Can Brands Keep Their Promise in a Digital World?

To speculate on the future of brand advertising is certainly beyond the scope of this column, but I got myself into this mess. I opened the can of worms two weeks ago in the Search Insider by warning that we could be running the search funnel dry. Ryan DeShazer, from HSR, called me on it and asked me what will replace traditional brand building in our new digital environment. Last week, I began the journey by talking about two different types of brands: Brand Promises and Brand Religions. Today, I’d like to paint a hypothetical scenario of where awareness marketing [...]

Brand Promises vs. Brand Religions

I wish Steve Ballmer would check with me before he does these things. Last week Microsoft announced they were launching Microsoft only retail outlets, similar to the successful Apple Stores. My intention with this column was to follow up on last week’s column, No Search is an Island, which prompted some interesting comments. My point was that search captures awareness created demand, it doesn’t generate it. If you want to continue to harvest from the bottom of the funnel, you need something to prime the top. And many, quite rightly, pointed out the traditional methods of priming the top, including [...]

Interview with Michel Leconte CEO of SEO Samba – Part II

Part One of our interview with SEO Samba CEO Michel Leconte.
Here is the conclusion of our interview with Michel. If you are attending SMX West this week, be sure to check out the SEO Samba booth (booth #321).
[Jody]: Why do you think that online marketers tend to focus budget on PPC rather than SEO? With the current state of the economy, do you think this will change? Will SEO and Organic Search finally get the recognition it deserves?
[Michel Leconte]: I recall a neuroscience study (my wife’s trade) stating that activities that produce instant rewards excite a very specific part of [...]

No Search is an Island

Today I am plagued by ambiguity. I’m happy and scared. Relieved and cautious. Excited and apprehensive. And it all has to do with search and how we use it. On one hand, I’m relieved that search seems to be the sole marketing channel that’s actually benefiting from the crushing economic pressure. On the other hand, I’m worried that we may be short sighted in grabbing onto search as a life preserver in raging marketing waters.
Search: The Connector
 
My ambiguity comes from the unique nature of search. We consider search a marketing channel, and in recent times we’re treating as such. But [...]

Interview with Michel Leconte CEO of SEO Samba – Part I

Original Post: http://www.marketing-jive.com/2009/02/interview-with-michel-leconte-ceo-of.html
I had the chance to catch up with Michel Leconte, CEO of SEO Samba before he headed off to SMX West 2009 this week. Michel has a busy month of February so it was nice of him to take time out to chat with us. Michel is a great interview and provides some fascinating insight. So much so that we’ve broken up our interview into two parts. Enjoy!
[Jody]: Michel, can you start out by telling us a little more about yourself and how you got started in SEO and some of your motivations for creating SEO Samba?
[Michel Leconte]: [...]

ASK Enquiro Retro Post: Server Issues that Could Impact Search Engine Rankings

So a while back we wrote a post about server issues that could affect search engine rankings.  A number of years later we thought that the post held up with some key points to remember as site owners, search marketers and webmasters continue to tweak their sites.  Here is our original post in its entirety.
There are many issues which could affect a website’s rankings on search engines which could be out of the site owners control. Below are some of the issues:
 
Issue 1 – Changing a Site’s IP Address: Moving a site to a new IP (either by switching in on the [...]

Tweets from the Edge

I now Twitter (@outofmygord if you’re interested), which, to use the emerging verb of consensus, means that I Tweet. I’m not sure I’m a Twaddict (a la Todd Friesen) but I am moving through Rohit Bhargava’s 5 Stages of Twitter Acceptance:
1 – Denial
 
“I think Twitter sounds stupid. Why would anyone care what other people are doing right now?”
 
2 – Presence
 
“Ok, I don’t really get why people love it, but I guess I should at least create an account.”
 
3 – Dumping
 
“I’m on Twitter and use it for pasting links to my blog posts and pointing people to my press releases.”
 
4 – Conversing
 
“I [...]

Writing and Promoting White Papers – an interview with Michael Stelzner

Michael Stelzner is one of the leading authorities on the topic of writing and marketing white papers. He has written more than 130 white papers for many of the world’s most recognized companies, including Microsoft, Dow Jones, FedEx, Motorola, Monster, Hewlett-Packard and SAP.
In this 17 minute interview, you’ll hear me ask Michael about white paper promotion from a b2b marketing perspective, including:

What prompted the book Writing White Papers?
 
Which promotional channels work best for white papers?
 
What is the life span of a white paper?
 
Should companies charge for white papers?
[...]