Top Stocks 2014, Best Stock Market 2014, Hot Stocks Investing: 8/4/13

Google Issues New Mobile Speed Guidelines, Updates PageSpeed Insights Tool

If you have websites that are getting more mobile traffic, yet are either slow to load or not properly optimized, Google is issuing new guidelines to help ensure those sites are loading quickly and optimally for people using smartphones.

Google shares that research shows that if the page takes longer than one second to load, a visitor's flow is interrupted. Yet the average mobile site takes seven seconds to load. Google has created some steps webmasters can follow to ensure their mobile traffic is being served well.

First, there is the updated Google PageSpeed Insights tool. Enter your URL, and it will analyze how well the pages loading for both mobile and desktop users. It even has an image showing how your website renders in a mobile phone:

When you click on the desktop tab, it shows suggestions for your site as it displays to non-smartphone users, as well as showing how it renders in a typical laptop computer screen.

Each tab also gives suggestions on how you can optimize your page for faster loading on both mobile and non-mobile sites, and gives information about each suggestion so you can understand and implement it easier.

Each suggestion Google gives is also prioritized by importance, so if there are multiple things that should be corrected, it's easy for you decide what is the most important and should be addressed first.

Server must render the response (< 200 ms)Number of redirects should be minimizedNumber of roundtrips to first render should be minimizedAvoid external blocking Javascript and CSS in above-the-fold contentReserve time for browser layout and rendering (200 ms)Optimize Javascript execution and rendering time

Google is also suggesting that all webmasters should prioritize the content that displays above the fold, to make it easier for users to find exactly what they’re looking for.

They have also released further help guides for webmasters doing mobile analysis of their websites.

Bringing Together Paid, Owned and Earned Media
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*Early Bird rate expires August 15.

Matt Cutts on How to Deal with Harmful Backlinks: Just Do a Disavow

In the post-Penguin world, webmasters have become hyper aware of the dangers of low-quality links pointing to their website. Many fear such links, such as those from a porn website, could hurt their Google traffic and rankings – even if they had nothing to do with obtaining them.

So if webmasters are following the proper steps on bad backlinks, can those links – especially if they were generated by competitor – still hurt your website? That is the question in the latest Google Webmaster Help video:

Recently I found two porn websites linking to my site. I disavow those links and wrote to admins asking them to remove those links but... what can I do if someone, (my competition), is trying to harm me with bad backlinks?

Google's Distinguished Engineer Matt Cutts said that is precisely what webmaster should do in the situation. Try to contact the website to resolve it to get the links removed. If that doesn’t work, then submit the links for Google to disavow.

Cutts said that if the links are on sites you don’t want to be associated with whatsoever, to go and disavow the site from the domain level (e.g., example.com) rather than that the exact page the link appears on (e.g., example.com/directory/directory/spamlinkpage.html)

Once you have completed these steps, Cutts said you should no longer have to worry about those links harming your website.

Learn More: Disavowing LinksHow to Use Google's Disavow Links Tool the Right WayDisavowing Links? Google Says Use a Machete, Not a ScalpelGoogle Reveals New Details on Link Disavow Tool

Local Search Marketers Guesstimate 2013 Google Ranking Factors

Despite the annual changes in the local search ecosystem, the ranking factors that Google uses to determine its local search results haven’t changed much over the past year.

So say the 35 local search marketers that contributed to the 2013 Local Search Ranking Factors — organized again this year by David Mihm, and published this year on Moz.com (his employer’s website).

The survey looks at general local ranking factors first, then dives into a long list of specifics (more than 100 in all) and negative ranking factors — local search no-nos, you could call them.

The most influential general ranking factors, according to the survey experts, are

Place Page Signals (proximity, having a keyword in the business name, etc.)On-Page Signals (keyword in title tags, domain authority, etc.)External Location Signals (citations from other sites, name/address/phone consistency, etc.)Link Signals (quality of inbound links, anchor text, etc.)Review Signals (how many, how frequent they are, etc.)

And getting more specific, the top local factors were some of the same that they’ve been in past years: using the correct categories, being physically located in the city being searched, high-quality citations and clear/consistent Name/Address/Phone information.

There’s much more to review in the full survey results, but that should give you a taste of what to expect. If you do local search marketing for yourself or for clients, it’s a must read (as it is every year).

Google Launches Manual Spam Actions Viewer, Streamlines Reconsideration Process

Google is adding a new feature in Webmaster Tools that will leave no doubt when a site’s search rankings are affected by a manual webspam action.

It’s called the Manual Actions viewer, and it’s available today under the “Search Traffic” tab. The new tool complements the email notifications that Google already sends when it takes manual action against a website, giving site owners a way to check their site’s status on their own at any time.

Google says fewer than two percent of domains in its index are manually removed due to spam, so the vast majority of webmasters won’t find anything when they visit the Manual Actions viewer other than a message saying “No manual webspam actions found.”

But for sites that are affected, the Manual Actions viewer will show existing webspam problems under two headings: Site-wide matches and Partial matches. In both cases, Google will indicate what type of problem exists from a list of about a dozen categories — things like “hidden text and/or keyword stuffing,” “thin content,” “pure spam” and others.

When there are Partial matches listed, Google will also show the affected URLs for each type of spam problem. There’s a limit, though, of 1,000 URLs per type of problem listed. Google says this will be more than enough for all but the largest sites (like YouTube, for example). In the screenshots below, you can see that a sample site has a “Partial match” notice about thin content, and Google is showing a half-dozen affected URLs.

As you can see above, there’s also quick access to a new “Request a Review” button. This will be available any time there are manual webspam actions listed. Clicking that opens a pop-up window where the webmaster can give Google details on how its problems have been fixed.

Simultaneously, visitors to Google’s existing page about reconsideration requests will first be invited to use the Manual Actions viewer to make sure that there’s really a manual action in place.

This new tool is part of Google’s ongoing efforts to increase communication with webmasters about spam and other issues affecting their sites. Each of the dozen or so categories of manual actions used in this new tool is also getting a dedicated help/info page (available from the “Learn More” link in the screenshot above) with some new videos from Matt Cutts explaining the type of webspam problem that Google has identified.

The Manual Actions viewer is available now in all languages that Google Webmaster Tools currently supports.

Google Goes Shopping, Buys Channel Intelligence for $125 Million

Google has acquired ecommerce solutions firm Channel Intelligence (CI).

CI handles ecommerce solutions aimed at boosting the sales of product and services by making them easier to find on the web. The deal cost Google $125 million. CI expects the deal to close within the first quarter of 2013.

"We are pleased to announce that CI has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Google," CI wrote in a statement on its website. "For over ten years, we have focused on making it easy for consumers to find and buy products online and help our clients grow their business. We've worked with Google for years, and look forward to the great things we will be able to do together."

CI creates a product known as CI Boost. The product assists retailers with optimizing product visibility on Facebook, search engines, and shopping engines.

The firm was a Google Shopping launch partner prior to the purchase agreement. CI says they helped create a solution to help merchants optimize Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) for product listing ads.

CI has worked for firms like Phillips, HP, and Best Buy before being bought by Google. The company has reported that it helped drive $2 billion in sales annually through the use of its technology.

This article was originally published on V3.

Interview: The Future of Cloud Marketing Software with Vocus CMO Jason Jue

In late 2011 Vocus welcomed Jason Jue as Chief Marketing Officer. �In this interview Jason talks about the undeniable convergence of PR and marketing, what social media metric is most undervalued by many PR and marketing professionals, where marketers should invest for 2013 and his�vision for Vocus.

Tell us a little bit about your background and what excites you most about joining Vocus?

Prior to Vocus, I was Vice President of Marketing at Rackspace and had several executive positions at Dell in the US and Asia, marketing to businesses. Vocus offers software�to businesses in every market sector and size that want to reach and influence buyers.

I’m excited about sharing with businesses how easily our products work wonders for our current customers. Some of the leading marketing consultants such as Sirius Decisions and MarketingSherpa use our products to maximize their online publicity.

For some people, Vocus is synonymous with Public Relations software. Can you speak to how and when Vocus first expanded to offering marketing solutions?

We have always believed PR to be a core part of �promoting a product or service� or marketing. Many customers who buy our PR software have a marketing title, and we�ve recently seen faster growth in this group. These customers use our social media and PRWeb news release features of our PR software. For them, we created a cloud marketing suite which integrates search, publicity, and social media marketing. Our cloud marketing suite was the most successful product launch in Vocus history, and will be even better when it includes email later this year.

Do you see PR and marketing professionals as two separate audiences? Or are they converging disciplines?

In marketing teams that have PR and marketing professionals, we continue to see them as two audiences with different product needs, although their roles are converging, especially around social media. PR professionals are using social media for brand positioning. Marketing professionals use social media for lead gen. Meanwhile, for the millions of businesses who have few, if any marketers at all, the marketing functions blend together.

Use your crystal ball and give us a glimpse into the future. How will the Vocus offering change over the next 2 years? Where do you see the most opportunity for growth?

The future of marketing is simple and powerful integrated campaigns. Every marketing team realizes that when working together on unified and integrated campaigns, lead generation and brand perception results are much better than working alone.

I know that sounds like a pipe dream as marketing complexity has increased to address the everywhere all the time customer. Today�s customers are constantly switching back and forth from website, news, social, search, email, and mobile. To add confusion, each specialty has their marketing tools resulting in silos and disjointed communication.

In the near future, marketers will be able to buy cloud marketing software to easily manage integrated campaigns. It will incorporate the trendy with the tried-and-true tactics of marketing The essential elements will work together for better results in lead generation and brand perception. And, it will recommend how and when to engage with prospects and customers.

Seem unbelievable? I think it�s unbelievable that it hasn�t already happened. In the past 15 years, every corporate function, from marketing to sales to HR, has seen a proliferation of technology tools. Marketing is the only function without a major product suite. IBM is doing it for large enterprise marketing. We are integrating all the important marketing tools into a cloud marketing suite so every business, large and small, can easily achieve big results .

Staying on social for a moment, what is one social metric that you think may be most overlooked by PR and marketing professionals alike? On the flip side, any stat that you view as overvalued?

The most important social media metric is how many people actively recommend your product or service.�I think the most overvalued metrics are fans, followers, and likes.

