Travel Bloggers’ Secrets You Can Use: Part 2

 

As promised here is Part 2 of our “Travel Blogger’s Secrets You Can Use” blog post! If you missed Part 1 be sure to click here and check out all the amazing blogging tips we covered in last week’s post. This week we’re talking about the best marketing, monetizing, and travel tips our lovely panelists, Tamara Gruber of We3Travel, Lillie Marshall of Around the World “L”, and Priscilla Pilon of The Weekend in Paris, shared at our August #NIMRI event. So let’s get started!

Top 8 Marketing/Monetizing Tips

1. Soliciting Sponsors: The emphasis should always be on the content you’re creating. “Write it, and they will come,” said Priscilla sagely, “Produce high-quality content, and they will come.”

The Work With Me Section of the We3Travel Website

The Official “Work with Me” section of We3Travel’s About Page

2. Doing Business With Brands: There are a few ways a blogger can work with a brand: being contacted by people to place ads, contacting people to place ads, sponsored posts, or, if you’re lucky, a sponsored trip.“If I work with a brand or do a sponsored post, it has to be something I believe in. Once your audience doesn’t believe you, you’re done,” Priscilla warned.

“Native Advertising, which is when you have content that is already successful and then work with advertisers who would complement that content, can work very well,” said Lillie.

3. Navigating Negativity: It can be very difficult to figure out what to do when you have a bad experience as a blogger, particularly if the trip is a sponsored one. It is especially tricky because, depending on the country’s laws, you could potentially be sued for a negative review. “Contact the PR people and be sure to start with the positive things and then talk about the disappointments,” advised Priscilla, “I always give them a chance to fix it. If they do, I won’t write a bad review. If they don’t, I will offer to not write about it.”

“Steer away from negative content, even though it can be very effective. Everyone gets fired up over a bad review and they like to share it, but it doesn’t reflect very well on you and can get you into trouble,” offered Lillie.

4. Create a Community: “Facebook has become a pay-to-play platform. You can pay $5 to promote a post (and I do that sometimes), but you won’t see a big difference in your analytics. What’s really powerful is to form alliances and private Facebook groups, not just with other travel bloggers. People who like wine, food, lifestyle, even interior design share readers. The cross-pollenization that happens helps everyone grow,” Priscilla said.

5. Know Your Worth: “It depends on your reach and your demographic,” reasoned Tamara, “I have a group of travel blogger friends, and we share that information.”

“This is why you need the group mentality!” proclaimed Priscilla, “Building your blogging network is key. Whatever you do, don’t write a post for someone for free – it brings the rate for everyone down to $0. You’re time is worth something.

“I would argue that there is a value in giving content to high-traffic sites, so it can be OK to do something like that for free as long as there is some ROI. It’s a value to your resume,” Lillie said.

One of We3Travel's Pinterest boards

We3Travel on Pinterest © Photos by Tamara Gruber

6. A Photo’s Worth a Thousand Shares (nope, still not right): “For me, Pinterest is very important. It drives traffic to my site, often more than google,” Tamara shared.

“Be sure to link all of your photos: photos on Google and Pinterest should link to your website and have descriptions,” Priscilla said.

“Selling your photos can also be another source of income,” Lillie pointed out.

The Newport Interactive Marketers' Hootsuite dashboard

Here’s a look at the Newport Interactive Marketers’ Hootsuite dashboard

7. Tally Your Toolbox:  “Don’t be afraid to automate! Hootsuite can schedule your posts at the best time for your demographic. You could write the best blog post ever, but if no one ever reads it, it won’t matter,” explained Lillie. To find out when the ideal time for your demographic is, be sure to check out Tweepi. 

“The Tail Wind app is great for automating Pinterest,” shared Tamara, “Paying a little for the right tools can be worth it.”

Google trends is an invaluable SEO tool,” said Priscilla, “In WordPress there is a feature where you can try a bunch of different options and put them in Google Trends to see where you are in searches.”

Snapchat logo

Snapchat! If you want to learn more about using Snapchat as a blogger, check out AdventurousKate

8. Socialize, Socialize, Socialize (your media, that is):  “Learn and get busy on all social media sites and thank everyone who follows (NOT by direct message),” Priscilla advised.

“The biggest mistake people make is to just stop for an extended period of time on social media,” Lille said, “Be consistent and don’t be afraid to self promote!

“Snapchat is the newest thing people must be on, although it does appeal to a younger demographic,” said Tamara, “Its important to know who your audience is and where to find them.”

 

Top 3 Travel Tips

“Use Trivago or another trip-cost comparison site to look for the lowest fare. Then, take a screenshot and call the hotel. They will always match it, and it’s always better to book through the hotel because they tend to have a better cancellation policy and you also will be eligible for upgrades,” advised Priscilla.

