of the NAP, with or without all parts, listed on a site is considered a citation. A structured citation in particular is a listing of business information found on a directory website (e.g. YellowPages.com and Yelp.com). On the other hand, an unstructured citation can be business information on non-directory sites like newspaper sites, press release sites, and blogs, to name a few.

By increasing the number of matching information sources (and therefore matching signals) to Google, you also increase your chances in having Google match this information to search queries, according to a recent webinar with Google’s Heather Wilburn. So if you want to be matched with potential patients searching for businesses like yours in your area, consistent business information across the Web is one of your best bets, especially in competitive industries like cosmetic surgery.

3. Quality/Authority of Inbound Links to Domain

An inbound link to your domain (aka inlink or backlink) is exactly what it sounds like, a link leading to your website. The relevance to your industry or location and the authority of a website linking to yours in and of itself are the two best traits for quality links. Buying links or having links from random, spammy sites will hurt, not help you. Links from local sites and popular sites are a pretty safe bet. You can seek out local sponsorship opportunities as a good link-building effort or help other sites clean up their broken backlinks by using your working ones.

To differentiate between natural link building versus spammy link building, remember that it’s all about user experience and what makes sense to the user. If your efforts don’t uphold the ideal of providing the best user experience possible, then they’re probably not good.

4. Quality/Authority of Structured Citations

As mentioned above, a structured citation can be any directory site that lists any variation of your business’ NAP or website. While consistency is most important, you also want to make efforts to build high-quality, authoritative citations in directories.

Just like there are many factors to improve your own site’s authority, there are also many factors to determine the quality of a directory. You can delve into Whitespark’s blog on how to identify quality citation sources for a detailed breakdown, but basically a good rule of thumb is to look for high domain authority and human moderation in directory sites. Examples of human moderation include how DMOZ requires submission review by its team before a link goes live or how Google Plus, Yelp, and Bing listings all require verification via phone call or a postcard sent to the business.

Google also considers niche directories highly authoritative. A niche directory is an industry-specific or location-specific directory. Since the Pigeon algorithm update, this kind of citation building has become especially important, and searching for your industry’s keywords will often help you identify these niche directories. If you search for “plastic surgeon columbus oh,” you’ll see that the directories healthgrades.com, vitals.com, and smartplasticsurgery.com appear on the second page of search results. Often, these types of directories require either verification or payment for those seeking to be listed on their site. If you understand the concept of barnacle SEO, you know that being listed on these types of big, authoritative sites is a great way to improve your own visibility to potential customers. Use your discretion to decide if the opportunity cost of getting on a directory isn’t too high to be worth the effort.

Warning: If a site ever requests a “reciprocal link” to its site on your site in order to be listed, this is NOT A GOOD practice, and they are not worth your time.

5. Proper Category Associations

Having proper category associations is another important factor for ranking in the maps pack that can set you apart from the rest in a competitive market. It’s a pretty simple concept, and it basically boils down to the part of the guidelines for representing your business on Google that tells businesses to “Choose categories that are as specific as possible, but representative of your main business.” A cosmetic surgeon with the primary category on the Google Plus local listing set to “surgeon” is less likely to rank above one with a primary category set as “plastic surgeon” in the maps pack, for example.

Though this is a lot to grasp and take action on all at once, having the foundation and understanding of best practices to improve user experience and to better your business online will greatly improve your successes online in the long run.

April 23, 2015
You Don’t Just Need Good Culture In Your Yogurt, You Need It In Your Workplace!

Quality Over Quantity

Until recently, a company’s success was based on the fundamental principle that quantity outweighs quality. The better your numbers were, the better the chances that your company would outperform its competitors. However, recent studies have begun to offer insight into the importance of a company’s internal environment, which influences its success. The amount of sleep employees get and the relationship between an employer and its employees are major contributors to a company’s overall performance.