As 2012 is well underway, what is one investment you think marketers must make in order to succeed the rest of the year and into 2013? (i.e. invest in mobile marketing)

Focus on marketing fundamentals that will dramatically accelerate growth. Who is your target customer? What product or service should you develop for them? How should you promote to them? Why should they buy from you?

Then, find the best product for you that simplifies all the marketing tactics and trends. This product will then let you focus on the marketing fundamentals.

Google Brings Huge NCAA March Madness Bracket to Search Results

Searching for the NCAA March Madness bracket? Search for [ncaa bracket] or [march madness] on Google and you'll see a giant box (officially called "answer cards") above the organic results dedicated to the latest scores and schedule – all leading to additional Google searches.

Clicking on the top arrows will move you left and right through the Round of 64, Round of 32, Sweet Sixteen, and Elite Eight.

Each game is clickable and will lead you to more Google searches.

Want more details on the Louisville vs North Carolina? Clicking on that box will take you to a search for [Louisville Cardinals vs North Carolina A&T Aggies march madness]:

Even searching for the very generic [bracket] will show you the NCAA bracket.

Meanwhile, over on Bing, the top search result for [ncaa bracket] is a much smaller printable 2013 March Madness bracket above the News and organic results, and details about the play-in games on the right.

7 Video Marketing Core Best Practices for Brand Marketers

Pixability has just released a comprehensive industry study, The Top 100 Global Brands: Key Lessons for Success on YouTube, which details how global brands are successfully driving video and digital marketing success.

Revealing a 99 percent YouTube adoption rate and 73 percent year-over-year growth, the brands driving the best business results are moving beyond television-style brand awareness to much more socially-engaged, longer-form, content-rich channels.

Why YouTube?

Starting with the list of companies identified in Interbrand's Best Global Brands report, Pixability collected data from YouTube channels owned and managed by these Top 100 Global Brands. Pixability software collected a list of 2,214 candidate channels. A group of analysts then verified each channel according to the criteria listed above and reduced the list to 1,378 verified channels.

All individual metrics per video were added by channel and then by brand to get to the total values used in the study. The raw data was used as an input into Pixability's Online Video Grader software.

The data presented in the study represents full and exact counts of the metrics described above. No sampling, estimates, regressionsor projections were used.

"We knew that the data collection for such a large set of videos was a monumental task, but our software quickly delivered audience, usage, and performance data in every dimension," said Andreas Goeldi, study co-author, CTO, Pixability. "We found significant disparities between the top and bottom performers in this elite group, showing that some brands get YouTube and others just don't."

Top Brands Embrace YouTube, But Challenges Remain

Over the past five years, the top brands have gone from just a few dozen YouTube uploads in 2005 to more than 10,000 cumulative video uploads in a single month last year. These 100 brands alone now account for 9.5 billion collective YouTube views and more than 2,200 channels containing 258,000+ videos.

Pixability anticipates that by 2015, they will likely invest in the production, marketing, and distribution of more than 1 million new YouTube videos.

But brand marketers have work to do: the study uncovers that more than 50 percent of their videos get fewer than 1,000 views.

"The best brands and marketers understand YouTube and treat it differently to get stellar results," said Rob Ciampa, study co-author, EVP Marketing, Pixability. "The ones who don't? They end up back in the legacy marketing world wondering why their customers are somewhere else, such as a competitor's YouTube channel."

Key Lessons for Marketers

Understanding that video marketing is just as important as video production, these brands offer valuable lessons. The report pinpoints seven core best practices for brand marketers.

1. Be a well-oiled, consistent, video content machineThe most successful brands have 50 percent more videos per channel compared to the least successful ones.The best-performing brands publish high volumes of content on a regular schedule.Top aggregate brands publish approximately 78 videos per month. Leading media brands produce even more: close to 500 videos per month.2. Take video optimization and YouTube channel architecture seriouslyYouTube is the 2nd largest search engine, so discoverability is key.YouTube SEO follows very different rules than traditional SEO.Within traditional SEO—Google prioritizes web pages with YouTube video embeds.The best performing 25 percent of Top 100 Global Brands took more care in optimizing their videos and channels, maintaining twice the number of playlists and video tags than the bottom 25 percent.3. Don't get caught in the overproduction trap; lesser quality video works well, tooThe best YouTube marketers produce a broader range of video content.Videos do not need to be prime-time quality because those with lower production value can be just as effective.4. Apply an "Always On" strategy to video marketingThe most successful brand marketers on YouTube integrate their online video strategies with their traditional, offline marketing strategies.Successful video marketers don't hesitate to produce video series for very limited, but highly engaged audiences, such as event participants.17 of the Top 100 Global Brands use less than 50 percent of their channels.Continued advertising results in sustainable channel growth and subscribers.5. Apply branding consistently, intelligently, and methodicallyThe top performers consistently brand their videos in both the video content itself as well as in metadata, which includes titles, tags, and descriptions.An appropriate level of branding within videos is essential because successful YouTube videos are often used outside of the context of a branded YouTube channel, such as website embedding.Over-branding may limit sharing within independent communities of interest.6. Adding more content is more important than adding more channels37 percent of all channels have not been updated with fresh content for over 120 days.Successful marketers have YouTube channels that clearly focus on specific target audiences.7. Engage your community with social mediaFacebook and Twitter are among the most important sources of traffic on YouTube within the Top 100 Global Brands.Users frequently share videos on social networks, and video content is attractive for sharing.The top 25 percent of brands had significantly higher social sharing of video than the bottom 25 percent.Viewer sentiment is starting to show distinct trends by industry. Home and luxury segments have the highest sentiment, while financial services and consumer goods have the lowest.

You can download the report here.

There is No 'New SEO' – Just a New Fad!

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's tired of seeing posts like "Social Media is the New SEO" or "Content Marketing is the New SEO". In fact, Google shows 4.64 million results for the query "intitle:is the new seo".

Obviously, there aren't that many different posts out there with that in their title... it just seems like it sometimes. But there are also 3,080 results returned for inurl:is-the-new-seo, so it would seem that a lot of authors are eager to see SEO redefined.

Let's get something straight, people: There is no "new SEO"!

SEO is search engine optimization, period. Channels come and go or rise and fall in popularity, but that doesn't change what SEO is any more than adding a row of tomatoes to your garden redefines agriculture.

Is it Too Hard?

A few years ago, when I decided that RDFa was a great way to help the search engines understand what a page's content was about, I soon noticed that adoption was pretty sparse. I never noticed anybody penning any blog posts proclaiming it to be the new SEO.

I think the reason for that is pretty simple... it's not easy. It requires considerable effort to learn and implement. Sure, it has lots of benefits, but too many people are more interested in benefits that require as little effort as possible. For most people, RDFa didn't fit the bill.

What catches on quickly are things like Pinterest and Twitter. They require a lot less effort than learning a new markup language. Developers have even gone so far as to create single-button browser add-ons to Pin an image or Tweet a page. A really tough job made so much easier, right?

Before social became the SEO du jour, we saw a spate of folks bellowing about content marketing (some still are). There have been times when some voices were touting forum signatures, blog comments, even press releases, as well.

And of course, the cacophony of posts and websites praising guest blogging is just now beginning to subside a bit. That's a rant for another day, though.

My point is, I think people take the easy way out in a lot of things... what they do and what they write.

Why Make it Too Easy?

SEO has an almost non-existent barrier to entry. Folks that have barely learned to spell SEO declare themselves experts, and proceed to lead unsuspecting clients down the garden path with abandon, probably chuckling all the way to their PayPal screen.

Giving people like that fodder for their "marketing" ploys, where they push techniques that are easily automated (and detected) does each of us and our field an injustice. We are, in effect, lowering the bar, by allowing such idiotic redefinitions to go unchallenged.

Still, there are posts to be found on any given day, either pushing a technique that's been around for too long already or one that never saw the smart end of the stupid-stick. And the authors either don't think about or don't care that there are many people that read whatever they can find, to learn more about a topic. Often, they can't tell the crap from the gold.

So Really, What's so Difficult?

What is it about the Internet that's so different, that makes people think they can say whatever they want, and never be held accountable? Years ago, most of us would have thought twice before showing our ignorance in a Letter to the Editor to the local paper – but not on the Internet!

Is it so difficult to be responsible in the tacit advice we offer? That's what it is, after all – advice. With multitudes of people searching online for information, is there some logical reason to believe that it's OK to publish crappy information that'll be seen as advice? If so, I'm not seeing it.

The Internet will sort itself out, eventually, when more users realize how much garbage is published every day and begin holding people responsible for what they say. Whether it the New York Times or Aunt Susie's Blogging Corner, we need to call out the purveyors of wrong information, shoddy journalism, or spammy tactics.

It's either that or endure more and more of it. I know what my choice is. Do you?

There is No 'New SEO' – Just a New Fad!

Let's get something straight, people: There is no "new SEO"!

Is it Too Hard?

And of course, the cacophony of posts and websites praising guest blogging is just now beginning to subside a bit. That's a rant for another day, though.

My point is, I think people take the easy way out in a lot of things... what they do and what they write.

Why Make it Too Easy?

So Really, What's so Difficult?

It's either that or endure more and more of it. I know what my choice is. Do you?

13 New Sessions Added to SES New York 2013

With 55 sessions on topics covering everything SEO, PPC, social, analytics, local, mobile, video, and much more, the SES New York 2013 conference will once again be a must-attend event for marketers, advertisers, agencies, and business owners of all skill levels.

If you’ve been to an SES event before, you know the conference provides unparalleled training and networking opportunities. The SES advisory board is still hard at work putting the finishing touches on the agenda and speakers, making sure you’ll be provided with the freshest and most up-to-date sessions you’ll find anywhere so you can upgrade your skills and return to work with an arsenal of new ideas.