“Tuesday is the best day to book airlines usually,” shared Tamara.

“People would pay a lot of money to stay in your home in beautiful Newport so rent it out on Airbnb to get money for travel and also find places to stay in yourself!” Lillie suggested.

All-Time Favorite Hotel

The Phoenix Resort in Belize

Balcony view from the Phoenix Resort in Belize © Photo by Lillie Marshall

Lillie’s Pick: The Phoenix in Belize “No better place for a babymoon!” 

 Kona Village Resort in Hawaii at Sunrise

The now closed Kona Village Resort in Hawaii © Photo by Tamara Grub

Tamara’s Pick: Kona Village Resort in Hawaii “Unfortunately, after 45 years, this resort was forced to permanently close their doors after the March 2011 tsunami.”

A hammock overlooking the ocean at The Bitter End Resort in BVI

The gorgeous Bitter End Resort in BVI © Photo by Priscilla Pilon

Priscilla’s Pick: The Bitter End in the British Virgin Islands “I’ve never been sponsored to stay at this hotel, but I visit every year!”  

And, of course, we had to ask about their favorite place in Newport! 

Castle Hill Inn from the sea

Castle Hill Inn from the sea © Photo by Priscilla Pilon

Priscilla’s Pick: Castle Hill Inn “They have the best lunch and the best views!” 

hotel viking

The beautiful Hotel Viking (#NIMRI venue sponsor for our annual networking event!) © Photo by Lillie Marshall

Lillie’s Pick: Hotel Viking “This is the place to go to feel like royalty!” 

Here’s what #NIMRI members were saying on Instagram and Twitter: 

 

Great turnout at #NIMRI! A photo posted by Suzanne McDonald (@newportinteract) on

 

 

Learning about travel blogging at #NIMRI at @ParlorNewport. #NewportRI A photo posted by The Newport Blast (@thenewportblast) on

Many thanks to our venue sponsor Parlor Kitchen & Bar

Register for the next #NIMRI event now! 

What’s New with Google Analytics?

Third-time presenter and BU’s Google Analytics Instructor Jay Murphy shared his tips on how to use  Google’s recently overhauled Google Analytics. Here are the highlights of the presentation.

Why Use Google Analytics?

  • With information about your visitors you can better decide:
  • How to improve your website
  • How to spend time and money of specific topics and marketing
  • Ways to reach your audience-how to reach new audiences
  • Google analytics helps you understand where you should spend  your money. Should it be spent on new banner ads, new social media campaigns, new marketing etc.

New Features of Google Analytics 

Timeout settings

Timeouts have always been configurable – but it previously had to be done in code. Now it can be configured in the admin. panel.

Why do this? 

You need to make session timeouts make sense for your website. The standard timeout rate is 30 minutes but what if people watch videos on your website for more than 30 minutes? Set the session timeout to max video length.

Referral Exclusions

How to remove those pesky referrals from your own websites? Like with the timeout setting this used to be done with code on each of the websites- but can now be done in admin panel as well.

  • Go to web property and click on referral exclusion list
  • Just type in the exclusion and it will show there when you hit create
  • From that point forward it will eliminate all the traffic from that referral site

Demographic Reports 

Demographic reports is another new feature that  includes data on:

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Affinity groups – for example: movie lovers, travel buffs
  • In market segments – people investigating specific products

Remarketing Lists

Once “ Display features” are active on accounts remarketing lists are availableThese groups of users that can be targeted in current or future campaigns.

Examples

  • Market home loans directly to people looking at real estate
  • Travel information to people who visit travel sites.

Custom Dimensions

A very powerful feature for helping to better undertstand users and groups of users

  • You define the dimension name
  • Scope defines data associations
  • “Hits” good for tracking a onetime activity
    • A video play or form submission
  • A session to track a visit or login
  • ‘User’ scope is useful to track across sessions

User ID: AKA Session Unification

  • This feature will allow tracking across multiple devices
  • It only works for users who authenticate to your website or application
  • Examples: Game users, club members, students, blog authors, employees

When people login you’ll send a user ID (can’t use email or soc. number or customer number – can’t be tied back to individual) once in place can track by different devices.

Enhanced eCommerce

In addition to tracking purchase transactions – enhanced eCommerce tracks:

  • Product impressions
  • Refunds by transaction and item
  • Affiliate performance
  • Internal promotion performance

Want to Learn More?

Cardinal Path is offering three days of Analytics Courses in September– Google Analytics – 101, 201,  and 301 on Sept. 10th to Sept. 12th.

Here’s what Newport Interactive Marketers were saying on Twitter:

@IYRSedu: Excited to host on the topic of at our campus. Welcome to !

