Email LinkedIn Twitter

Google+ Benefits and Impact on Search | Overdrive Interactive Webinar

What you need to know about Google+

Google is battling social competitors, and it is responding by increasingly intertwining social media and search.  Hence we have Google+ which combines social and search and, thus far,  it has been successful mix. From a search marketing perspective, this new wave of search changes carry the moniker “Search Plus Your World” (SPYW).

Without getting too technical about SPYW, OverDrive’s webinar, “How social media is impacting search opportunities,” teaches businesses about Google+ and how to use social and search to increase their visibility and sales.

The panel comprised, Google Agency Relationship Manager Grant Burgess, Overdrive’s Director of Social Media Ja-Nae Duane, and Overdrive’s Director of Search Michael Orlinski.

Overdrive InteractiveGoogle+ is a fast-growing social media platform

  • 90 million people on it
  • Over 50% of brands got on the Google Plus platform within the first few weeks
  • The +1 button has become the fastest growing social sharing widget thus far. It appears more than 5 billion times a day!

Google+ Hangouts

  • What if you could have real conversations with your customers? That’s what Google+ Hangouts are for.
  • Use Hangouts for research
  • Enable you to share your desktop
  • You can have real-time customer conversations, not just comments

Google+ Circles

  • People are sharing 2-3x more with Circles on Google+ than they are publicly
  • The Circles that you create and the Circles of people who +1 your brand, can start to be an authority in everyday searches
  • Circles help you send content to right people

Google Brand Page Checklist

  • Identify brand ambassadors
  • Complete your page
  • Customize circles
  • Post content
  • ENGAGE!

Enhance your Google+ presence

  • Your Google+ page needs to establish a great first impression! What story are you trying to tell?
  • There are a lot of advantages for search marketing
  • Think about what keywords you want to include to increase your SEO efforts
  • Post measurable content
  • Know what your target audience wants to share, and then craft your campaign
  • Humanize your brand: People connect with people
  • Put +1 on your content, it helps recommendations have staying power

According to the pros at this webinar, “social is not a destination, it’s a core human behavior.”  Google+ taps into the social nature of the Internet user to enable the world of social and search to combine in a way that allows uninhibited sharing of content between the people of your choosing.

Thank you for participating in the webinar @smitus, @JulieVera, @Icanhazjill, @mkosmicki, @JuliaForsyth, @LouisGadema, @mapdock!

B2B Fast-Track to New Media Success by Designated Editor

It’s true: Most new media successes stem from B2C. And so many B2Bs seem lost. Designated Editor’s Suzanne McDonald offered a fast-track for B2Bs in this presentation, requested by Swissnex Boston and hosted by the Cambridge Innovation Center.

B2Bs & social media: Where we’re at

“Ninety-two percent of prospects almost never book a meeting from a cold call or email.  In 2012, rather than make cold calls, sales executives will first seek connections through social media networks, and then increase response rates with warm introductions.” –  UNC’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business, reported by Mashable.

Social Media Reality-check

AdAge recently reported:

“Although few CMOs will admit this, social media costs less to execute on a per-impression basis than TV, print, and radio. But the organizational cost – both the number of people needed to execute these programs and the changes to corporate culture – can be significant.”

Stage 1: Get your website together

Key components: WordPress, themes, usability & identifying with your audience

Tools: Keywords (Google Keyword tool) and use them in the right places (titles, meta & content)

Remember: Search is increasingly becoming more about social  (Google Alerts)

Stage 2: Blog & email

Key components: Blogs enable you to demonstrate thought-leadership, brand personality; brand all of your experts as experts, not just the CEO

Tools:  Editorial Calendars should include trade shows, industry news, client questions, processes; make it multimedia; leverage blog to feed email

Remember: B2B = P2P -> people want to interact with other humans, blogs & social make it possible, changing the way businesses interact forever

Stage 3: Social integration: Optimize profiles & content for you & team

Key components: Reserve brand profiles across platforms, determine which social platforms make sense, based on your audience

Tools:  LinkedIn use verify leads, connect, community; Twitter enables fast engagement, use hashtags, SlideShare = decision-makers; YouTube #2 search engine; Wikis, PitchEngine/HARO, Zemanta, Podcasts, Meetup, Facebook, Pinterest, Quora, Google+ (too many to bold)

Remember: You don’t have to be everywhere, so focus on your audiences and where they are

Stage 4: Measure & refine

Key components: Know what’s working & what’s not: Refine & adjust

Tools: Facebook Insights, Bit.ly, Klout, Google Analytics

Remember: You won’t know until you try & each brand is unique (or should be), so there’s no 1 size fits all

Designated Editor is working on “B2B New Media Success Guide” eBook & would love to feature your tips. Please share in the comments & be sure to comment on anything we’ve overlooked.

Many thanks to Swissnex Boston and the Cambridge Innovation Center, looking forward to seeing you again soon!

Here’s to helping B2Bs succeed via new media!

Enhanced by Zemanta