Already, some brand new sessions have been added to the agenda. Among them:

Mining Your Search Keywords and Social Data for New Revenue Opportunities will show you how to integrate data from search, social, and traditional media to identify new opportunities and revenue streams. (More details)Creative Content Marketing: Winning Hearts, Minds and Wallets will teach you how to get creative while also applying SEO and social media optimization principles to increase reach and engagement. (More details)The Dawn of Convergence Analytics will guide you through the new class of analytics tools that aim to help you understand the giant combination of "big data," access to cloud computing, powerful algorithms, and unprecedented visualization capabilities. (More details)Feed Your Way to the Top of Local Listings will offer tips on how to optimize your local listings and product feed so potential customers can easily find you and convert. (More details)

Other new and noteworthy sessions will include:

Facebook Graph Search and its Impact on Reputation Management, Privacy, Local Search and MoreBringing Together Paid, Owned, Earned MediaBreaking Down the Borders: International & Multilingual SEO4 Steps to Building an Integrated Online Marketing CampaignPutting Your Money Where it Counts: Smart Attribution ModelingDriving Consumer Insights With Mobile AnalyticsFor Good Measure: Brand Measurement in a Digital WorldFollow, Reach, Convert: Smart Retargeting/RemarketingProgrammatic Trading: New Display Opportunities

Also, in a bit of related news, the SES New York 2013 keynote speakers have been confirmed. At SES New York, you’ll hear from:

Mike Proulx, Senior Vice President & Director, Social Media, Hill Holiday and author of Social TVJoel Lunenfeld, Vice President of Global Brand Strategy, TwitterMichael Bayle, Senior Vice President & General Manager, ESPN MobileBrendon Kraham, Head of Global Mobile Sales & Product Strategy, GoogleEric Litman, Chairman & CEO, Medialets

Oh and how’s this for a good deal: if you register for SES New York before Feb. 21, you can take advantage of the Early Bird rate and save up to $600.

Want to bring your whole team? Check out the SES group rates.

Hope to see you there!

Twitter User Insights for Marketers [Study]

Some 15 percent of online adults use Twitter, with 8 percent using the social network on a typical day. The figure represents a steady rate of adoption since May 2011, when 13 percent of online adults were tuned in and using the microblogging service.

Those who are using Twitter are doing so more regularly; last May, only 4 percent of users said Twitter use was a part of their typical day. Late in 2010, that figure was just 2 percent, according to Pew Internet. These new insights into Twitter use and engagement are the results of their Twitter Use 2012 survey, in which they connected with 2,253 U.S. adults between March and April of this year.

Understanding who your audience is on any given network is critical to your success as a marketer in that space. While nothing beats your own experience and data, Pew Internet offers a broad overview of the types of users who are most likely to use Twitter, and use it often. Here are a few takeaways for your social media marketing arsenal.

Black Internet Users Use Twitter at High Rates

Twenty-eight percent of online African-Americans use Twitter, with 13 percent doing so on a typical day. This is a continuation of Pew Internet’s findings from last year.

Twitter is Attractive to Younger Users

Twenty-six percent of Internet users ages 18-29 use Twitter, nearly double the rate for those ages 30-49. Among the youngest Internet users (those ages 18-24), fully 31 percent are Twitter users, according to their report.

Urban & Suburban Residents Far More Likely to Use Twitter

Twitter is popular in Suburbia, if the results of this survey are any indication. Nineteen percent of urban residents who use the Internet also use Twitter, while 14 percent of suburban residents are tuned in. Only 8 percent of those living in rural areas use Twitter.

Twitter Usage is Highly Correlated With the Use of Mobile Technologies

Pew Internet reports a high correlation between Twitter usage and the use of technology, especially smartphones. Twenty percent of smartphone owners are Twitter users and 13 percent of those use Twitter on a typical day. Those with plain-Jane cell phones are about half as likely to use Twitter, with 9 percent reporting they do so. Only 3 percent of regular cell phone users report using Twitter on a typical day.

Younger Cell Phone Owners More Likely to Use Twitter Mobile

Mobile phone owners ages 18-24 are more likely than older cell owners to use Twitter within the context of their mobile devices, according to the report. Twenty-two percent of 18-24 year old cell owners use Twitter on their phones and 15 percent do so on a typical day. The report notes that, “African Americans and Latinos (both of whom have high rates of smartphone ownership) also stand out as heavy mobile Twitter users.”

Further Insights Into Twitter Usage & User Behavior

Twitter Use 2012 from Pew Internet is the latest in a number of Twitter user surveys and studies we’ve seen lately. URL shortening service Bitly released a report on the best times to post to Twitter and other social networks last month, based on their evaluation of activity on links processed through their service.

Earlier this year, researchers from MIT, Carnegie Mellon and Georgia Tech offered an interesting look into the types of content Twitter users valued most. Among their findings, the Who Gives a Tweet researchers found that users actually like just 33 percent of tweets in their feed.

As a marketer, do you find these high-level industry insights helpful? Let us know in the comments!

New CityMaps Hopes To Compete With Social And Editorial Content

Mobile mapping provider CityMaps recently redesigned its iOS app. It impressively includes home-grown vector maps, built from the ground up. Beyond this CityMaps is trying to offer deeper editorial and social content to differentiate from other mapping and local-search apps.

CityMaps also invokes the language of “personal assistant” in its promotional video (below). These concepts are worthy but the execution to support them is, so far, lacking.

The original CityMaps app was a kind of crazy quilt of colorful corporate logos that signified business locations. Below are screenshots of the earlier CityMaps iOS app:

The new CityMaps has roundups and lists from users and sources like TimeOut. The app still shows company logos, but the overall UI is more “restrained.” However there’s not enough social (and editorial) content at this point to make it truly interesting or worth using instead of Google or Yelp.

Perhaps the social content will grow over time. But CityMaps faces the familiar “chicken and egg” problem in developing user-generated content: nobody wants to be the first one at a party.

The company’s mapping data come from OpenStreetMap.

Waze was able to add a social layer to traffic and build a highly engaged community that Google valued at $1+ billion. There was really no social traffic app in the market and Waze developed something unique.

By comparison, social content in local search and mapping apps is much more common (e.g., Yelp, Foursquare, Urbanspoon, now Google Maps) and it will be much tougher to build momentum and create a following (so to speak) in this segment.

CityMaps released the following video when the iOS app was published last week.

SEO for Google+ Profiles, Pages, Local, Communities & Updates

Want to maximize your visibility in Google's search results? This Google+ SEO guide explains how to optimize your profile, page, local, communities, and even your updates for specific keywords – as well as how Google handles outgoing links.

Google+ Profile Optimization

First, let’s look at Google+ profiles.

SEO Title

The SEO title for your Google+ profile is your name followed by Google+.

Meta Description

The meta description for your Google+ profile begins with your name followed by your tagline, occupation, current employer, current location, and first part of your introduction as framed in red in the above image. Anything after 160 characters gets cut off in search results, so keep that in mind. In my case, everything after my location is beyond the character limit.

Dofollow Links

Highlighted in yellow are the areas of your Google+ profile where you can get dofollow links back to your website. Previously, all links on your Google+ profile were dofollow, but now only the ones in your Introduction and links to other sites are. Links to your Other Profiles and Contributor To sections are now marked nofollow.

Google+ Page Optimization

Next, let’s look at Google+ pages.

SEO Title

Again, the name of your page will be the SEO title, followed by Google+

Meta Description

The meta description of your page will be your page name, followed by your page’s tagline and then the first part of the introduction.

Dofollow Links

Dofollow links from your page can be obtained within the introduction and other links section. The official linked website on your page is marked as nofollow.

Google+ Local Optimization

If you have a local business page on Google+, the on-site optimization isn’t as exciting as profiles or regular pages.

SEO Title

The SEO title of your local business page is the name of your business followed by Google+.

Meta Description

The meta description of your local business page is the description you enter about your business. If you haven’t claimed your local business page on Google+, you will want to do this so you can fill in this section.

Dofollow Links

Unfortunately, the linked website for your local business is a nofollow link. Unlike profiles and regular pages, you are not able to add links to your description. Nofollow or not, the fact that it appears in local search results and Google maps makes it worth it to claim your page and add it.

Google+ Community Optimization

Finally, there are Google+ communities.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much in the way of on-site optimization beyond the community name in the SEO title. While you can add links to the community’s description to drive traffic, they are nofollow links.

Google+ Updates

Can you optimize your Google+ updates for specific keywords? Absolutely!

SEO Title

The SEO title for your update starts with the name of your profile or page, followed by Google+ and then the beginning of the status update itself.

Meta Description

The meta description of your update is the main text of the update, as framed in the above image.

Dofollow Links

When you use the link-specific status update, the link will be dofollow. If you post a photo and then add the link within the update text, it is marked as nofollow.

Why On-Site SEO Matters on Google+

If you want people to be able to discover your profile, page, business, or community on Google+, then you’ll want to know what elements of each Google+ property are most important. By analyzing what Google chooses to use to optimize each property for search, you can find out what you need filled in and where you need to place your keywords for maximum results.

On Google+, the things that count toward where your Google+ property will appear in search results are whether the person is connected to your property (following, a member of, etc.) and the name of your profile, page, business, or community.

After the name, having keywords in your tagline, occupation, and introduction also seem to help your property rank well in search results on Google+.

In regular Google search results, Google+ profiles and pages tend to rank on the first page in branded searches.

They also come up as additional information to the right of search results, along with the latest status update posted to the profile or page.

And last, but not least, if you have connected your Google+ profile to your content using Google+ authorship, your profile will get additional exposure wherever your content appears in search. Likewise, your content will get additional clicks by those who recognize you as the author.

Have you optimized your Google+ profiles, pages, businesses, and communities for search? Let us know your tips and tricks in the comments!

Website Launch Checklist: 25 Things to Test Before Your Site Goes Live

Launching a website is a little like making homemade soup. You’ve got many ingredients coming together, and before you’re done adding them, you sample it to see that you got it just right. But this step – the testing – is often ignored before a site goes live.

Testing a new website can seem overwhelming. Teams aren’t sure where to start. But you may have more help than you know. Every team member can assist in the pre-launch process.

Most websites have writers, web developers, marketers, search engine optimizers, and network administrators coming together to create the site. These same people can help test it. Here's how.

For the Writer or Editor

Writers and editors have strong attention to detail when it comes to the written content on your site. And this attention to detail can also be used for other tasks as well. Here’s what they can do pre-launch:

1. Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation

Check for proper spelling, typos, and grammar site-wide.