@sue_DesignEditor: Thanks to and for hosting tonight’s full-house with

@franciscosamuel  you can use google analytics in devices to record just about anything … Limited only by your imagination

@MiaLupo:Google processes the information and stores it as Dimensions and Metrics- Jay Murphy

@ShopALLIES: Add referral exclusions to your site!

@MiaLupo:You might be a creeper, but you’re being smart about how to draw in potential customers

@NewportInteract: yikes! In the future you’re stop n shop card could send data to Google Analytics ~ @Trionia

@sue_DesignEditor:Be sure to link your Google Analytics to AdWords @Trionia

James Murphy, Murphy, faculty Meet Jay Murphy

Jay Murphy works with large and mid-sized organizations to successfully convert business imperatives to effective marketing results by delivering analytics, website development, social media strategy, search engine marketing, search engine optimization and display advertising all optimized with measurable results. He has worked with organization including GE, Harvard University and Janus Mutual Funds.

Jay previously worked at Sapient Corporation as a director of program management and led projects in a variety of industries including higher education, financial services and energy. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Northeastern University and a M.S. in Electric Engineering from Tufts University. He was awarded a Draper Fellowship to attend Tufts University and took doctoral level course work at MIT in Aerospace Engineering.

As a project leader on any web-based initiative, Jay brings an understanding of every technical nuance with an understanding of web-based marketing you just don’t find every day.

When he is not tweaking a web site – Jay can be found cheering on his sons at baseball games or racing his sailboat.

Don’t miss  Newport Interactive Marketers’ FREE monthly networking-learning gatherings.

Matt-Roche

Making Cents of PPC and AdWords

Google Agency Partner Matt Roche’s presentation at May’s  Newport Interactive Marketers focused on how businesses can utilize Google AdWords/PPC. Matt explained why businesses should consider advertising with Google and shared his secrets for success.  Here are the highlights of the presentation.

AdWords is a Keyword Action 

  • AdWords is Google’s brand name for their pay per click ad platform)
  • Keywords are words or phrases users search for on Google to locate what they’re interested in
  • Advertisers bid on keywords used to describe their business
  • When your keywords are eligible in the auction an ad you write, appears in the search results
  • When a user clicks on your ad Google charges the you a cost for the click (CPC)

PPC is Highly Targeted

  • Keywords: “Red Running Shoes” is 50% more profitable than “Red Running Sneakers”
  • Ad Messaging: “Fast Shipping” is 25% more profitable than “Fast Delivery“
  • Geo Targeting: a [X] mile radius around your business, city/towns and countries
  • Devices: desktops, tablets and mobile, and even mobile providers
  • Time and Day: only during your business open hours or 24/5

What You Pay for a Click

  • You set your monthly budget and divide it over a 30 day period
  • For example: $1,000 monthly budget equates to $33 a day
  • If your average cost per click is $1.00 you’ll get 33 clicks in a day
  • One day you may get $33 worth of clicks, another day you may get $36 worth of clicks
  • You won’t pay more than $1,000 in a month

YOU Set Your Maximum Cost Per click (CPC)

  • Often you’ll actually pay less per click than your max CPC.
  • For example: Your max CPC is $1.00, the advertiser below you has max CPC
  •    at $0.80. When a user clicks on your ad  you pay only $0.81 for the click

How Your Ad Ranks

  • Ad Rank determines your ad’s position in relation to other advertiser’s ads
  • Ad Rank = Quality Score x Maximum Cost per Click
  • Quality Score = The quality of your ads, keywords and landing pages
  • Ad Rank is recalculated each time your ad is eligible to appear – ad position fluctuates
  • Even if Brand X has higher bids than yours, you can still win a higher position at a lower price by using highly relevant keywords, ads and landing pages!

What to Do Before You Get Started

1. Establish Clearly Defined Goals – What may seem really obvious to you may not to good portion of your visitors. What do you want your visitors to do?

2. Why Should Visitors Buy From You? – What makes your product or service unique?

3. Understanding ROI – You need to understand your ROI to determine how profitable your PPC advertising is. To calculate ROI sales you need 3 numbers: revenue from PPC advertising, cost related to goods sold, and Adwords cost. The formula is:

Revenue – Overall Costs / Overall Costs = Profit Percentage (Overall Cost = Cost related to good sold + Adwords cost). 

Ex. R = 1,300 O= 1,000

($1,300   –   $1,000)   /  $1,000          =  0.3

Revenue    Overall Costs   Overall Costs   Profit is 30%

Explaining Keywords

  • Broad Match: Most traffic BUT lots of irrelevant clicks – least CPC
  • Modified + Broad Match: Less traffic than broad – more relevant clicks – higher CPC
  • Phrase Match: Less traffic than broad  –  more  relevant clicks  –  higher CPC than broad
  • Exact Match: Least amount of traffic –  most relevant clicks  –  highest CPCs
  • Negative Match: Keeps your ads from appearing for irrelevant queries. Not using negative matches is one of the biggest mistakes advertisers make. Adding negatives is a huge cost controller especially when using broad match terms.

