I was listening to a podcast episode of Six Pixels of Separation (#94), and here are 6 new blogging techniques, according to Mitch Joel, demonstrating how blogs have shifted as people learn what works and what doesn't.
1) Tell half the story - Instead of having a beginning, middle, and end to your posting, tell only part of the story so the other half can be generated by the community (and build traffic, essentially). A well-written blog posting may not generate many (or any) comments because there is nothing left to say, so leave the post open-ended.
2) Be provocative - With so many bloggers, your title needs to stand out. Being a bit provocative will help grab attention.
3) Use video - Embedding visuals and especially video will help get people excited, people often like to watch video rather than reading and it can really add to the content.
4) Write longer, well thought-out posts - Shorter, snappy posts are being filtered directly into Twitter or other micro-blogging platforms.
5) Blog frequently - If you don't blog frequently, your blog may be thought of as stale and will get lost in the sea of blogs.
6) Use your blog as your home destination - Instead of treating the blog your online journal, make it a core destination for your audience. This will also help with organic search rankings.
So these are a few things to think about as you set out to write your blog posts, and I know I will consider these suggestions for my own. Overall, I think it shows just how things are changing in the 'blogesphere'. What do you find is working for you?
27.3.08
7.3.08
Writing for Search Engines
There was a time where, in order to rank well with the search engines, all one needed to do was incorporate their keywords in mass quantities and - boom! Congratulations on attaining the number 1 position. Unfortunately, it hasn't been so easy for quite some time now, as search engine algorithms have evolved to consider what others think about the content as more of an indication of quality and relevance.
Here are 5 important things to consider when writing for web, in order to create content that is worth linking to, giving you a better chance of achieving strong search engine rankings:
1) Keywords: What are the relevant questions searchers are asking, and will your content answer them appropriately? Select your keywords accordingly and use them throughout the content on your site because general frequency can help rankings (though density does not).
2) Headlines and Title Tags: Use your targeted keyword phrase in your title tag, keeping in mind that the title tag is a headline that needs to, once again, answer the question the searcher has asked. Headline copy should compel the audience to read the first sentence.
3) Compelling Content: You want your content to be worth linking to, because without links from other authoritative sources you will not be able to rank well for a competitive search term. Answer the question in the search better and more comprehensively than the competition, make it easy to get to the content quickly, and then get to the point quickly (what is the benefit to the reader?).
4) Relevant Content: Search engines favour websites that have a lot of relevant, frequently-updated content, and they also like seeing a lot of links to other sites as well as within the site.
5) Related Words: Include words that are related to, or synonyms for, the keyword phrases you desire. Search algorithms are advanced enough to look for contextually-related words that support your keywords.
The best results will come from copy that is keyword-rich without the reader becoming conscious of it; compelling in such a way that it tunes into the needs of the audience; specific yet concise; and relevant. Reader satisfaction is so crucial, because most of what determines the ranking success of any web page is caused by what happens off the page. Readers will be more inclined to link to your content from their sites if they are pleased with their experience.
Here are 5 important things to consider when writing for web, in order to create content that is worth linking to, giving you a better chance of achieving strong search engine rankings:
1) Keywords: What are the relevant questions searchers are asking, and will your content answer them appropriately? Select your keywords accordingly and use them throughout the content on your site because general frequency can help rankings (though density does not).
2) Headlines and Title Tags: Use your targeted keyword phrase in your title tag, keeping in mind that the title tag is a headline that needs to, once again, answer the question the searcher has asked. Headline copy should compel the audience to read the first sentence.
3) Compelling Content: You want your content to be worth linking to, because without links from other authoritative sources you will not be able to rank well for a competitive search term. Answer the question in the search better and more comprehensively than the competition, make it easy to get to the content quickly, and then get to the point quickly (what is the benefit to the reader?).
4) Relevant Content: Search engines favour websites that have a lot of relevant, frequently-updated content, and they also like seeing a lot of links to other sites as well as within the site.
5) Related Words: Include words that are related to, or synonyms for, the keyword phrases you desire. Search algorithms are advanced enough to look for contextually-related words that support your keywords.
The best results will come from copy that is keyword-rich without the reader becoming conscious of it; compelling in such a way that it tunes into the needs of the audience; specific yet concise; and relevant. Reader satisfaction is so crucial, because most of what determines the ranking success of any web page is caused by what happens off the page. Readers will be more inclined to link to your content from their sites if they are pleased with their experience.