Don’t Lose Sleep Over Your Workload

In the past, there was a common misconception that longer work hours were key to a thriving business. Fortunately for workers nowadays, studies have shown that fewer work hours—and subsequently more sleep—have actually led to a more efficient workplace. Prominent CEOs like Arianna Huffington, founder of Huffington Post, have praised the importance of sleep and its contribution to a more productive workplace. “Ultimately, at work, the most important thing is our energy. It’s not exactly how many hours we are sitting at our desks, but how present are we when we’re there,” she explains in an interview with Business Insider.

Open Door (and Mind) Policy

Many corporations have implemented an open door policy between the company’s leaders and its employees. Even more important, though, is the idea behind an open mind policy. It is becoming more evident that monetary compensation isn’t the only driving force behind an employee’s happiness. The trust that a company builds with its employees—as well as a company’s ability to keep an open mind to the ideas and concerns of its employees—are invaluable tools that have made companies such as Internet giant Google stand out above the rest.

Search Influence Gets it Right

In a day and age where merely finding a job can be a challenge all its own, I’m fortunate enough to work at a place like Search Influence, a company that doesn’t take these important elements to success lightly. Their flexible 9-to-5 work hours, quarterly team building events, and company-wide “suggestion box” are just a few factors that helped to name Search Influence one of New Orleans’ 50 Best Places to Work in 2014.

Image Sources:

Sleep Image

February 27, 2015
The Only Thing Scarier Than Bad SEO is Search Influence Halloween

Search Influence recently moved to a much larger building with more space for our growing staff. The only catch is in this much larger building our office is located on the 13th floor. Working (celebrating) our first Halloween on the 13th floor was not scary as you may think.

Our office is a mixture of fun people, eccentric styles, and unique cultures. The one aspect we all have in common is enjoying what we do and where we work. Even though we experience fun in the office on a daily basis, holidays like Halloween bring out the festive spirit from within us.

Nearly one fourth of the office staff came dressed up as various characters, animals, and other Halloween favorites.

The outfits ranged from imitations of other co workers,

to a favorite TV character (Sue from SNL),

to classic storybook characters (Hansel and The Mad Steampunk Hatter).

No Halloween would be complete without the treats! Many Influencers brought their favorite treat to share with the entire office.

The treats ranged from traditional candies,

to sugary delights

classic yet healthy options (Ants on a Log),

and savory snacks.

To top it all off we even had some rad decorations.

Our first Halloween on the 13th floor was a success and enjoyed by all! We are lucky to work for a company that encourages us to be uniquely ourselves.

November 5, 2014
Here Comes Fun: The ONLY Time A High Bounce Rate Is A Good Thing

Any employee at Search Influence will tell you we take our company team-building events very seriously. I have experienced two of these events since I started at Search Influence less than a year ago, and each one has brought the employees of our company closer together. This event was no exception. After all, who wouldn’t bond over inflatable jousting?

It is 3:00 pm on a beautiful Friday afternoon, and everyone begins arriving at New Orleans City Park. With some help from our friends at Space Walk, we created an inflatable fun-zone, complete with an inflatable obstacle course, water slide (sans the water – let’s keep City Park clean!), and the overall favorite – jousting. In between some friendly inflatable competition, everyone enjoyed the carnival-style concessions we had set up, complete with hot dogs, cotton candy, popcorn, and a variety of cold refreshments.

While enjoying the entertainment and food, we were thrilled to recognize the three expecting mothers and one expecting father on our team! Maggie Emerson, Erica Rench, Tracy Stoller, and Justin Scott all received Search Influence onesies for their mini Google expert’s arrival. We can’t wait to meet them!

Overall, it was another successful team-building event for Search Influence. Everyone had a great time, and the newer members of our quickly growing team got to see what this group is all about. I can’t wait to see what our next quarter team building committee comes up with next!

October 6, 2014
SI: Taking Care of Business and Working [Out] Overtime

Rates of obesity are plateauing, healthy eating is up, and work fitness programs are on the rise. Fitness isn’t a fad or a trend, it’s a lifestyle change that a large part of the country is starting to value. But is your regular exercise regimen enough if you spend eight or more hours sitting per day? According to Time Magazine’s review of 43 studies on sitting, a sedentary lifestyle can increase your likelihood of getting cancer, along with a slue of other health problems.