Writing Effective Ads

  • Include target keywords in your ad content
  • Include a value or unique selling proposition
  • Have a call to action
  • Don’t forget transactional words such as prices, fee, discount, etc.
  • Create a sense of urgency

Monitoring and Measuring Your Campaigns

Daily

  • Are your ads running?

Weekly

  •  Are impressions , clicks and conversions normal?
  • Did you think of new keywords in the shower this morning?
  • Do you have a new promotion | product | value proposition?

Monthly  

  • Month to month, quarter to quarter, year to year
  • Keep in mind seasonality
  • Make note of promotions
  • Note of major website changes
  • Make note of major news events, weather, holidays, etc.

Here’s what Newport Interactive Marketers were saying on Twitter:

:  Networking with friends Katrina & Emily enjoying !  

@Sue_DesigEditor:Ingredients to a better quality score by

: … A view from the back … Great presentation on

 

Recipe for an effective ad via @semseopro #NIMRI #MidtownOyster  

mattrocheMeet Matt Roche

Certified AdWords Professional since 2005, Google Agency Partner Matt Roche currently manages $100,000+ in monthly client ad spend. Prior to launching his firm SEM/SEO Pro, Matt served as Director of Search Marketing at Boston-based Emagine Communications and was WIMCO’s Online Marketing Manager from 2000-2006.

Boost Your SEO: How to Create & Organize Content

On Tuesday September 24th, Dan Shure spoke to the Newport Interactive Marketing audience at Salvation Cafe about how to create content and engage in effective search engine optimization (SEO). Here are the highlights of his talk:

Seven Challenges to Content

  • I don’t know what to write about
  • I keep talking about the same thing
  • There’s no time/resources
  • The content is overly SEO’d
  • The content doesn’t connect with people
  • No obvious purposes/goals
  • Using wrong metrics of “success”

Inbound Marketing– It’s the new and improved way to approach content that’s not sales-based. The foundation of inbound marketing relies on creating great content that draws potential customers to your brand.

Brainstorming Content

  • Conduct a basic mental exercise: think of other interests that parallel what your target audience wants. Push yourself to think of what parallel interests your target audience has!
  • Site to Help Brainstorm Content Keywords: ubersuggest
  • Three Things to Keep in Mind: Passion/Purpose; Target and Audience; Exceptional Execution
  • Expand Repertoire of Content Types (watch the classic video by @jasonfried for an example)

Creating Content

  • Tell a story-Not only tell a story, but tell stories that relate to your brand and make it memorable
  • Show transparency- If you’re in a business that works in technology, use internal data (There are free tools available to compile data: MailChimp, Upworthy)
  • Why not curate content? Gather all links/resources from an event, share w/ social network
  • Start an Industry Study or Report
  • Find Topic Ideas on Social Media-What are trending topics on social media? Are there any tweets/posts/links relevant to your brand?
  • Turn a Blog Comment Into a Post
034

Dan giving great tips on content and SEO

Keyword Search and Data

  • Analytics- Use internal search data tracking and find internal search words users are exiting from & create that content
  • Use Webmaster Tools Query Data to Connect to Analytics
  • Impressions are another element to check on analytics and then you can project data easily
  • Important Metrics for 2013-2014: Propriety Words and Brand Mentions
  • Branded Search Volume: don’t forget to search that of competitors as well
  • FYI: Keyword data from Google is no longer available. You can still check rankings, but you can’t see what keywords drove rankings. In other words, Google is keeping the data from the public…

Tools for Keywords: HARO-use for links as well as topic inspiration; Quora- fill in keyword you want to use, and look for questions you would like to answer

Networking Group to Watch: Search Engine Marketing New England

Planning and Organizing Content

  • Improving the creation process requires planning and organization
  • Use a content calendar to organize posts and content
  • Excessive tags aren’t good–they are for internal navigation process of your site
  • READ/SEARCH “Setting Up WordPress” article by @dan_shure on @SEOmoz

Blogging and Marketing Content

  • Master the Art of Blog Commenting- Blogging is About Conversation—get in front of new audiences by actively engaging in the blogosphere by reading other blogs and making genuine, thoughtful comments. Comments are the best way to measure engagement with social community!
  • Make a Guest Appearance- Try to do a guest post on other blogs for links and traffic a new audience to your blog. Another alternative is get interviewed (search youtube.com [keyword] interview; inurl [keyword] podcast)
  • Speak! Check out meetups or other gatherings to discuss your industry or interest.
  • Increase Share-ability- Use short URLs like bitly
  • Optimize Your Content’s Appearance Across the Web- Use Schema, Rich Snippets, Authorship & Publisher
  • Use Social Buttons- Include social buttons on posts, as well as on your email signature, and track shares on LikeExplorer. Choose a select number of platforms you want to highlight: don’t overwhelm your audience!