4.3.08
Word of Mouth Marketing Seminar
March 6, 2008
"...Word of mouth is the new black. Two thirds of customer purchase decisions are now primarily influenced by word of mouth..."
Read more
Read more
26.2.08
Engrave Your Tech
This is a pretty neat-o service that let's you personalize your gadgets beyond custom settings.
Engrave Your Tech
30.1.08
Bright logos in a sea of dull things
The other day, as I was driving through a bleak suburban stretch of malls, parking lots and highway on-ramps, I was struck by the power of a good logo. The logo in question, a big bold letter on a bright blue background, flooded the area with a sense of possibility and made me want to shop at the mall it was touting. That, to me, is the power of a good logo.
We often hear that logos and brands aren't the same thing. Logos are the graphical representation of a brand, but do not contain the promise, experience and offer of a company's brand. A brand, of course, is built up over years. It shines when all of a company's pistons are firing properly (from the person who answers the phone, to the quality of the product, to the news in the investment section of the newspaper, and so on). It seems sometimes that in saying these things about brands, that we relegate a logo to some lesser place, say piston 7 of a V8.
My experience viewing this bright letter on a blue backdrop, in a drab location where there are many shopping malls to choose from, shows that this is not entirely the case. That bright letter had value. The shops in this mall, I said to myself, must be of a higher calibre than those across the street.
If your logo is the face of your brand, would you not want it to have the effect of this big bold letter? I believe in times where the economic news sometimes seems as austere as the area I described, a bold logo can provide a competitive advantage, a call to action that inspires and invites your target audience to engage with you (and not with the other place, that has a lesser logo).
I've since gone to the mall in question, and it is of a higher calibre than the one across the street.
We often hear that logos and brands aren't the same thing. Logos are the graphical representation of a brand, but do not contain the promise, experience and offer of a company's brand. A brand, of course, is built up over years. It shines when all of a company's pistons are firing properly (from the person who answers the phone, to the quality of the product, to the news in the investment section of the newspaper, and so on). It seems sometimes that in saying these things about brands, that we relegate a logo to some lesser place, say piston 7 of a V8.
My experience viewing this bright letter on a blue backdrop, in a drab location where there are many shopping malls to choose from, shows that this is not entirely the case. That bright letter had value. The shops in this mall, I said to myself, must be of a higher calibre than those across the street.
If your logo is the face of your brand, would you not want it to have the effect of this big bold letter? I believe in times where the economic news sometimes seems as austere as the area I described, a bold logo can provide a competitive advantage, a call to action that inspires and invites your target audience to engage with you (and not with the other place, that has a lesser logo).
I've since gone to the mall in question, and it is of a higher calibre than the one across the street.
21.1.08
The Facebook 'Fad'?
Facebook is not a fad. I say this because I don't feel that its popularity will slow anytime soon. This is because of Metcalfe’s law. Let me explain...
The general idea behind Metcalfe’s law is that the larger a network grows, the more valuable it becomes, because every new person who joins the network adds value to everyone else who is on the network. A good example of this phenomenon at work is user forums. Online forums are where people go to get their questions answered. The more members that join a forum, the faster questions will be answered, and the more diverse the opinions and skill levels - thus adding value to the network.
This notion of more sign-ups raising the value of a program has the opposite effect for some things, however. If you consider how a contest works, your chances of winning go down the more people you invite to enter.
The value of Xbox Live, an online gaming community, certainly goes up as more people sign on, and it was a player's dream when it hit 10 million users over the holidays! (Marketing Profs Podcast, 2008).
The same can be said for iPods, but the type of value increase is slightly different. For every person who buys an iPod, the community of iPod fans is strengthened, increasing the 'bandwagon' effect, and resulting in higher sales for Apple.
Now back to my initial prediction for Facebook. Over the month of December, 2007, Toronto became the first North American city to have over one million subscribers to Facebook (Zinc Research, 2007), and approximately half of online Canadians were said to be on Facebook in December, which is almost double the rate of a few months earlier!
This constant growth for Facebook is a success that can be attributed to the workings of Metcalfe's law, and it is the reason I don't see the trend slowing down anytime soon.
Can you think of a product or tool, online or offline, which is self-reinforcing?
The general idea behind Metcalfe’s law is that the larger a network grows, the more valuable it becomes, because every new person who joins the network adds value to everyone else who is on the network. A good example of this phenomenon at work is user forums. Online forums are where people go to get their questions answered. The more members that join a forum, the faster questions will be answered, and the more diverse the opinions and skill levels - thus adding value to the network.