2. Forms

Fill out the forms on the site and go through the following questions:

Can the flow be improved?Do you get stuck?Are the instructions accurate?Does the completed form get sent to the right people or person?3. Site speed

Check the size of your page sizes and their load time. Here’s how:

Download Google ChromeNavigate to your page in ChromePress F12View “network” tabBehold!

While Step 3 may appear technical, it doesn’t require a very technical person in order to be useful. The Gantt chart on the network tab will show what a page is doing when it loads in a browser. In the top right corner, they’ll be able to see the total load time.

In the Gantt chart, it shows how much time each element takes to load. Almost anyone can help find the culprit slow page. Just show the long, horizontal bars to your web developers or network administrators, and they can help.

4. Context

When giving a critical eye to the pages within the site, ask:

Why would I visit this page?Is the content ready for visitor?Does the page address the audience?

For the Web Designer

Web designers know what the original design intent is, and they have an eye for the visual details. They can usually spot when things don’t look quite right pretty quickly.

5. Compatibility

Multi-browser rendering is the bane of the Internet, but as website creators, we have to live with it. Check to make sure the pages render well in common browsers. Browser share is a moving target so to help prioritize efforts, here’s a site that continually examines it.

6. Fonts

Sometimes font codes get dropped into a page inadvertently and make a letter or a word look funny. Check to see that the formatting is consistent, and look for odd blips in the copy.

7. Images

Make sure all display text renders on the image when you hover over it (the alt attribute). Make sure the images display correctly. Are they larger than 120 kilobytes? If so, find out of there is a good reason for that. You really only need 72 dots per inch (dpi) for web images in terms of quality.

For the Web Developer

Web developers know the inner workings of HTML, CSS, and Javascript, and how browsers handle those languages. There are some important technical items that a web developer is best suited for when it’s time to go live. Here are a few.

8. Live URLs

Often, sites are built at a URL (uniform resource locator) that isn't the website’s final destination. When a site goes live, the URLs are transferred from a staging area to production. All the URLs change at this time, and they need to be tested.

On small sites without any tools, you can navigate to each page to make sure they all work. On a site with fewer than 500 URLs, you can use Screaming Frog SEO Spider Tool for free to find bad URLs. For larger sites, there is a modest annual fee.

9. Validation

W3C-valid code is the one thing you can do prior to launch to have some confidence around a search engine spider being able to crawl your site. It’s pretty simple to know if a page is valid. You just paste the URL in question here, and you’ll get a report almost instantly.

With that report, you can attack the issues and get the page into compliance. To help even more, here are 10 common fixes.

10. Minify

This is a technique that combines and compresses website code into smaller chunks to speed up your site. You can read more about it at Google. Then, look at the website pre-launch to see if the site is using minify where it can.

11. 404 pages

When a 404 (“page not found”) error occurs, make sure you have a custom page to help your visitor find something else of use, even if it wasn’t what they were looking for. Do you have an HTML sitemap there? Does the 404 page include a site search?

12. Favicon

Favicons are those little iconic images that show up in the address bar and tabs of your browser. How does it help? It’s a small branding opportunity that lends credibility to your site. It’s nice to have one when you launch.

For the Search Engine Optimizer

SEO professionals bring an understanding of the web marketing focus. They can look at a number of things with perspective that can help the site right out of the gate with search engines.

13. 301 Redirects

Sometimes content is repurposed or gets moved to fit the new navigation structure of a site. If you have an existing site and you are changing the URL structure with your new site, you’ll want to make sure you’ve mapped the old URLs to the new ones.

The Screaming Frog spider mentioned earlier can be run on both the old site and the new. An Excel spreadsheet is a great way to document this effort. Column A has the old URL, and you place the new URL in Column B. Each row represents a redirect from old to new. On launch day, it’s time to execute.

14. Title Tags/Meta Data

This may sound like old news to some, but this easy-to-fix mistake happens every day. Make sure every page has a title tag, and make sure they are unique.

Also make sure each has a meta description. This is still a common source for search engine spiders to draw from to understand what the page is about and provide visitors with a sneak peak into the page contents from the results.

15. XML Sitemaps/HTML Sitemap

Make sure your new website has an accurate site map in both XML and HTML format. Both users and search engines care about this important element as it helps them find the pages they are looking for when other methods fail.

16. Tools

Make sure Google Analytics or the analytics package you’re using, and Google and Bing Webmaster Tools are set up and ready to go.

17. Social Media Integration

Do the social media icons on the site go to the correct pages? Do you have the right buttons and social plugins installed for what you are trying to accomplish and what you want the user to be able to do? (For example, share a page versus “Like” you on Facebook.)

18. SERP Display

Are the search engines displaying your pages correctly in the search engine results pages? Did you write proper meta descriptions, but they aren’t being used? Are the images you placed on your Places page being displayed in the SERP?

19. Search Engine Submission

It used to be that all new sites needed to submit to be crawled and indexed. Today, the search engines are more sophisticated, and will likely find and crawl the new site anyway, but it is helpful to include this in your launch checklist.

20. PPC Setup

Make sure if you are running any PPC campaigns that it’s set up and ready to go with the site launch. To avoid a lapse in service, if you have a Google PPC rep, you can set and pause all your campaigns to the new URLs prior to launch, and instead of the ads getting disapproved, your rep can approve them manually.

For the Network Administrator

These folks manage your web servers, the software that runs on them, and all the traffic components that keep your web traffic coming in. Their technical expertise on some of these tasks is like gold.

21. Monitoring

A site monitor checks pages regularly to make sure it is available for visitors. Basic monitors check if the page is working.

Important pages within the site should have enhanced monitors that test if a completed form behaves the way it should. Enhanced monitors are more expensive to setup and keep running so the page in question needs to justify the additional expense.

22. Backup System

Have you thought about what happens if the server goes down? Make sure the backup system is configured properly, and the recovery process has been tested so you know it works.

23. Traffic Loads

Think about what might happen to your site if it gets an influx of heavy traffic. There are load test software tools that allow you to simulate heavy loads. If you are expecting big crowds, this is a must.

24. Protected Pages

Does your site have pages that require user credentials to view? If so, do the credentials work? From the opposite angle, also check to see that the pages can’t be viewed without proper credentials. Make several attempts to get to those URLs without proper credentials to make sure the security is working as expected.

25. Secure Certificate (if Required)

If your site is ecommerce, or you’re using encrypted pages to protect visitor privacy on a form or elsewhere, you’ll want to check your certificate on launch day.

To do this, go to the encrypted section of your site. When the lock appears in the address bar, right click on it and read the message your visitors will read. It should have your name on it and state that it’s valid. If the lock doesn’t appear or the name isn’t right, let your provider know.

Summary

Hopefully you can see that everyone on a marketing and web team can be assigned tasks to test leading up to a site launch. This team approach does the best job for the diverse challenge of testing a website. If you can rally your team around these tests, no one person needs to bear the full weight of a site launch.

Apple Beefing Up Maps With Crowdsourcing, “Ground Truth” Hires

Apple Insider points out that Apple is hiring for dozens of positions in its mapping group. There are more than 80 positions that respond to the keywords “Apple Maps” on the company’s jobs site.

Among a range of other positions, Apple has been seeking “ground truth local experts” for various cities. Here’s one such job description:

In addition, as the blog explains, iOS 7 invites users to “help improve maps” by enabling a new feature called “frequent locations.” Frequent locations will give Apple another (anonymous) method to verify business locations and other destinations by tracking user movements in the aggregate. Participation will also convey drive and other travel time data to Apple.

Because this is entirely opt-in, Frequent Locations shouldn’t raise the hackles of privacy advocates.

Apple received a huge black eye with its initial launch of Maps because there were myriad problems and errors that were discovered by bloggers and developers in a very public way. Since that time the company has been trying to repair the damage by investing more and more into improving business and transit data and mapping accuracy.

Recent acquisitions of Locationary and HopStop are part of that larger effort.

7 New YouTube Features for Partners, Content Creators You Might Have Missed

YouTube has been very busy this summer, rolling out a several new features for YouTube Partners and Content Creators in just the past few weeks. This includes adding new charts in YouTube Analytics, a YouTube subscribe button for websites, and more tools to build channels.

New Charts in YouTube Analytics

YouTube Analytics replaced YouTube Insights at the end of November 2011. YouTube Analytics was a significant improvement over YouTube Insight, but one of the top requests that Partners and Creators asked YouTube for was to see more of their videos at once in YouTube Analytics.

As of mid-July, you can see your top 200 videos in your video reports, as well as new charts to visualize your channel's activity. For networks, you can now see the same data for your top 200 channels.

In addition, a new multi-line graphs allow you to compare the performance of up to 25 videos, channels or geographies over time in a number of reports. This is useful for comparing video views, comparing views in different geographies, as well as seeing where most of your subscribers come from.

Another addition, the stacked area view, enables you to see how the data of selected videos, channels, or geographies relate to their totals.

YouTube Subscribe Button for Websites

You can now embed the YouTube subscribe button on your site, enabling Partners and Creators to build their YouTube audience from all of their web properties. This lets your fans subscribe with a single click without leaving your site.

Once fans subscribe, they can see your channel on their YouTube homepage, phone, tablet, PlayStation 3, smart TVs, and millions of other devices.

Here's what the subscribe button looks like on Vice.com in the bottom-right corner of this screenshot:

If you want to put the subscribe button on your site or customize the button, check out the documentation for more details.

More Tools to Build Channels

Finally, Partners and Creators with accounts in good standing will be able to use a bunch of features they've been asking for: live streaming, custom thumbnails, external annotations, and series playlists.

Start live streaming if you have 100+ subscribers: All channels in good standing with at least a hundred subscribers will be able to live stream, within the next few weeks. Check your Account Features page for an "Enable" button, and click it if you're interested.Choose your best thumbnail: Help your video stand out by using a custom thumbnail. Make sure you only upload images that are representative of what viewers will see, like prominent stills from the video.Drive traffic to your merchandise: Want viewers to buy that new T-shirt you're wearing in your video? You can now use annotations to link externally to various online stores and your associated websites.Program related videos for viewers: Help viewers watch more of your videos by placing them in a series playlist. When you group videos that belong together, we'll show viewers of your videos the next episode from the series and a link to the whole playlist. Just mark your playlist as a "series" in the playlist settings.