Tools to Improve Efficiency: Speechpad transcribes; Citation Labs – link prospector

030

Thanks to Dan, Salvation Cafe, and everyone who attended Dan’s talk!

“Ticks vs. Humans: Can Social Media Crush Pathogens?” at SXSW Interactive 2014

NIM Founder and Designated Editor Founder Suzanne McDonald and Dacia Daly from the Tick Encounter Research Center, have put in a proposal to speak at SXSW Interactive 2014. Their talk, “Ticks vs. Humans: Can Social Media Crush Pathogens,” discusses how college interns and professionals in social media and public health collaborated on a pilot research project about lyme disease prevention.

SXSW_Logo_2013_BlackBG_CS

In addition to giving information about the impacts of lyme disease, Suzanne and Dacia hope to educate attendees at SXSW Interactive 2014 about how their project forged a new model of public health communications. Also, how they overcame challenges like motivating college interns and working in the virtual workplace.

Here are the questions Suzanne and Dacia’s presentation will answer:

  • How can brands use visual social media when the subject makes people — including the social media team — literally recoil?
  • How can higher ed and social media pros forge a new model to best meet the needs of paying client, intern learning experience, and professionals’ interest and fulfillment?
  • Which social media platforms are most effective in helping to prevent vector-borne diseases and how may they work for other public health campaigns?
  • What do students know already and are they equipped to jump into effective roles as social media communicators on behalf of a brand?
  • What to look for in interns and how to keep interns motivated when working virtually?

Show your support for bringing “Ticks vs. Humans” to SXSW by voting on the SXSW Panel Picker website and spreading the word to your friends and colleagues!

Newport Interactive Marketing

Analyzing Google Analytics With BU Instructor Jay Murphy

 

Missed March’s NIM Analyzing Google Analytics?

Jay Murphy dug into Google Analytics, showing NIM attendees how they can see who is coming to their websites and engaging with them. With this valuable information, brands can provide more specific information that attracts a greater number of followers.

Why it’s important to know who is following you

Knowing who is following your business online offers unprecedented advantages. With this information, you can clearly identify your target market as well as the customer base  you are trying to reach. You can then implement new strategies to find and attract  potential customers you have yet to reach.

Need to know more about Google Analytics? Sign up for Jay’s workshop at the Chamber of Commerce in Middletown, R.I. [Date Change: JUNE 6]

Google Analytics is a free tool that will enhance your marketing strategy. Jay covers all the basics as well as how to interpret the results and how to make solid business decisions from the data. We we’re able to explore advanced topics like how to setup features such as:

  • Dashboards
  • Integrating with Google AdWords
  • Goals and Segments and more.

This program is free, and it gives you great insights into your website traffic and marketing effectiveness.

Navigating Google’s powerful, flexible and easy-to-use features lets you see and analyze your traffic data in an entirely new way. With Google Analytics, you’re more prepared to write better-targeted ads, strengthen your marketing initiatives, and create higher-converting websites.

If you have a website and you don’t leverage Google Analytics, you’re throwing money away!

Maximize MultiMedia: A Do-It-Yourself Production!

Why should you think and create multimedia? Data and metrics increasingly spotlight multimedia:

January’s Newport Interactive Marketers event left attendees feeling confident and knowledgeable about how to create a more appealing platform through multimedia. It turns out, creating multimedia can easily be done on your own. It’s not always necessary to spend thousands of dollars on something that can easily be put together with a few but important steps that Donna Mac of DMac Voice & Media was able to share with NIM attendees. So grab a pen and paper and turn your ideas into a creative multimedia creation that will quickly catch the eye of your target audience.

Did you know that 1 minute of video can account for thousands of words? Multimedia can package so much information and be displayed in a creative, attention-grabbing way. So why wouldn’t we all use media to benefit our businesses? Donna Mac asked the audience and here is what we found out:

  • Multimedia production is confusing or overwhelming
  • It seems like a daunting task to create multimedia
  • Takes too long and costs too much money

Donna engaged the audience with just how simple it can be to DO IT YOURSELF. So let’s take a look at her simple steps to managing your own multimedia production:

Multimedia pre-production

  • Choose a platform. Audio, Audio/Visual, or just Video.
  • Know the business: What is your goal and what are you “selling?”
  • Who is the audience: What will they be receptive to?
  • Know the BRAND and pick a style, whether it be professional or funny, make sure to add your flavor.
  • What will turn your audience’s attention to the video? Don’t be too lengthy, pushy, or self-centered.
  • BEGIN THE WRITING PROCESS. Who, what, when, and how. It’s your business, tell your story.
  • Keep it short, simple, and sweet. Remember to be authentic: People need to relate, so don’t sound too automated or commercial. You need to build trust, so be real.