This notion of more sign-ups raising the value of a program has the opposite effect for some things, however. If you consider how a contest works, your chances of winning go down the more people you invite to enter.
The value of Xbox Live, an online gaming community, certainly goes up as more people sign on, and it was a player's dream when it hit 10 million users over the holidays! (Marketing Profs Podcast, 2008).
The same can be said for iPods, but the type of value increase is slightly different. For every person who buys an iPod, the community of iPod fans is strengthened, increasing the 'bandwagon' effect, and resulting in higher sales for Apple.
Now back to my initial prediction for Facebook. Over the month of December, 2007, Toronto became the first North American city to have over one million subscribers to Facebook (Zinc Research, 2007), and approximately half of online Canadians were said to be on Facebook in December, which is almost double the rate of a few months earlier!
This constant growth for Facebook is a success that can be attributed to the workings of Metcalfe's law, and it is the reason I don't see the trend slowing down anytime soon.
Can you think of a product or tool, online or offline, which is self-reinforcing?
11.1.08
SMSing it to the "Man"
A former police officer who helps defend people against traffic tickets has started a new service notifying subscribers where police officers are checking people for speeding.
For 50 cents per message, subscribers will be notified by text message when and where speed traps are on highways or certain areas of the city.
Is this ethically correct to you? Do you find this right? wrong? Does this promote drivers to speed?
You decide:
http://www.sosticket.ca/english/radar.html
For 50 cents per message, subscribers will be notified by text message when and where speed traps are on highways or certain areas of the city.
Is this ethically correct to you? Do you find this right? wrong? Does this promote drivers to speed?
You decide:
http://www.sosticket.ca/english/radar.html
3.1.08
Magic 2008-Ball
Open any newspaper in the English-speaking world at the threshold of a new year and, invariably, you'll find loads of predictions for what's to come. In my view, it's wise to keep a couple of things in mind when it comes to predictions.
The first is that they tend to be either so vague that, while correct, they lack any real prognosticative power, or so precise that they have little chance of accuracy. The second is that they tend to say more about the person making the predictions than they say about the future. For example, a pessimist is likely to see dire outcomes. An optimist is likely to see positive things coming up. But this is as it should be.
And with those two caveats out of the way, this blogger will make some of his own predictions about brands and social marketing:
1. Most business models based around social marketing platforms that do not yet exist will be a tough sell. This is simply because of human behaviour — how many social networks can you really be a part of? With one in four (!) Canadians on Facebook - and so many of those Canadians spending A LOT of time on Facebook - you tell me how easy it will be to convince them of another, better social network (this year, anyway).
2. My parents' generation is about to start finding old classmates from the fifties and sixties through Facebook. That means baby boomers will soon be swarming all over Facebook if they aren't there already.
3. Products and brands will start to sponsor successful Facebook apps, and even start coming up with some of their own. There are two business plans to look out for in 2008. The first involves those savvy marketing departments (and their savvy agencies) leveraging the fun and sometimes silly apps that make Facebook what it is. The second is the makers of said apps going after cool sponsorship opportunities.
4. A fourth prediction far away from Facebook is that more brands will get busted for "greenwashing" (greenwashing is when you try to paint your brand green without actually doing anything for the environment), and yet more brands will start to get green product development right. Is the latter my hope for 2008? It is decidedly so.
The first is that they tend to be either so vague that, while correct, they lack any real prognosticative power, or so precise that they have little chance of accuracy. The second is that they tend to say more about the person making the predictions than they say about the future. For example, a pessimist is likely to see dire outcomes. An optimist is likely to see positive things coming up. But this is as it should be.
And with those two caveats out of the way, this blogger will make some of his own predictions about brands and social marketing:
1. Most business models based around social marketing platforms that do not yet exist will be a tough sell. This is simply because of human behaviour — how many social networks can you really be a part of? With one in four (!) Canadians on Facebook - and so many of those Canadians spending A LOT of time on Facebook - you tell me how easy it will be to convince them of another, better social network (this year, anyway).
2. My parents' generation is about to start finding old classmates from the fifties and sixties through Facebook. That means baby boomers will soon be swarming all over Facebook if they aren't there already.
3. Products and brands will start to sponsor successful Facebook apps, and even start coming up with some of their own. There are two business plans to look out for in 2008. The first involves those savvy marketing departments (and their savvy agencies) leveraging the fun and sometimes silly apps that make Facebook what it is. The second is the makers of said apps going after cool sponsorship opportunities.