With this in mind, some influencers have taken advantage of our company’s team spirit and new downtown location’s extra office space to incorporated some office fitness into their daily routines. Here are a few ways you can incorporate a little more movement and little less sitting into your daily work flow.

Trek to Work:

Your trek to and from work can be a great time to squeeze in some cardio. Biking or walking to work can help energize you in the morning and give you a boost of endorphins after a long day at work. Exercise before work can also help your memory and recollection, according to the New York Times.

“Biking every morning is a really great way to start and end the day! It wakes me up and keeps me energized throughout the day, while also saving parking money! It’s a quick and easy way to get some exercise in a busy 9-5 schedule.” – Sabrina Mohsenin

“Moving downtown made it worth the ride for me. From my house, after dropping my 12 year-old, it’s a little less than 5 miles. On my ambitious days I’ll extend it and go out and around city park which is 15 miles or more. Everybody was excited when we moved that we had a gym in the building. I’ve never used the gym, but I use the locker room shower plenty!” – Will Scott.

Live too far from your office to walk or ride your bike? Parking at the edge of the parking lot or choosing a parking garage a few blocks from work can help add valuable steps to your pedometer and get your heart pumping.

Climb the Stairs:

Incorporating some cardio into your day can help you shake off pent up energy and increase concentration. Try ditching the elevator and taking the stairs.

Not willing to climb the stairs with your purse, lunch box and computer in hand during your morning and evening commute? Try Chris Dopper’s ‘Crush the Stairs and Kill Some Calories’ challenge.

“After reading the article ‘The War on Sitting’ on Time.com, I realized we are sitting WAY too much. Every place you go, there is an invitation to sit down; in the car, on the subway, at work, at home. Therefore I set up ‘Crush the Stairs and Kill Some Calories’ and invited the whole company to join me in walking up the stairs three times a week. We are located on the thirteenth floor, so we walk up 13 flights of stairs and each week we add one floor. Around 10% of my colleagues accepted this ‘challenge’. Out of breath, but satisfied, we give each other an awkward high five on top of the stairs. According to Business Insider, your brain shows more activity after exercise, so working on the physical also does wonders for the mental. What’s not to like!?” – Chris Dopper

Build a Standing Desk:

Standing is one of the more obvious solutions to sitting too much at work. While that may seem unrealistic or like an expensive investment in office furniture, there are simple ways to build a standing desk with items you can find around the office. Make sure your monitors are high enough so that you don’t need to crane your head down. Also, make sure your keyboard is high enough to keep your arms at a 90 degree angle.

“Standing instead of sitting for 3 hours a day at your desk for a year is the equivalent (in calories burned) to running 10 marathons! My posture has been better and I’m using my abs and back more. My core area has been sore, because I’m using it so much more now and was probably not using it at all before.” – Cory Badeaux

Sit on an Exercise Ball:

Using an exercise ball as a chair in increments throughout the work day can help with core stabilization and posture.

“Since I’ve started using my exercise ball at work, I’ve noticed a big improvement in my posture. I’m standing straighter and have noticed that I have a lot less tension in my shoulders and back!” – Erika Karas

As general rule of thumb, people under 5’3” should use a ball that is 55 cm in diameter. If you are between 5’3” and 6’ try a 65 cm ball. If you’re taller than 6’, you should use a ball that is 75 cm. You can also measure the height of your chair and go from there. Try to maintain a 90 degree angle at your elbow with your arms slightly extended towards your keypad. For more info on how to use the exercise ball, check out this article.

Not ready to commit to a full exercise ball? Some influencers have started using the discball to help their balance and posture while sitting in an office chair. The discball provides many of the same benefits of the full exercise ball without the bulk.