Producing your multimedia

  • Gather your equipment: Make sure you have a quality recording device. And for visual media, make sure to have good lighting, good backgrounds, and look presentable.
  • Make sure the production is directed, whether it’s by you or someone else; you must keep it organized. Schedule your recordings in a timely fashion and make sure everything you need is recorded.
  • When recording, you want to always sound authentic, look presentable, and be true to yourself.
  • Keep in mind the background of your footage: Make sure the focus is you and that there are no distractions. Plan on multiple, so you have the best footage you can get.

Multimedia Post-Production

  • Organize and asses your footage, make sure to remove anything with continuity errors and keep the best of all the takes.
  • Piece it together: Make sure your footage makes chronological sense.
  • Add narration, pictures, background sounds, and an opening and closing – depending on the type of media.
  • IMPORTANT! REVISE: Creating media is much like writing a paper, keep in concise and error-free.

Special thanks to Donna Mac of DMac Voice & Media for sharing her years of expertise and knowledge with NIM. Donna is president and founder of DMac Voice & Media.

 

NIM Roundup: Ed King Gets NIM Stoked About Google+

NIM Roundup: Ed King Gets NIM Stoked About Google+

Would you fall in love with Google+ if it boosted your business by 75%? Well, photographer Ed King did, and Google+ for Business did just that for 02809 Ed King Photography. King explained at the September 27 NIM event how the social media platform some take for granted is actually one of the best tools you can have in your marketing toolkit.

What makes Google+ a necessary part of the marketer’s toolkit is how much it improves a marketer’s reach. Similar to Facebook, but with added reach, Google+ Business Pages creates friend-circles with live hangouts, resulting in community conversations that have more longevity so your messaging can grow exponentially.

King explained that Google+ sites are indexed faster and your connections affect search results. In fact, when King made G+ a priority in his marketing campaign, he gained more than 2,000 followers!

With 15 years experience in business-to-business sales, marketing and working with clients such as Partners Healthcare & Brigham and Women’s Hospital, former chapter president of East Bay B.N.I., King became active in social media in 1990 when he worked with AOL and in a content development role for iVillage.

Although Google+ is a little over a year old, it’s gaining serious ground, according to King. It’s a Facebook-heavy world out there, and people grow complacent and think that Facebook is the only network they need but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Getting involved in G+ Circles

Some people feel like they’re talking to themselves in G+ circles because they don’t understand the potential. In fact, live circles can improve the reach of a business easily if you know how to use them. If sites on G+ get indexed faster, and presence is about indexing … then G+ is well worth checking out, and King has the 22,000 new followers to prove it.

“My sales have increased dramatically,” says King. “It has opened doors which would never have existed without it.” An example is an online Google mentorship with a photographer who has worked with National Geographic, which has played a vital role in King’s overall online presence.

King was lucky enough to have five images selected as “Google Plus Photo Extract Photo of the day” this year, which boosted his actual print sales not only for those prints but others in his collections as well.

“I know some will say because it is a visual product that is easily shared but the idea is fresh interesting content, but I have even received feedback from one person who shares my work regularly, who mentioned to me that  because of our connection with the shared images it has increased her overall reach.”

King’s Background in Google+

King’s two-year-old fan page slowly grew his fan base – 150 fans in two years – but when he started using Google Plus that number blossomed to a ripe 22,000 followers, plus he has added an additional 300 fans to Facebook in 6 months. His Twitter account was another marketing outlet that was slow to grow, although he said he uses Google+ a bit more. He was able to add several hundred quality contacts in the past few months. [ SUE, this part is unclear to me – does he mean quality contacts through Google+, or quality contacts through Twitter via Google+??? ]

“All of this growth has lead to an increase in revenue and opportunities like my recent shoot on the Tall Ship from New Bedford to Philly which has lead to more revenue,” says King, who was asked to teach an online course through a Google contact and who gave his first three-day workshop in Rhode Island this this past September through another Google contact.

Is Google+ the whole marketing package?

As to whether Google+ is the whole marketing package, King ganders that it’s a strong possibility since he had been working other aspects of social media but until Google+ he never imagined that he could be this successful using social media.

King had some advice for the Newport hospitality industry: “Personally, if I was in the hospitality industry in Newport I would be hosting a weekly or bi-weekly hangout highlighting the area.  This may be a slow grow at first but the live stream to Youtube makes this accessible for anyone at anytime they think about searching Newport as an example.”