Finally, YouTube has also updated its Creator Playbook, providing Partners and Creators with tips on the best ways to use any of these features.

So, why all of the activity during mid-July and early August, when many people take a couple of weeks of vacation? It's not like Hulu or some other direct competitor is giving YouTube a run for its money.

Is YouTube's Business Model Broken?

As Search Engine Watch observed at the beginning of July, however improbably it seems, the answer is "Elementary."

In April 2012, YouTube had more than 30,000 partners in 27 countries around the world. And hundreds of partners were making six figures a year.

Then, the YouTube team updated its partner eligibility requirements across 20 countries where the Partner Program had been launched. Content creators in these countries could quickly become YouTube Partners simply by enabling their YouTube accounts, and monetizing at least one of their videos.

Today, YouTube has more than a million partners from over 30 countries around the world earning money from their YouTube videos. And thousands of channels are making six figures a year.

But, the significant growth in the number of top YouTube Partners who are making six figures a year masks the dramatic growth in the number of YouTube Partners who aren't making that kind of money. There are now close to a million partners who are still trying to build a sustainable career on YouTube and beyond.

So, YouTube appears to be doing as much as it can as quickly as it can to prevent an awful lot of poor Partners from facing a hard decision this winter: remain starving artists or look for another day job.

Meanwhile, this temporary imbalance between supply and demand has made YouTube's TrueView video ads one of the best bargains available on the web over the past 15 months.

For example, VeryPink used YouTube TrueView In-Search ads to reach knitters for 3 cents a view. And at a budget-friendly cost of 2 to 3 cents per click on a predetermined $3 to $5 a day budget, YouTube TrueView ads have been a recipe for success for the BBQGuys.

For more on this topic, watch the episode of downLOADED entitled, "Is YouTube's Business Model Broken?" It was published July 28 on the Tech Feed YouTube channel.

The Best Marketing Investment You’ll Ever Make

Inbound, content, social, mobile, converged, omni-channel, transmedia. The list of marketing channels and strategies vying for our budgetary attention goes on and on.

Where should companies invest to attract more attention and engage those that would influence or act on buying?

To answer that question, we could consider the promotional advantages of each discipline:

Inbound Marketing – Inbound drives�54% more leads than outbound (HubSpot)Content Marketing -�61% of consumers say they feel better about a company that delivers custom content and they are more likely to buy because of that (Custom Content Council)Social Media – �74% of consumers rely on social networks to guide purchase decisions (Salesforce Marketing Cloud)Mobile -�41% of smartphone owners have made a purchase from their mobile phones & US m-commerce sales will reach $31 billion by 2015 (Visual.ly infographic)Email Marketing�-�Email generates $39.40 for every dollar spent (DMA).

But of course there are advantages to each. The problem is that they are not universally applicable or true. �So you might ask, what is universally true? What thing can we invest in as businesses for the greatest return on marketing spend? In my opinion, it’s this:

The best investment you can make in marketing is the quality and experience of your “product”.

Whether you sell a tangible thing or a service, your “product” provides an experience and consumers are more empowered to share the stories of those experiences now than ever before.

Consistently delivering a �great experience amongst a community of customers empowered to create, consume, publish, interact and transact any where, any time inspires the most scalable and powerful “sales force” you could ever hope to advocate for your brand.

Just look at services like Uber that have forgone most traditional advertising and marketing and simply created a service that’s so useful that people are compelled to talk about it. They tell stories about their experience.

“Talking about it” in today’s digital world means creating and sharing content on the social web where a single positive moment can be shared and reach hundreds or thousands of people. Add up hundreds or more of those moments on a daily basis and you can see how those stories can spread.

A big part of what contributes to customer experience with products and services outside of the fact that they “deliver on the promise”, is how stories are discovered, where and how they are consumed and the means by which they are shared and acted on.

Yes, that means beyond creating a fantastic product (fantastic is defined by buyers) where there is some opportunity and necessity to optimize the discovery, consumption and actions taken as a result of those stories. � This is the promise most of the marketing channels and tactics I mentioned above make.

The effectiveness of any of those channels depends on the quality of the product experience and the meaningful stories that surround it. That means stories communicated, curated and promoted by the brand as well as the people who experience the product.

While you certainly know intuitively, the value of product or service quality, do you see it as a marketing investment? How does product or service quality and experience factor in to your marketing? What are the key stories about that experience being told through brand and by customers?

Google: Improve Your Site's Rank by Building High-Quality Sites, Not Links

For years webmasters have been following one of SEO’s golden rules: get lots of quality backlinks in order to help your site get top rankings on Google. And over the past couple years this is become a lot more tricky as Google began penalizing sites with poor quality backlinks.

As a result, many webmasters have shifted a lot of their work from link building to creating quality content that visitors want to share, and now Google has updated their Ranking help article to reflect exactly this.

First spotted by Erik Baemlisberger, the article now states:

In general, webmasters can improve the rank of their sites by creating high-quality sites that users will want to use and share.

Previously, the article stated:

In general, webmasters can improve the rank of their sites by increasing the number of high-quality sites that link to their pages.

For those who despise link building, and the negative SEO aspect of competitors pointing bad links to websites, the fact that Google is putting greater emphasis on sites that users want to use and share will be good news to many webmasters.

It also isn't surprising that Google wants to put that emphasis on the sharing aspect as well, particularly with Google+ and how it interacts with searchers who are logged into their Google account. I believe aspects of this will be given greater weight in the search algorithm, at least until the spammers figure out how to exploit it on a large scale.

Google's Matt Cutts not long ago signalled this shift, when he mentioned that putting too great of an emphasis on link building is one of the top 5 basic SEO mistakes.

"I wouldn't put too much of a tunnel vision focus on just links," Cutts said. "I would try to think instead about what I can do to market my website to make it more well known within my community, or more broadly, without only thinking about search engines."

Google Maps To Get A Major Design Overhaul

Alex Chitu reports Google is testing a new Google Maps interface, possibly to be launched next week at Google I/O.

The new interface is a complete and major overhaul of the current Google Maps user interface. The design and interface changes touch everything from the map colors, icons and text formats to dropping the navigation elements on the left hand side and adding in Google+ integration.

For example, you can filter local search results specifically to friends in your Google+ circles. The navigation seems to have been moved to button like methods, similar to how mobile apps work, with ad overlays hovering below the navigation menus.

Here are screen shots from Alex:

Related Stories:Google Local Results Drops �More Results Near�� To �Improve� Local Search ExperienceGoogle Testing Android/Chromebook-Like Navigation Element For Web SiteGoogle Updates OneBox Results Design To Match Mobile InterfaceJust Testing: Google Users May See Up To A Dozen Experiments

Learn SEO, Social Media & Digital PR from TopRank

There are many ways for company marketers to advance their knowledge in the digital marketing and PR space. A big part of TopRank’s consulting services are to provide clients with education so they can better implement recommendations and promote the advantages of SEO, Social Media and Optimized PR in house. We’re also active participants towards industry education on these topics through speaking at conferences.

September is the calm before the storm of speaking events for TopRank but October and November are packed with opportunities to learn strategy, hear case studies and understand specific tactics for implementation on the topics of Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing and Online Public Relations. Here are our upcoming events. We hope to see you there:

Oct 5, 2009 – MIMA Summit, Hilton Minneapolis

The Intersection of SEO and Social MediaSuccessful social media efforts build community, better connect brands with customers and can influence both media coverage and increased sales. Yet implementing a social media marketing program without optimizing content for search is literally �leaving money on the table.� Useful social content (blog, video, images, audio and applications) that cannot be discovered via search is a lost opportunity to reach audiences that are looking. Why do so many companies fail to leverage their participation on the social web for SEO? This session will provide specific �Do�s and Don�ts� of social media optimization and provide attendees practical examples of how companies can leverage SEO and social media content to improve their search marketing performance. This is a solo presentation by Lee Odden of TopRank Online Marketing.

Oct 19, 2009 – DMA09 Conference, San Diego Convention Center

Search Engine Marketing ExperienceIf you�re an in-house marketer that�s frustrated with your current SEO campaign (or new to SEO and need some basic tips), this is the session for you! Thought leaders are on hand to teach you everything you need to succeed with your SEO campaign�from SEO 101 to advanced technical and conversion tips. Two sessions (morning & afternoon) will be led by SEO Copywriting and Content Strategy expert, Heather Lloyd Martin. TopRank CEO Lee Odden will participate in the morning site review session.

Oct 22, 2009 – Digital PR Next Practices Summit, Grand Hyatt New York

Search Engine Marketing, Optimization and How to Write for the WebEvery element of digital communications has its own degree of importance, but there is one thing that consistently ties it all together: Search. In this vein, knowing how to optimize Web content for search is as crucial as knowing how to write Web content that supports your messaging, heightens engagement and meets bottom-line goals. This panel will untangle the Web of confusion surrounding how search engine optimization and marketing actually work; it will also provide you with the tools that will make media professionals and journalists more apt to engage with your brands online. Speakers include Daina Middleton and Lee Odden.

Oct 29, 2009 – MN PRSA Conference, Minneapolis Metropolitan Ballroom, Golden Valley

Breakout sessions on Social Media:
1) Panel discussion on social media � Rick Mahn, Lee Odden, Albert Maruggi & Greg Swan

2)Taking iMarketing to the next level with the intersection of SEO & Social Media for PR� Lee Odden

Nov 7, 2009 – PRSA 2009 International Conference, San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina
Looking Ahead: The Nexus of Social Media and Public RelationsWhere do news releases, media training, message development and the tenets of crisis management fit into the new world communications order? A panel of thought-leading professionals shares examples of successful social edia/public relations programs across a range of industries. Learn how to jump-start promising new media tools and channels in your organization and incorporate them with many of the core public relations skills you’ve honed over the years. This panel is moderated by PR industry veteran, Peter Himler this panel includes: Rick Clancy, David Bradfield, Rob Key and Lee Odden.