4. A fourth prediction far away from Facebook is that more brands will get busted for "greenwashing" (greenwashing is when you try to paint your brand green without actually doing anything for the environment), and yet more brands will start to get green product development right. Is the latter my hope for 2008? It is decidedly so.
18.12.07
And the Winners Are…
The BSL Holiday Treats contest is now officially closed for this year. We are pleased to announce the lucky winners of the Holiday Treats Gift Packs:
Marcelle Labelle, Rogers
James Dolan, Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority
Caroline Clouston, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Kim Meier, Brookstreet Resort
Michelle Hill, Alcatel-Lucent
Deborah Woodman, Canadian Medical Association
Nancy Bickford, Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
The goodies in the Holiday Treats gift packs were baked lovingly by the Mississippi Grannies. Funds raised from this bake sale go to the Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign that helps support families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa, launched by the Stephen Lewis Foundation in 2006.
Happy Holidays from all of us at BSL!
Marcelle Labelle, Rogers
James Dolan, Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority
Caroline Clouston, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Kim Meier, Brookstreet Resort
Michelle Hill, Alcatel-Lucent
Deborah Woodman, Canadian Medical Association
Nancy Bickford, Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
The goodies in the Holiday Treats gift packs were baked lovingly by the Mississippi Grannies. Funds raised from this bake sale go to the Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign that helps support families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa, launched by the Stephen Lewis Foundation in 2006.
Happy Holidays from all of us at BSL!
6.12.07
Kitchen Encounters:
Cooking up a Holiday Treat
The Idea:
After hearing some conversations at lunch one day, something made me think of an idea. We could send out a BSL holiday cookbook. 10-12 pages in pdf format, so clients would be able to print it out. Staff can submit their holiday faves. We could print them out and have them bound for whoever wants one. We could send out a teaser like What's Cooking at BSL for the Holidays followed up by the cookbook. All the recipes would be baked for a certain day and a lucky client would be drawn to win a basket of fresh baked goods — the recipes in the booklet. Could be posted on our blog.
Just throwing it out there.
— Barry
The Response:
This sounds nice and warm and friendly (& memorable) to me…
— Chris
I think it's a great idea, Barry. It's electronic and so client's can print it out if they want to. It would be a real keeper and something that staff can really participate in and enjoy as well.
— Mary Ellen
I think it’s really nice! I should probably let you know what happened the last time I made Angel Food cake. Let’s put it this way … it didn’t look ANYTHING like the photo you’ve included! I think this will go over really well with the staff.
— Nancy
Download your own Holiday Treats recipe book
Enter to win some sweet sensations
Meet the bakers
The Stories:
Hmmmm… my challenge was that it was a two day process to make them (nothing like instant gratification) and an even bigger challenge was not eating the yummy peanut butter balls before they got their chocolate-y coating.
— Carolyn
I had to squeeze in the somewhat time-consuming process of making bread into a busy weekend, and it was tricky in that my mom had all of the ingredients for the bread, including the most important component - the food processor - at her house in the East end, when I now live in the West end. I had to transport the quickly-rising dough from there to my place - the dough sitting on the seat next to me in a big bowl covered loosely with plastic wrap - with heat turned up to a comfortable temperature it would take kindly to... Other challenges came when it came time to braid it, I didn't have a pan large enough so I had to be creative, and when it came time to bake it I realized I didn't have even one egg yolk so had to quickly make a trip to the store in the snowstorm!
— Julie
My biggest challenge was trying to decorate enough cookies well to photograph (I have a reputation to uphold after all those years of art college!). The icing was not co-operating! If that wasn’t difficult enough, I had to keep my husband and son from eating the nicely decorated ones (which looked much more enticing than the others) before the photo shoot.
— Nancy
The minute I knew we were going to do the Holiday Treats recipe book – I knew I wanted to find my mom’s “Jam Surprises” recipe to submit. The first challenge is that the recipe was handwritten by my mom and had very short, vague directions. Obviously she had made them a lot and just “knew” what to do when she made them. I had to figure out how to make a soft dough and also how long to cook them. I didn’t really know what she meant when it said to seal the corners either. After a visit with my Aunt Emily this weekend I found out something that makes the recipe even more special to me – it was actually my grandmother’s recipe! I didn’t even know that…
— Chris
I'm so far from being in the same class at making biscotti as my mom and sister — but I had a blast taking on the task anyway! Taking the photos of everyone's yummy creations was also a lot of fun. It was hard not to take a nibble while looking behind the camera at the sweets! So get dunkin’!
— Barry
Download your own Holiday Treats recipe book
Enter to win some sweet sensations
Meet the bakers
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