Hanging out on Google+ takes patience, and good listening skills, suggests King, who took the time to learn how to use the multifaceted tool until he figured out exactly how to make it work for him.

King’s passion for Google+ piqued new interest for NIM marketers, and NIM founder Suzanne McDonald got right to work to put together a Google+ hangout of her own for NIMers who wanted the marketing success Ed King was able to achieve through G+, for 02809!

Take a look at the hot topics trending twitter about the event:

12MeterCharters says, “Write a complete intro in your Google+ business page. No. 1 complaint of users is incomplete intro.”

Sue_DesigEditor says, “Of 100 million active users, @02809Photo is ranked 626 in US but his Google+ has also boosted his other social platforms.”

KevinTVine says, “Listening to @02809photo talk about how Google+ helped bolster his photography business into the stratosphere #NIMRI

Stay tuned for November NIM event at La Forge Casino Restaurant at 186 Bellevue Avenue. NIM looks forward to seeing you at the next function at La Forge Casino Restaurant at 186 Bellevue Avenue. http://www.laforgerestaurant.com! Easy parking across the street in the CVS parking lot. Don’t forget to register!

 

 

What A Website Should Really Cost: A Look Into NIM’s October Event

From wanting to launch a knitting site, to running a marketing firm, Marketers from all sides of business came hear just what this month’s panel had to say. Newport Interactive Marketers’ wrapped up 2012 focusing on websites. What are the must-haves? How to save money on site development? What type of expert help do you need and can you afford it?

The panelists answered questions from those who’ve never had a website, to those who create websites professionally. Meet the Panel:

 John Picozzi

   Senior Web Developer at Rubic Design + Interactive, John is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University and holds a bachelor’s degree in web design and e-commerce as well as an associates degree in web development. John is highly skilled across all areas of website development and design: from server-side coding, to content layout, and site architecture. He comes to Rubic Design + Interactive from the advertising and PR industry where he built and maintained web solutions for national brands like CVSCaremark, Marriott International, and Dunkin Donuts.

Matt Medeiros

  Co-founder of Slocum Studio, WordPress architect, business development, blogger at MattReport.com, and inbound marketer. Helping others on the web.

Sean Walther

  Sean Walther is a freelance web developer and has been doing what he loves for almost 15 years. Recently Sean has been specializing in WordPress deployments, but has a varied history with many types of web technologies.  Prior to his current freelance role, Sean was the CTO of a web development firm in Boston for 3 years. Sean is a graduate of Boston University, with a BA in computer science.

 David Englund

owner of Englund Studio. Founded in 2002 offering graphic design and illustration services, Englund Studio has since been the winner of both the Webmasters Award and the American Design Award for creative website design. Improving customer interaction and attraction through WEO (Web Experience Optimization) is a vital concern. Englund Studio has created custom websites, WordPress sites, mobile sites, blogs, and squeeze pages for customer lead generation. David is preparing to launch a podcast show called Marketing Differently.

 

Key takeaways from October’s Newport Interactive Marketers

  • You get what you pay for. If you’re willing to pay more, you’re going to get more. So what is more: a more custom website, to a more involved developer who can plan for where your business is headed.
  • Those with smaller budgets were able to learn about alternatives, such as website templates, which allow you to develop and update your own website, using a platforms such as WordPress. But be sure to purchase your own domain, such as NewportInteractiveMarketers.com.
  • Another cost effective way of having an online presence without breaking the budget, would be working with a designer who can put together a basic website without any extensive plug-ins or features. Lindsay Logan from WOMA design, a Newport Marketer, talked about ways that she personally helps clients with this and how it is less costly than most options.

 

Website considerations BEFORE meeting with a developer

  • Know your audience. What are they looking for in a website? Know the main draw of your audience and emphasize it in your website. Should that be the focus of your website that is easy to access on the home page.
  • Bring a list of competitor’s websites and examples of the similarities and differences you want.
  • It’s not what you want to see on the site, it’s what your viewers need to see. Do what’s best for your business & let web designers help you, after all you’re paying for their expertise!
  • Come with a theme to start out. Panelists warned against free themes, like Theme Forest due to malicious or sloppy code.

 

Where do you want to be in two years?

  • Don’t be afraid to tell the person your working with, your budget. If you have a smaller budget like $1,500 then maybe craigslist or WordPress is better for you. It’s important let them know these things and you can discuss the best options within your budget range.
  • Designers, Developers, Marketers, SEO, and content strategists are all incorporated into the FULL process of designing a website: Keep in mind that this is what you’re paying for and discuss what each will be able to do for you. Know what you’re paying for and let them know what you want from them.

 What sparked debate?