Help Google Find Your Releases: Top 10 Search Engine Optimization Tactics for Public Relations Professionals
Nine out of 10 journalists, reporters and editors use search engines to do their jobs, according to a recent survey by TopRank Online Marketing. In this environment, public relations professionals must understand the ins and outs of search engine optimization (SEO). Find out how to choose the best key words, optimize your newsroom and press releases, build better links and sell SEO to decision makers. Plus, attendees will learn the No. 1 SEO tactic to implement today. This is a 75 minute workshop by Lee Odden.

Nov 10, 2009 – WebmasterWorld Pubcon, Las Vegas Convention Center
How do Social Media & Search Intersect? – �Does social media prevent the need for search? Does social media play an important role in search? This session will discuss both worlds with moderators Vanessa Fox & Brian Carter plus speakers: Tony Adam, David Wallace, Bill Hartzer and Lee Odden

How SMBs Can Use PR Campaigns to Grow Traffic -�Online PR has become a profound contributor to search engine optimization as well as proving to be its own qualified driving channel. This presentation will show how small businesses can take advantage of online PR to increase traffic links, and how to overall do good business. Moderators�Alex Bennert & Taylor Pratt plus speakers:�Jiyan Wei, Lee Odden & Sean Jackson

Search Bloggers : What’s Hot and Trending? – This session is a round-table discussion featuring the prime bloggers and reporters of search examining the state of the industry moderated by Greg Hartnett and with panelists:�Michael McDonald, Barry Schwartz, Lee Odden & Loren Baker.

Be sure to watch specific announcements and details plus discounts and giveaways for many of these events at TopRank’s Digital Marketing News Blog.

Google Integrates 3 Tools Into New Display Planner

Google AdWords has launched the Google Display Planner, which is a combination of three long time AdWords tools: the Contextual Targeting Tool, Placement Tool, and Google Ad Planner. Its goal is to give advertisers the tools in one place, with the convenience of being built into the AdWords platform.

To help make the transition to the new Google Display Planner easier for advertisers currently using the Google Ad Planner, they have also created a help guide for those familiar with the Ad Planner make the change to the new Display Planner. It includes everything from how to access the tool to creating and saving media plans within the tool.

They also have a webinar for the Google display planner, but unfortunately it's not occurring for a month and a half. But, if you plan to use the display planner, you might want to sign up now so you don't forget.

If you're currently using the Contextual Targeting Tool or the Placement Tool, Google will be retiring them within the next three days. The Google Ad Planner will be deprecated sometime in early September. Clients using the Google Ad Planner should export any existing media plans and site lists before it gets deprecated.

Google has been streamlining the many tools they provide for AdWords advertisers in order to give more tools in the same place, to make it easier for advertisers to find them, and to integrate them with within accounts to make importing and exporting data easier. Earlier this year, they launched the new AdWords Keyword Planner, which combined the AdWords Keyword Tool and Traffic Estimator.

How to Reach and Market to Moms During the Back-to-School Season [Study]

The back-to-school event is the second largest shopping experience in the U.S. behind major winter holidays, according to Experian Marketing Services, and a recent study shows what marketing activities reach the decision-makers – the moms – during this critical retail season.

Nine percent of back-to-school search terms led shoppers to Walmart's website, while JCPenney and Macy's received 2 percent of traffic from these terms. Other retailers in the top 10: Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples, Apple Store, Amazon, Target, and Sears.

Experian dove into 2012 data to help forecast the 2013 season. Data showed the peak of the back-to-school season starting the last week of July in 2012, and Experian said retailers could be the driver.

“We expect this peak week trend to continue as retailers try to extend the Back to School season by starting earlier – a trend we’ve seen happen with the holidays and in particular Black Friday promotions.”

This early season trend is line with recent data from Googlethat showed the earliest back-to-school season in history occurring this year, according to its search data.

Experian said retailers can reach moms in several ways, and promote offers that give solutions to some of the concerns they have during this shopping event:

Approximately 65 percent of moms with kids ages 6 to 17 were social media users in 2012, and consumed social on various devices:

Data shows purchasing across multiple devices was also the norm in 2012 for categories like apparel and accessories:

Experian said to also keep in mind that some retail categories experience a longer retail shelf life during the season. “Office supplies tend to peak sooner while interest in apparel continues after the school year begins once kids can see what everyone else is wearing.”

Google Integrates 3 Tools Into New Display Planner

Need a Timer? Use Google

Google has a new fun tool built within their search. If you ever need a quick timer for something, grabbing your phone or a regular timer isn’t always convenient when you’re sitting at your desk – and you might not want to install one of the many web apps that do it.

But now you can type specific search query into Google's search box, and Google will create a timer for you right on the search results page.

To create your timer, simply type "timer for [duration]" such as "timer for 30 seconds" or "timer for 1 hour 30 minutes". It has a stop and reset option and it plays a beeping sound when the timer expires. You can have it open in one tab, and use another tab and you will still hear the audio alarm.

Google's timer will also give you a warning if you have an active timer and you try to close that tab or window. It does seem to work in all browsers, so it’s not exclusive to Google Chrome.

It is unknown how long it has been available for, but it seems to have been first pointed out on Reddit last week.

Need a Timer? Use Google

But now you can type specific search query into Google's search box, and Google will create a timer for you right on the search results page.

Google's timer will also give you a warning if you have an active timer and you try to close that tab or window. It does seem to work in all browsers, so it’s not exclusive to Google Chrome.

It is unknown how long it has been available for, but it seems to have been first pointed out on Reddit last week.

Microsoft Makes Job Cuts; Advertising Hit But Details Sparse

Microsoft has undertaken what’s being called “a round of layoffs,” including eliminating the position of long-time digital marketing evangelist Mel Carson, who worked for Microsoft Advertising in the US and helped start adCenter in the UK.

The software giant confirmed the layoffs but won’t say how many people or what departments were involved.

A Microsoft spokesperson send us a written statement saying:

“I can confirm that there were job eliminations today at Microsoft. Like any company, Microsoft continually evaluates its operations and works to align the business to key priorities. I can assure you we�re thinking about the exciting new opportunities that Windows 8, Xbox and Skype present for our advertising and marketing partners.”

What initiatives are rising as “key priorities” and which are being downsized is unclear. Another unanswered question is about the geographies involved in the job cuts. We’re trying to get additional information from Microsoft, and will update as appropriate.

Carson, who first wrote about the layoffs in his personal blog, is well known in the search marketing industry, where he’s been seen as an effective advocate for Microsoft. He’s spoken widely at digital marketing, search and social media conferences, and has been a presence on the Microsoft Advertising Blog.

Note: A previous version of this article contained incorrect information about the location where Carson was employed. That has since been corrected.�

Bing Entertainment Unwrapped: Music, Movies, Games & TV

Per my previous post, Bing To Rollout Red Carpet In Hollywood Along With New Features, Danny Sullivan and I are liveblogging from Hollywood, where Bing is officially unveiling its new entertainment features.

Theofficial Bing bloghas all the details about the new features in all aspects of entertainment: Music, Movies, TV listings and gaming information.

At the press event in LA, Microsoft senior vice president Yusuf Mehdi is running through live examples of what’s new in the entertainment vertical.

note: some of the following features are rolling out over the next several days.

Music – lyrics, song sampling, concert listings & tweets, oh my

For the Music area, he’s highlighting over 5 million FREE plays available, and pointing in particular to current R&B /hip-hop artist, DRAKE, who will be performing for the attendees at the launch event later tonite.

Key to the music vertical are instant lyric answers for top songs, upcoming concerts and venue information, and even Tweets (when verified accounts are available) by the popular artist. (Mehdi highlighted Demi Lovatofor this one) �and of course, social sharing options are available.

From the official press release:

Bing lets you discover and sample more than 5 million songs and lyrics for free. Bing offers the most complete search results including songs, artists, albums, and hard-to-find lyrics. People can play songs in-line and purchase with one-click from iTunes, Amazon or Zune. Zune Pass subscribers can already stream unlimited full tracks from Zune.net, but now all subscribers can purchase any of the millions of pure MP3s from the Zune catalogue directly over the web from Zune.net � anytime, anywhere.

Movies

Taking the listings for local showings one step further, Bing Maps is now more integrated with listings, to help plan your evening of entertainment around movie show times, with local shopping and restaurant listings. In addition, you can get reactions from the social web.

From the official press release:

Bing helps people decide which movie to see with visual search, customer reviews, in-line movie trailers and highlight videos, one-click purchasing and more. Easily plan an evening out with integrated Bing Maps, which can help people find parking, local restaurants and other information.

Gaming

Perhaps one of the biggest elements in the Bing entertainment vertical is the addition of gaming features, which include “nearly 100 of the most popular casual games online safely from right within Bing,” and Bing boasts: “hosting the games inline means you can be sure they are actually games and not malware.”

From the official press release:

Bing now helps the 175 million gamers in the US beat the game. Bing is the only search engine that offers more than 35,000 aggregated reviews, cheats, and walkthroughs for games. And, Bing makes it easy to play nearly 100 top casual games in-line, like Bejewled, Hexix, and Bubble Town, without worrying about registering, getting spyware, or being overloaded with ads.

Enhanced cable and satellite provider listings for television shows, both current hits (Glee and past series, such as the original A-Team were referenced by Mehdi) are given top billing in SERPs:

From the official press release:

Bing TV: People can now access one of the largest catalogs of videos on the Web, from partners like Hulu, Viacom, CBS and more � all in one place. Bing offers more than 1,500 shows and 20,000 full TV episodes, TV listings, and easy access to episodes, reviews, images, and more. People can find their favorite show in HD, check out user reviews and invite friends to watch using Facebook, Twitter, or other social tools.

Yandex Launches Experimental “Wonder” Voice Social Search App For The US

Yandex, the company behind the leading search engine in Russia with a presence in Turkey, has taken a radically different direction to its search activities by launching a voice social search app called “Wonder” on� Apple’s iOS platform for the US market.

Described by the company as “experimental,” the app responds to users’ spoken queries and displays results from that user’s social connections in a horizontal format which Yandex believes may be the best way to display social search for the future.

One key aspect of the app is the historical nature of the data queried. “Wonder” is not looking at what someone is saying now about a restaurant you’re thinking of visiting, but what they have said in the past. This enables much richer information to be displayed to users from a limited data set than would be the case with traditional search engines.