“Sitting on the discball has really helped me maintain my posture throughout the day.” – Andrea Hernandez

Participate in Group Exercise:

Utilizing your support system at work is a great way to keep yourself accountable for your fitness goals. Participating in scheduled and structured exercise with your colleagues after work can keep you motivated to attend and to push yourself. Taking part in running clubs, yoga classes or other exercise groups that meet at the end of the work day is a fun way to be both social and active.

Influencers have been attending Happy’s Running Club on Wednesday after work for a leisurely jog through downtown New Orleans and 2-for-1 beers to hydrate after.

“Anyone who runs knows the running community is one of the most welcoming and supportive groups. A few years back we started the SI Running Club to help everyone train for some of the big races around NOLA. At the time, our office was Uptown and the team ran from Oak to Audubon and back to finish at Carrollton Station for a beer. Even though many of the members in the running club were more walkers than runners, I noticed something on that first run. I saw so many of our runners (daily runners, race runners, half and full runners) running with the slower ones to help encourage them and push them to the finish. For those five miles we weren’t Account Managers, or Developers, or Production members but a true team. This is still by far my favorite team building exercise yet! Even with the move downtown, the running group still goes on, but now we meet at Happy’s Running Club on Wednesdays. I’m still working on getting the team to run from the new office to the old office for old times sake!” – Gabrielle

Play Team Sports:

Team sports are another fun way to get some exercise while building camaraderie with your colleagues. This summer Search Influence participated in the New Orleans Dodge Association’s League. The team worked together by combining their strengths and strategy to win the championship.

“As much as the culture in New Orleans dictates great happy hours with your co-workers, breaking a sweat playing a team sport can be even more beneficial for your relationships and certainly better for your health. Dodgeball has been exactly that for the team at SI. It’s a great change of pace and good opportunity to see your coworkers in a new light.” – Scott Holstein

September 30, 2014
Our New Home: The Floor Between 12 & 14

According to USA Today, Otis Elevators’ records indicate that 85% of elevators do not have the number 13. Generally, the building owner will omit the 13th floor by skipping from 12 to 14 or by naming it “12B” or any number of strategic means to avoid the unlucky 13.

Well, I don’t believe in superstitions — black cats crossing my path, walking under ladders, breaking mirrors, or the 13th floor of any building. (If this were a reasonable discussion, I would argue that floor 12B really is the 13th floor by another name).

Search Influence has outgrown our beloved Oak Street office and, after months of searching, we finally found an office that has the space we need with room to grow. On Monday morning, we had our first workday in our new office space: the 13th floor of the Exchange Centre (cue the scary music).

From Humble Beginnings

With this recent move, we have done some reminiscing, looking back on the offices that once were. Our first true office space was on Jackson Avenue, and I have to be honest and say that it wasn’t all that beloved. It had a slightly funky smell and strange characters walking the halls, but it did redeem itself with some of its quirky charms.

Funny story. While at the office one Saturday, we went into the storage closet for something and — absolutely true — there was a woman sleeping in our storage closet. She was living in our storage closet. She even had a microwave, so she had indeed set up house. We tip-toed our way out (didn’t want to wake her up) and called the building owners to deal with the squatter.

A great part of Jackson Avenue was the BadNinja9 production office across the hall. This really was the production office for Dorian Dardar’s own film starring his Dorian Hudson character as zen master/detective/life coach. He interviewed all manner of fascinating people in his office for the film, including barely clothed young ladies, which happened more often than you would think.

I can’t make this stuff up.

We laugh looking back, but Jackson Avenue did have a very real impact on the growth of the company. Angie and I shared an office that was actually the conference room, so we were intimately involved in just about every meeting, every discussion — everything. We all grew to be a close group in that space, and those close quarters have paid off, translating into a deep level of trust and a shared knowledge among the team that we may not have achieved in a larger work area.

As bizarre as the Jackson Avenue office was at times, it really cemented those work relationships that act as the foundation of this team.

Our Beloved Oak

We outgrew Jackson Avenue after 1 year — really after 4 months, but we were lucky to be able to take over a lease that had ended prematurely. All along, we’d been eyeing a newly renovated building that housed a wine bar and had the space to allow us to all work and grow.

We coordinated with the owner of Oak Wine Bar, building out the unused upper floors of her building. An office over a wine bar, what’s not to love about that scenario?

It seemed like it took forever (only because we were so anxious to get into the new space). When it was finally completed, it was beautiful. The space was clean and bright — wood floors, original fireplaces and windows. It managed to be both modern and historic at the same time.

As much as we love the Oak Street office for its physical space, we also have a tremendous amount of affection for what Oak represents in the history of Search Influence. It was on Oak that we reached a pivotal point in the business. It was from that open and inviting space that we matured as a group and really grew into our own.

From Oak, we were able to start truly giving back to the community. We began providing free seminars for local businesses and started our work with nonprofits such as Youth Rebuilding New Orleans, The Audubon Institute, New Orleans Wine & Food Experience, and Hogs for The Cause. We have always wanted to give back directly to NOLA, and we had reached a point where we are finally able to devote time and energy to it.

Also while on Oak, we were listed in Inc 500, which ranks the fastest growing private companies in the United States. At #418, we were incredibly excited to be one of 18 companies in the Greater New Orleans area to be recognized (of which we were the only residents of New Orleans proper). Honestly, I will never be not-excited about that honor.

Our years on Oak represent our greatest growth, as a company and as a team. The last three years are an unforgettable time in the history of Search Influence. So, we leave Oak with a bittersweet goodbye.

The 13th Floor

After months of searching for new space, we found a few options for our next great adventure. We chose the option with the most square footage and a great downtown location: the 13th floor of The New Orleans Exchange Centre on Gravier Street.

The Exchange Centre houses a number of New Orleans’ finest, including mature and start-up, technology firms such as TurboSquid, Archon Information Systems, Carrollton Group, Kickboard for Teachers, and many more businesses, tech and non-tech alike.

We moved in over the weekend, and our management team really pitched in to have the place ready for work first thing Monday morning. And 13th floor notwithstanding, there were very few glitches to work out. But as with anything new, it takes some getting used to. Even with the hiccups, the Influencers have been great. Everyone is pumped up and settling in. It feels good.

It’s an incredibly professional space (it even has a reception area). All of the walls are lined with wide, open windows that look out on the surrounding CBD. Most exciting of all, with more than four times the square footage, we’ve really given the team room to spread out and keep growing. We plan to do even more amazing things at our new address.

Yes, it’s the 13th floor, and for us, 13 is a very lucky number.

Image Sources:
Thanks to Dwayne Bent for the elevator buttons photo.
The 935 Gravier Image was provided by The Exchange Centre.

July 23, 2014
May The Nola Festivals Be With You

As all New Orleanians know, this great city is known for it’s colorful and sometimes wild festivals. If you have spent any time at all here you will know that there is a festival almost every weekend of the year and for almost any occasion you can think of! These festivals can range anywhere from highbrow to downright weird.

However, May holds a special place in our hearts. It is the perfect combination of festival fun without the feeling of melting into a sweaty puddle. Check out what we have going on in the city this month and join the festivities before it gets too hot!

New Orleans Wine and Food Experience

Thousands of foodies flock to this event to eat their way through one of the best festivals of the year. You can be sure to experience every type food imaginable paired with more wine than you could possibly drink (don’t even attempt to try it all)! Taking place in the French Quarter and with restaurants all over the city participating, this festival is perfect for visitors who are looking for the best that this city has to offer while wandering the historic streets.

Greek Fest

Located at one of the oldest Greek Orthodox churches in the United States, this massive mediterranean festival celebrates food, family, music, and fun. Taste traditional cuisine, enjoy Hellenic dancers, and rock your toga (or your bedsheets). Grab a souvlaki and learn the Zorba with 20,000 of your closest friends!

New Orleans Oyster Fest

The last weekend of the May is, in my opinion, the best weekend of the year! The oyster eating contest, the shucking competition, and the largest oyster contest are just a few events that take place during this weekend event. Paired with local music and libations, the oysters are in peak seasons and couldn’t be tastier! There is no wrong way to enjoy your bucket of oysters – raw, grilled, or on a cracker. Bring your friends, your appetite, and shuck on!

May 20, 2014
Company Profile: Culture Shock LLC

One of the reasons I love New Orleans is that living local is part of everyday life. People love shopping and eating at local businesses. Thankfully, you won’t find many chains in the New Orleans zip codes (you need to go out to Metairie for that)! My friend Christine Alex recently started a jewelry business that imports handmade pieces from several countries across the world. This Q&A profiles her company, touching on why it totally fits in with the local New Orleans vibe.

How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I came up with the idea for Culture Shock when I was traveling abroad. I thought it was cool to bring back jewelry instead of postcards to my friends and family. The jewelry became a hit and eventually more and more people began giving me money and asking me to bring items back for them. That’s when I thought it would be really neat for people to be able to buy handmade items from all over the world without having to leave their couch. Culture Shock became an LLC in October 2012 and officially launched on January 18, 2013.

What is the goal/vision for your business?
When I studied abroad, I gained a deep level of respect for other cultures and as a result, appreciated my own culture so much more. My goal is to educate my customers about other cultures while selling them a piece of someone else’s culture to wear.

What products do you offer?
I sell jewelry that I hand picked from all over the world. The biggest countries that I receive my inventory from are Nicaragua, India, and Nigeria. Aside from offering a selection of imported items, I also began creating my own ethnic inspired items. In addition, as a way of honoring my own Creole culture, I created an apparel line under Culture Shock called Naturally Creole. This line offers a selection of Creole-themed apparel and accessories.

Do you have an online presence? Website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest?
Yes, I have a website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Facebook and Instagram receive the most engagement from followers. I have noticed usually the same people follow us across social media platforms.

Why do you use Facebook? What is the benefit that it is bringing to your business?
I use Facebook because it’s where my customers are, and I want to develop a relationship with them. Facebook allows my customers to understand the personality of my brand and learn more about my company and the products that I offer.

On the content she posts to her platforms:
I try to post content related to the countries that I import my items from. I post photos, videos, and open-ended questions. Pictures usually receive the most activity from our followers. On Pinterest, I pin items from our website.

Do you run any contests on Facebook? If so, what kind?
Yes, giveaways.

On her customers:
Word of mouth and social media have been important in building brand awareness and getting people to buy our great pieces. I’d love to get more interaction from our social media followers to continue to build the brand!

Business Info:
Culture Shock, LLC
P.O. Box 2217 Harvey, LA 70059
504-256-3337
www.cultureshock101.com
www.facebook.com/cultureshockllc
Twitter: @cultureshockllc
Pinterest: cultureshockllc
Contact email: [email protected]

June 18, 2013
Score More Brownie Points with Your Facebook Page

Facebook far exceeds the other major social networking sites in popularity and value, because it has the most loyal users, states a new social media study by Anderson Analytics. According to the news report, Facebook members were the most loyal among regular users of the four major social networking service (SNS) destinations – Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn being the other three.

Staying Connected

Facebook is used by many people to share photos, post updates and keep in touch with family and friends, especially by the older population. The site launched Fan Pages in November 2007 to give brands and celebrities an official presence on Facebook.

Many companies and celebrities use Facebook to create profiles or share widgets for brand-building and promotion. Fan pages of celebrities like Barack Obama and brands like Coca-Cola and Nutella now attract millions.

Facebook is also helping brands and celebrities promote their pages by introducing features and widgets like the “Facebook Fan Box,” that can be embedded into web sites allowing businesses and celebs to better interact with their fans.

Social media experts recommend fan pages as a cost-effective way to engage with raving fans of your business. But to work well, they should ideally be setup professionally, kept interesting, and updated regularly with useful content and promotions that keep users coming back for more.

Social media experts like Mari Smith and Dan Schwabel recommend that businesses can earn more brownie points and attract more fans to their Facebook page by

•    Being authentic and engaging
•    Offering fresh and exclusive content
•    Getting a vanity URL
•    Controlling your page
•    Holding contests and promotions
•    Engaging with fans
•    Promoting your causes
•    Buying social ads

Image courtesy of: rebuildlakeshore.com

September 21, 2009
Facebook Marketing – Sneaky, Subversive, Effective!
The tactics of Local Facebook Marketing just got a whole lot easier to understand. Sarah Smith gave up the goods in her presentation at the Local Search Summit. It turns out there are some very subversive ways to use current Facebook technologies. Marketing on Facebook just got a lot easier. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="265" caption="Local Search Summit 09"][/caption] Don Campbell gives a great overview of the ideas presented in our "Using Facebook and Twitter to Drive Local Leads" session. And, I'm looking forward to Aaron Irizarry posting the rest of the video... ... But in the mean time, I'm going to share some ideas based on the Facebook marketing presented by Sarah Smith. I'm so excited by these ideas that we're going to be implementing some of them THIS WEEK with clients. But look, I'm even more excited by what YOU are going to do with them. Please comment and let us know what you think the opportunities are. Ok, ok - so the list:
- Kinda mundane but still very helpful: Sarah indicates there is now radius based targeting for ads (e.g.: 15 miles around city X)
- Real-time Search with greater search granularity.
- Target just your fans or people coming to an event with Facebook Ads (this is definitely cool, and I can see some good applications but not mind-blowing).
- Birthday Targeting! Holy cow! This is huge. I have a whole program already laid out for this one.
- 1 to 1 communication with Event attendees/maybes. The pain point here is less obvious - you'll get it when I 'splain it.
Killer Facebook Marketing Opportunities:

Birthday Targeting:
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="199" caption="Happy Birthday to You!"][/caption] So, Birthday Targeting - my goodness, how subversive can you get?! Imagine yourself cruising along in Facebook and Blammo
"happy birthday Bob, click here to register for your birthday gift - good all month".
Notice, we plan to message "good all month" (or "all week", or "for the next 10 days"). There is still a serious call to action but clearly it's an obtainable goal. The challenge of the Birthday message in Facebook marketing is that if you make it a "today only" deal you may miss those who sign in after work hours or who are otherwise unable to commit today. Maybe they've got a party to go to :D. You can see how this would be a killer tactic for a local business. Let's say you have a non-impulse product. You could make an offer of a $25.00 commodity gift card (Wal-mart, The Gap) or $100.00 gift certificate for your service. Even if you're not perfectly targeted you have the opportunity to start a dialog with a local buyer who knows someone who is.
Event Focused Permission Marketing:
Facebook event invitations are becoming much more prevalent. And, it turns out given this new feature, they're a sneaky marketing opportunity. [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Ant Party"][/caption] One of the problems we've had with "Fan Pages" vs. Facebook Groups is that there is no way to push communication to your fans. You can post something which will show up in their feed but you can't get into their inbox without a more personal connection. So, Sarah says that all you've got to do is get someone to respond "Yes" to your invitation (or "Maybe", I think - hopefully Sarah will clarify) and you can then message them up until the event. But wait, there's more: You, the group owner don't necessarily have to initiate the "Event" invitation. Meaning that you can easily convert the Fan to a Friend with much less restriction on continued messaging. I'm not going to tell you how we're going to put this one into use 😉 but I'll tell you once we're done. --- As you can see, these two opportunities, "Birthday Ads" and "Event Focused Permission Marketing", enable much greater attention getting behavior on Facebook. Marketing through these channels can get you past the banner blindness of the usual ads and may even get you into the Inbox. With the rate of adoption of Facebook and Twitter we'll take any opportunity, the more sneaky and subversive the better, to build community and then hopefully move that community offline to buy something. We'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions on how to best leverage these new Facebook marketing opportunities and any of the others Sarah detailed at Local Search Summit. --- Related Posts:
- Pay-per-click Facebook Advertising Delivers Low Cost per Lead
Image Credits:
- Birthday Cake Image Courtesy of Pink Cake Box
- Ant Party courtesy of Flickr user tarotastic
August 18, 2009