WordPress & Drupal

  • Is WordPress good? Yes. Small budget? Go for it. Test it out. Use if for a year, higher income – then spend the money. Website = Virtual salesperson.
  • WordPress does not have a great online ecommerce store, where as Drupal does.
  • WordPress plug-in options: fantastic! Includes: Contact for 7, advanced custom fields, designer clients (extra forms on pages), WD Photo Kit, Contact 17.
  • You always have the option to pay for it. Why pay for it when you can get it for free? Support! You get what you pay for.
  • Web developer should have no excuse or at least a good reason not to have a WordPress up and running for you.

Audience’s questions answered:

Is the cost is going up or down?

The prices of websites have gone down because now there are free options to creating websites and many people are able to do it themselves with these options.

Why go local in choosing a developer?

Go Local! Meet with designers face to face and get to know the person that’s helping to develop your business. Also, be able to receive training on how to use and update the website! You want to know the where about of your developer, constant contact is key, especially when you’re paying for it.

What are the price ranges that our panelists are charging their clients?

They currently start looking at projects in the $1,500 as a starter. And average prices range from 5,000 to 10,000.

What is the value that developers add to the price?

The value that developers give to the price is time. They take care of it, maintain it, and spend the most time with the website’s construction and maintenance.

What are some key components a website should have?

  • Blog OR consistently updated with content
  • News Letter
  • Email options but not a barrier to website, always keep your website accessible without effort by your viewers.
  • Search Bar & Social Media Icons
  • Should you have a feed of social media? Depends on whether or not you’re social media is a key part of your business and whether or not it is a good outlet that would be appealing to your customers.
  • Definitely Images and Video – CRITICAL. Less reading and more media.

 

And remember, a website is a virtual sales person, so take your time and make sure it’s saying exactly what you want it to say! 

Integrating SEO and Social Media With Google’s Eric Enge

SEO guru Eric Enge broke SEO and Social Media down into plain English at NIM’s Aug. 23 event. Stressing an integrative approach using SEO and Social, Enge said the best way to compete in SEO keywords is to be user-centric.

If anyone knows how to boil down complex ideas for an audience, it’s Enge, who is CEO of Stone Temple Consulting, a 25+ person SEO firm with offices in Massachusetts and California. Enge is also a frequent speaker at marketing conferences like SES, PubCon, and SMX.

According to Enge, the job of any website is to be first in that search. So his PowerPoint presentation boiled down complex SEO and Social Media topics so that attendees of all social media aptitudes could learn just how.

Integrating Search and Social Media highlights

  • Spun or garbage content or cheap tricks to build brand and rank is not the best way to go
  • Devote the right amount of space to anchor text, key phrases, brand names, and domains
  • Avoid bad link-building and backlinking practices, e.g. low-cost or paid-for tactics
Eric Enge From Stone Temple Consulting

Eric Enge featured guest speaker at NIM’s Aug. 23 networking and learning event.

  • Emphasize users in your web content, because they are central to the Google algorithm
  • Make sure your brand lends itself to your audience (and if it doesn’t, ask yourself what it will take to get there)
  • Provide diverse, quality content
  • Title tags play a big role
  • Meta description influences click-through rate

Learning Google’s Algorithm

Quoting Google Search Quality Group expert Matt Cutts throughout the talk, Enge explained that Google algorithm finds quality, diverse results help solve problems for users.

Enge discussed the impact of Google’s Panda algorithm update, ushered in on Feb. 23, 2011, and the impact of Penguin, which came to the fore April 24, 2012.  He discussed the viability of SEO, Social, PR and Real Content integrated together for a masterful integrative marketing plan.

You can build a huge audience even if you’re a small brand, according to Enge, who said 48.8% of the population uses Google+ (that’s 150 million US users) and Google+ creates community circles. But he warned against trying to get too much out of driving FB “likes” and Google+ “+1’s” since these don’t specifically address which part of your content is working. Likes, +1’s and shares aren’t visible to Google. Tweeted links, for example, can help Google discover content faster than Facebook and Google+.

Title Tage, Meta Description & CTR

NIM attendees learned how large a role Title Tags play, how Meta Description can influence click-through rate (CTR), and more specifically, how Bing uses CTR.

“Saying SEO is dead is like saying you 85-year-old grandmother can configure your web server,” Enge explained.

In addition to good content that is user-focused, Enge provided an example of how one guest posting propelled one site from 0 to 100,000 customers using an integrated approach.

In the hierarchy of social media effort, the 1-on-1 meeting is at the top (takes the most effort), then the meeting, then meetups, then blogging, then LinkedIn, Twitter, then Facebook. The bottom line? Make the effort to meet with actual people to build real communities, and that will fuel social media activity that builds your reputation, since that’s what people (users) value most.

Thanks to Eric Enge for speaking in Newport; you can visit his website at www.stonetemple.com, follow him on Twitter @stonetemple, or add him to your Google+: +Eric Enge.