How The Yandex “Wonder” App Is Structured. Source: Yandex

The supported social network platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Foursquare and other tools connected through Facebook such as Spotify.

Developed by Palo Alto-based Yandex Labs, the app is limited to the US for now, but a spokesman for the company said, “It’s an experimental app which uses many existing Yandex technologies and tests some that are new. We aim to learn about users preferences, such as the horizontal results display and may then roll it out to other regions.”

A typical search query might be, ” I wonder what my friends are listening to?” or “what sushi restaurants do my friends go to in New York?” A key aspect that the technology tries to achieve is to recognise the many different ways that a particular restaurant or venue, might be described by different friends in different networks — a new form of “duplicate removal” similar to duplication removal in traditional search engines.

In addition to the fact that its development came out of the US, the company says it chose the limited iOS platform in the US because it is a single market speaking predominantly one language, more social data is available, and US users share more on average than those in other parts of the world.

“Wonder” Has Horizontal Scroll To Display Its Social Search Results. Source: Yandex

The spokesman noted that, “We may use what we learn on voice search from this experiment in connection with our main Yandex search engine.”

Inevitably, the app will be compared to Facebook’s new Graph Search concept and has many similarities, except the addition of natural language voice search. The app is available to download for free.

Other than “Yandex.com,” which is an English-language search tool from Yandex, the company has never made forays into the US in its own name — but has invested in US search engines such as Blekko. This is the first direct search investment in the US.

Postscript by Matt McGee: TechCrunch is reporting that Facebook has blocked Yandex’s access to its data, and the two companies are discussing next steps.

Postscript #2 by Matt McGee, January 25: Yandex has shared this official statement on the situation:

Wonder app has been blocked by Facebook. We are in touch with Facebook to enquire about the reasons for this and what can be done to solve this problem. As of now any new users trying to sign up to Wonder with their Facebook account receive a notification by Facebook: “An error occurred. Please try again later”. Those users who have already signed up can still ask questions, but the Facebook data will not be updated. Instagram, Foursquare and Twitter data are updated as normal.

Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.

Social Media ROI: 14 Formulas to Measure Social Media Benefits

Measuring social media ROI can be a daunting task, but not impossible. Check out these handy formulas for calculating tangible social media benefits – advertising, content, leads,research, support, sales, and more!

My earlier post, "Social Media ROI: How to Define a Strategic Plan", provided step-by-step instructions for mapping out a high-level social media strategy that aligns with business goals.

The latter part of that process (step 6) involves selecting tactics to best achieve the defined goal metrics, in turn leading us to ROI opportunities. Prepare to quantify!

In this edition:

Social Media Tactic Planning ProcessSimplified Measurement - 3 Core ObjectivesSocial Media ROI vs. CBASocial Media Tactic Benefits (Formulas)Social Media Tactic Costs (Formulas)"Social Media, Meet ROI" (Presentation)

Social Media Tactic Planning Process:Define important metrics to compare different tactics.
Consider respective scale measurements (1=Low, 3=High, etc.) and weight/importance to aid scoring based on business priorities. (e.g., timing, resources, budget, competitive edge, goal alignment, difficulty/risk, etc.)Brainstorm tactics that serve both business and user goals.
Use a diverse mix of "mild to wild" options. Tip: Use theTriangle of Relevance Methodology to strategically achieve "magnetic" campaigns.For each tactic, brainstorm possible implementation outcomes and factors – both good and bad.
(e.g., social shares, web traffic, comments, testimonies, user-generated content, leads, support costs, legal considerations, etc.)Categorize the list into benefits and costs.
For benefits, align listed outcomes to goals and crosscheck them with high-level objectives like grow revenue, reduce costs, and improve satisfaction. Note: For potential risks, estimate the likelihood of the risk occurring.Evaluate and compute estimated benefit and cost values.
Tip: Leverage formulas noted below!Perform Cost-Based Analysis (CBA).
Determine the difference between total benefits and total costs.Weigh factors and score all tactics to identify and compare top candidates.
Analyze reasons for top scoring. (Be prepared to answer "why" and also look for anomalies in weighted scoring to adjust or investigate further.)

Simplified Measurement - 3 Core Objectives

The toughest part in going through the tactic selection process is often computing benefits and costs. Although marketers agree that lots of social media metrics are available, confusion remains on how to measure the actual benefits.

My advice is to start from these core business objectives: Grow Revenue, Reduce Costs, and Improve Satisfaction. Below I've charted some influence factors and metrics for each. These factors (and any more you can think of) are the gateway to our benefit formulas!

Grow RevenueReduce CostsImprove SatisfactionLeadsConversionSalesCustomer RetentionAdvertising (ad impressions, clicks, traffic)Content (articles, reviews)Media (e.g. videos, photos)Resource StaffingMarket Research (surveys, focus groups)Product DevelopmentPublic RelationsCommunicationsSurvey Feedback ScorePositive Sentiment / Complaint CountAmerican Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)Inquiry Response TimesEmployee Satisfaction/RetentionPerfect OrdersReturns

Social Media ROI vs. CBA

Before we jump into the super awesome benefit formulas, the controversial debate of ROI versus CBA needs to be addressed. When it comes to calculating "wins" for campaigns, these two formulas are most commonly used:

Cost-Based Analysis (CBA)Return on Investment (ROI)FormulaBenefits - Costs( Benefits - Costs ) / CostsExample$12,000 B - $1,000 C
= $11,000 CBA

$61,000 B - $50,000 C
= $11,000 CBA ($12,000 B - $1,000 C) / $1,000 C
= 11 or 1100% ROI

($61,000 B- $50,000 C) / $50,000 C
= 0.22 or 22% ROI FormatDollar ValuePercentage or RatioPurposeAnalyze estimated cost impact. e.g. make a profit, break-even, take a loss.Analyze investment effectiveness for generating a profit.FocusProfitInvestment ReturnCommon Use Compare options using a common currency and justify bottom-line feasibility of spending.Assess profitability as a basis for continuing and prioritizing future investments.Answers...Will we come out ahead?How effective were we at coming out ahead? What kind of payback did we get for the investment?

Note: An ROI of 1 or 100% implies you'd get back what you put into it, while CBA, also sometimes known as Cost-Benefit Analysis, has a $0 "break even" point.

Notice how in the examples above, the CBA for two different tactics with very different costs could be the same, while respective ROI sheds further light on the investment effectiveness.

"ROI can only be calculated AFTER the investment has yielded a return. It cannot and must not be estimated beforehand. Ever. Under any circumstances."
- Olivier Blanchard, @thebrandbuilder (Author of Social Media ROI)

ROI is often calculated after implementation. However, you're unlikely to gain management support or choose optimal tactics without some supporting financial metrics. Up-front estimated measurement of tactics is vital to making smart social media decisions. Use Cost-Based Analysis (CBA) – and estimated ROI if needed – during social media tactic planning to:

Compare Tactics Using a Common Currency
Which social channels/tactics make the most sense for business?
Justify Tactic Spend Feasibility
Is it financially possible/worthwhile to partake in the social media tactic?

"Keep in mind that the calculation for return on investment, and therefore the definition, can be modified to suit the situation – it all depends on what you include as returns and costs. The definition of the term in the broadest sense just attempts to measure the profitability of an investment and, as such, there is no one 'right' calculation."
- Investopedia: Definition of 'Return On Investment - ROI'

Note: "Social Media ROI" is a buzzword phrase that loosely translated answers if the tactic can deliver tangible value. It could reference ROI and/or CBA formulas because both provide useful perspectives. Calculations done beforehand are simply estimates. Don't worry about the semantics. The important part is to actually do the measurement, understand the calculation, and select accordingly.

Fortunately, calculated benefits and costs easily plug into both CBA and ROI formulas!

Social Media ROI Formulas

(Click the heading links to jump down to that section.)

BenefitsCostsAdvertising Value
1. Online Social Mentions
2. Social Web Traffic Referrals
3. Search Web Traffic Referrals
4. Social SEO Improved Search Rank
5. Social Influencer Online Mentions
6. Social PR MentionsContent Value
7. Articles
8. Photos
9. VideosResearch Value
10. Research Value - Social InsightsSupport Value
11. Support Value - Online Self-ServiceLead and Sales Value
12. Social Leads (One-Time Value)
13. Social Leads (Lifetime Value)
14. Social-Aided ConversionLaborSoftware / Online ToolsEquipmentPromotional CostsTrainingLegal Risk

SOCIAL MEDIA TACTIC BENEFITS

Enjoy these 14 formulas and examples to aid your computations! (Be sure to replace example placeholder numbers with your own values or industry-relevant estimated percentages.)

ASK YOURSELF:
How much would it cost if you had to pay for the equivalent achieved by social media? What tangible outcomes related to the sales funnel will be impacted?

1) Advertising Value - Online Social Mentions:

GOAL: Grow Awareness, Reduce Ad Costs

_____(#) brand/product online social mentions, pins, etc.
X _____ (CPI) equivalent display ad impression costs
______________________________________
= $ Display Ad Impressions Value
(CPM, or cost per 1,000 impressions, could also be used.)

Example: Estimated 150,000 social impressions at display ad costs per impression (CPI) of $0.008 (or $8 CPM) = $1,200 equivalent display ad impressions value

2) Advertising Value - Social Web Traffic Referrals:

GOAL: Drive More Web Traffic, Reduce Ad Costs

_____(#) social referral clicks to website
X $_____ (CPC) equivalent display or social ad costs
______________________________________
= $ Social Ad Value

Example: Estimated 150 social referral clicks to the website at social ad costs of $3.99 per click = $1,197 equivalent social ad value

3) Advertising Value - Search Web Traffic Referrals:

(e.g., social reviews or comments ranking in search results)
GOAL: Drive More Web Traffic, Reduce Ad Costs

_____(#) search referral clicks to website
X $_____ (PPC) equivalent search ad costs
______________________________________
= $ Search Ad Value

Example: Estimated 500 search referral clicks to the website at search PPC ad costs of $2.99 each for the respective keywords = $1,495 equivalent search ad value

4) Advertising Value - Social SEO Improved Search Rank:

(e.g., social reviews, photos, or comments influencing search rank)
GOAL: Drive More Web Traffic

( _____% new organic search CTR − _____% old organic search CTR)
÷ _____% old organic search click-through rate (CTR)
X _____(#) monthly organic search volume
_____________________________________
= Additional Organic Search Referrals

Example: Increasing search rank from position 4 at 8.2% CTR to position 2 at 14% CTR with an average monthly search volume of 120,000 = 84,878 more search referrals

Check out Optify's Organic Search Click-Through Rate (CTR) Study for insights on search rank CTR differences to estimate benefits. (i.e. CTR: Position 1 @ 36.4%, Position 2 @ 12.5%, Position 3 @ 9.5%.) For ROI calculations, use your actual CTR values available via Google Webmaster Tools.

5) Advertising Value - Social Influencer Online Mentions:

GOAL: Grow Awareness, Reduce Ad Costs

_____(#) social influencers
X _____(#) average social network reach
X _____(#) notable online brand mentions
X $_____ paid spokesman or special guest costs (e.g. radio, TV, or direct mail endorsements)
/ _____(#) ad network reach or volume
________________________________
= $ Paid Endorsement Ad Value

Tier paid spokesman fees by respective social influencer levels. Document tiers with labels (e.g. A-Level, B-Level, etc.) to make historical tracking easier. Social network reach and ad reach should ideally be equivalent since pricing tiers may vary. (This formula adjusts for network reach differences assuming endorsement costs are the same regardless of ad volume.)

Example: 5 industry influencers (B-level) with an average social network reach of 5,000 making 10 notable brand mentions at an equivalent paid spokesman (B-level) cost of $1,500 each with an ad network reach of 10,000 = $37,500 equivalent paid endorsement ad value

6) Advertising Value - Social PR Mentions:

GOAL: Grow Awareness, Reduce Ad Costs

_____(#) event-related online brand mentions (e.g. announcement, product release, etc.)
X $_____ equivalent press event cost
/ _____(#) average brand mentions from press event
_________________________________
= $ Press Event PR Value

Example: 50 event-related online brand mentions (not fuelled by a paid press event) at equivalent press event costs of $800 that yield an average 40 brand mentions = $1,000 equivalent press event PR value

7) Content Value - User-Generated Content (UGC) Articles:

GOAL: Grow Awareness, Improve SEO, Aid Conversion (Social Proof), Reduce Content Costs

_____(#) online stories or articles with significant brand focus or mention
X $_____ equivalent content creation cost
_____________________________________
= $ Article Value

Tip: Tier creation costs by content quality (e.g., length, sentiment, images, uniqueness) and/or Domain Authority levels.

Example: Estimated 5 stories discovered at an equivalent content value of $350 each = $1,750 equivalent content article value

8) Content Value - User-Generated Content (UGC) Photos:

GOAL: Aid Conversion (Social Proof), Reduce Photography Costs

_____(#) user-generated brand photos
X _____% photo shoot quality
X $_____ equivalent photo shoot total costs
/ _____(#) average photos from photo shoot
_______________________________
= $ Photography Value

Example: Estimated 80 brand-specific unique user-generated content (UGC) photos discovered at 70% photo shoot quality at an equivalent photo shoot total cost of $12,000 that yields an average of 30 quality photos = $22,400 equivalent photography value

9) Content Value - User-Generated Content (UGC) Videos:

GOAL: Grow Awareness, Aid Conversion (Social Proof), Reduce Video Costs

_____(#) user-generated brand videos
X _____% brand-produced video quality
X $_____ equivalent brand-produced video total cost
___________________________________
= $ Video Value

Be sure to include resource time, equipment rental, shoot fee (e.g. location), and editing for total video production costs.

Example: Estimated 3 brand-specific user-generated content (UGC) videos discovered at 50% brand-produced video quality at an equivalent brand-produced video total cost of $10,000 = $15,000 equivalent video value

10) Research Value - Social Insights:

GOAL: Market Research, Improve Customer Satisfaction, Reduce Research Costs

_____(#) brand online insights/comments
X _____% focus group insight quality
X $_____ equivalent focus group cost
/ _____(#) insights from average focus group
___________________________________
= $ Focus Group Value

Example: Estimated 150 useful monthly brand insights/comments at an equivalent 90% quality of a paid focus group that costs $3,000 and typically yields 100 helpful insights = $4,050 equivalent market research value

11) Support Value - Online Self-Service:

GOAL: Enable Self-Service, Reduce Support Costs

_____(#) weekly support calls per topic
X _____% calls likely solved by self-service
X $_____ average support phone call cost
___________________________________
= $ Call Support Value

Example: Estimated 1,500 weekly support calls at which 70% could be resolved online via self-service at an equivalent support call value of $6.30 each = $7,056 equivalent call support value

12) Sales Value - Social Leads (One-Time Value):

GOAL: Grow Revenue, Generate Leads, Acquire New Customers

_____(#) qualified online social leads identified
X _____% lead-to-customer conversion rate
X $_____ (AOV) average order value
________________________________
= $ Lead Sales Value (Single Purchase)

Example: Estimated 100 qualified leads routed to sales teams with a typical lead-to-conversion rate of 4% at an average order value (AOV) of $2,500 = $10,000 equivalent converted lead sales value (single-purchase)

13) Sales Value - Social Leads (Lifetime Value):

GOAL: Grow Revenue, Generate Leads, Acquire New Customers, Retain Customers

_____(#) qualified online social leads identified
X _____% lead-to-customer conversion rate
X $_____ (LTV) customer lifetime value
__________________________________
= $ New Customer Lifetime Sales Value

See: How To CalculTate Customer Lifetime Value (LTV).

Example: Estimated 100 qualified leads routed to sales teams with a typical lead-to-conversion rate of 4% at an average customer lifetime value (LTV) of $22,500 = $90,000 equivalent converted lead new customer lifetime sales value

14) Sales Value - Social-Aided Conversion:

GOAL: Grow Revenue, Boost Conversion

( _____% new conversion rate − _____% old conversion rate)
/ _____% old conversion rate
X $_____ average # monthly products sold
X $_____ average product sales value
__________________________________
= Increased Sales Value

Example: Estimated conversion rate increase from 2% to 3.5% with an average 100 monthly products sold at $750 = $32,142 more in monthly product sales

SOCIAL MEDIA TACTIC COSTS

Below are some generic cost formulas for consideration. Assess your situation to incorporate all time, resource (people, supplies, technology), and risk costs accordingly.

ASK YOURSELF:
What are all the factors that will consume time or budget to perform the tactic? What potential risks are involved? What opportunity costs would be given up?

1) Labor:Estimated _____(#) internal [ role ] resources at _____(#) hrs/week at a rate of $_____ / hr.Estimated _____(#) external [ role ] resources at _____(#) hrs/week at a rate of $_____ / hr.

(Consider consultants, contractors, IT developers/support, designers, copywriters, legal reviews, paid spokesperson fees, etc.)

2) Software / Online Tools:Brand monitoring or social listening services at a total of $_______ / year.Miscellaneous online accounts/subscriptions/tools totaling $_______ / year.

(Consider social analytics, social sign-on, ratings/reviews tools, YouTube paid account, video editing software, mobile app downloads, image subscriptions, etc.)

3) Equipment:Video and webinar equipment and supplies totaling $_______ / year.Miscellaneous hardware totaling $_______ / year.

(Consider tablets for live blogging events, smartphones for non-personal social accounts, video cameras for interviews, video or photo shoot staging supplies/fees, etc.)

Note: Equipment cost estimates get a little more complex to quantify if you consider depreciation, lifetime asset value, split allocation over multiple projects, etc. Use your best judgment to decide what's practical to factor in for the cost.

4) Promotional Costs:PPC Ads: Estimated _____(#) clicks at $_____(CPC) display or ad costs.Emails: Estimated _____(#) emails at $_____ per 1,000 sent plus $______ email provider or creation fees.

(Consider social ads, sponsored tweets, emails announcing social promotions, etc.)

5) Training:Estimated _____(#) annual training events for _____(#) resources at $_______ each.Estimated _____(#) up-front one-time group training events at $_______ each.

6) Legal Risk:Estimated _____% chance of _____(#) legal issues occurring annually at $_______ each.

Note: Opportunity Cost is a complex factor that could also be factored as a cost using the sacrificed tactic's respective CBA over the same timeframe. Keep in mind that the value of another tactic should then also incorporate opportunity costs to be fair. Beware of infinite loop formulas, and cancel out calculations that would apply across the board.

Formula Considerations and Disclaimers...

Estimates must be acceptable. We're not calculating the profit-margin feasibility for a new manufacturing line here. We're estimating numbers to help justify and compare options for economical use of corporate function budgets. The formulas above are samples and not laws of marketing physics. Add and edit the formulas to your heart's desire.

Intangible metrics still have value. Once the customer or public is involved with tactics, a load of intangible factors – potentially good or bad – come into play that are difficult to measure, even as an estimate. If the intangible impact isn't negligible, potentially list these in name as a disclaimer beside calculations for reference.

Computed benefits of some formulas may overlap others. Be mindful of double-counting benefits that overlap layers of the sales conversion funnel (e.g., search rank, search traffic, etc.). On a related note, benefits must be calculated across a consistent timeframe when compared to other tactics. Formulas may need to be adjusted accordingly.

Are You Prepared to Quantify?

Social media measurement is exciting, right? Oh yeah! It's OK to geek-out about it. Don't get obsessed with the numbers though. Be realistic, estimate wisely (borderline pessimistic), and focus on goal-driven action. Remember, none of these calculations matter unless they're aligned to business goals.

YOUR MISSION: Define ROI or quantified business value that justifies use of social media. You now have the methodology to do so. Do you accept?

"I've accepted the Social Media ROI Possible mission. Join me!" « Tweet this!

Social Media ROI - "Mission Possible" Plan:

Map a social media strategic plan. (Steps 1-5)Brainstorm, compare and select tactics for each goal. (Step 6)
Use social media tactic planning steps above.Select metrics for each tactic. (Step 7)
Target the most impressive results from formulas above that best align to the goal's KPI metric.Execute the plan! (Analyze and repeat as needed)

If you've enjoyed this article or plan to use the formulas, please let me know with a social mention (@aschottmuller) or comments below.

Want a printable version of the formulas? Check out my Social Media, Meet ROI presentation: