WSI Logix Blog

Facebook Business Page Update

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 03:45:00 GMT

Facebook announced major changes to the design and functionality of its Pages, bringing them closer to individual user profiles in look and functionality. We’re excited about these updates, as they will improve the ability of our customers to connect with audiences. The changes impact the user experience visually, giving a more compelling look and feel to Pages; functionally, allowing brands and companies to operate more the way individual users do; but also by greatly increasing your ability to build richer application experiences using iFrames. In addition to having applications that perform better, brands will also have greater flexibility in the way they name them.

The changes go into effect for all Facebook Pages on March 10, which gives you four weeks to preview the new format and switch over at any time before then. Below is a map of the new features, followed by an additional summary of the changes, many of which we expected:

1-Photo strip above the Wall (with most recent photos you posted or tagged)
2-Tabs move over to the left panel, in the form of a list (maximum of 6 above the fold)
3-Profile picture reduced from 200 x 600 pixels to 180 x 540
4-Blurb box that was below the Page picture moved to info tab
5-Pages can Like other Pages, not just favorite them
6-Featured Pages and Admins
7-Page category
8-Choice for Wall posts between “Everyone” and Page posts only
9-Mutual Friends and Interests section
10-Ability to interact on Facebook as your Page
11-Ability for admins to post and comment around the site under their Page’s alias
12-News feed of updates from Liked Pages
13-Pages can now feature iFrame tab applications
14-Email notifications when users post or comment

Note, very important: You can preview the new layout but once you upgrade, there is no way to revert back to the old design.

Photo Strip Instead of Tabs Above the Wall
The replacement of tabs with the photo strip at the top adds a dynamic, colorful element that will significantly improve the look of the average Facebook Page. The photos are drawn from the most recent ones you posted to your Wall and those you tagged, but does not include photos posted by fans. Users can hide undesirable photos. The new left nav placement of tabs also allows for longer tab names.

Expanded Functionality For Fan Page Admins
By enabling Fan Page admins to comment in the name of the page itself and to interact with other Fan pages, Facebook has finally made it possible for brands to truly engage in tremendous interactive engine which powered its growth among individuals. Your power as a page administrator is increased in a number of other ways, including the ability to set filters on your Wall so that visitors see relevant posts first, and to view all the content and get notices whenever someone posts to your wall.

Google Local Search Creates New Opportunities to Market Your Services Online

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:01:00 GMT

Google has done it again. Just when we were getting comfortable with local search, they flipped everything on its head with the introduction of Place Search.

Pay-per-click has changed
Organic search has changed
Online reviews now more prominent

"We're introducing Place Search, a new kind of local search result that organizes the world's information around places. We've clustered search results around specific locations so you can more easily make comparisons and decide where to go". - Google Blog, October 28

7 Changes to Google Search

1. Elimination of the 7-Pack Google Map listing
2. Ranking algorithm for local listings have been updated
3. Google Places pages have greater visibility in new search result layout
4. Local results surrounded by more information like including 3rd party review sites
5. Information is grouped conveniently to make it easier to digest and compare
6. New link for "Places" in the left-hand panel of the search results page so you can switch to these results whenever you want
7. Google map now on the right side above the paid search listings, which scrolls as you scroll down the page

Google is Building in Web Intelligence

A Google Place Search result will begin appearing automatically on Google when they predict you're looking for local information. Their goal is make it faster and easier for searchers to find the local information they are looking for that will ultimately help them decide where they want to go.

What this Means for Your Business

It means that you might need to re-think the way you are marketing your services online. We at WSI are in the process of putting together a end-client webinar that will help to outline the changes and provide direction for our clients. We will be updating our blog and sending out an end user webinar as soon as we have completed the webinar.

Web site load speed important to search rankings

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:19:00 GMT

After Google started using website speed as a parameter in their ranking algorithms every webmaster has a good reason to keep an eye on the page load speed of their website. Google's bending over backwards to spread the word about this new speed penalty which must mean this is a pretty important element in web rankings since Google is usually very secretive about pending algorithm changes.

From the announcement we learn that the speed penalty was introduced following experiments by Google that revealed the impact website speed has on Internet users. It is no secret that internet users want websites to load fast. If your site does not load quickly, users will bail before the page every loads. When we analyze website we always monitor the bounce rate. The bounce rate is the percentage of users that only view a single page on the website. Page load times can be one of the elements contributing to a high bounce rate on your site.

At WSI we have tools that can help determine your websites load times and provide solutions to help reduce your load time and improve your Google ranking. While this is not magic bullet it is certainly an element that should be considering if you are doing search marketing.

Yahoo! Search Powered by Bing in the US and Canada

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:38:00 GMT

Yahoo! switching to Bing's>search technology in the US and Canada is probably the leading search news story of the whole month.

Yes, Yahoo has fully switched to serving Bing results to the U.S. and Canadian searchers. While the average user may not care too much as to who's providing the results (as long as they're good of course), this is huge news business marketing their services online.

Basically what this means is whenever you run a search on yahoo.comyou get exactly the same results as on Bing.com. The only things different are the navigation, some universal results (except images and videos) and related searches.

As you can see the search results in both Yahoo and Bing are identical for the search term "Ice Skating Arizona". You might also like to know that the Ice Den is a client of ours. Ad there is no doubt they dominate the results.

The implications for Phoenix and Scottsdale businesses can be great. If you have been ranking well in Yahoo!, but not in Bing this switch has just hurt your business. If you are ranking well in Bing and not Yahoo this switch has just helped your business. Either way as a business owner you need to take note of this switch.

And now let's see how you can leverage Yahoo's switch to Bing for your business.

Combined Bing and Yahoo account for about 5.2 billion monthly searches. This is a pretty large traffic pond to tap into (not as large as the 'Google Sea', but still). Since Bing is already serving organic results on Yahoo U.S. and Canada and will be powering all of Yahoo search soon, you only need to concern yourself with optimizing for Bing. Grab top rankings there and you'll be crowning Yahoo results as well.

Facebook Places Launches, Great Marketing for Arizona Businesses

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:05:00 GMT

Facebook has delivered a major blow to not only to Foursquare and other location-based social networks, but also to Google and Yelp. The social network has announced the launch of a major new feature: Facebook Places. The marketing implications of location-based social networks is very large. With the proliferation of mobile data technology allowing users to get deals or find business based on their geographic location business have a whole new marketing opportunity. With this Facebook implementation this trend just got a lot more interesting for marketers.

Facebook Places allows users to check in to offline locations similar to other location-bastion social networks. The Places feature is available in Facebook’s iPhone application (Must have version 3.2.2 or higher) as well as their HTML5 mobile site. One change in Facebook Places is that instead of showing people who have checked in nearby, the application will display people near you that Facebook has determined to have relevancy to you.

Although the feature is now available in the newest version of the Facebook iPhone app, the company says it is still rolling out the feature and is not yet available to all users. Another interesting note is that Facebook, via an API, is going to provide developers access to some of the data from Facebook Places to integrate this new feature with outside applications. Additionally, it doesn’t seem like Facebook is out to “kill” other location-based networks. It will allow Foursquare and other major location-based social networks to push location information into Places so that a user can use Foursquare to check in on both Foursquare and Facebook Places.

Marketing Takeaway

If you are an Arizona based business, this announcement demonstrates that location-based social networks are transforming from a trend into a mainstream feature of social networking. Some of the initial developers using Facebook Places are social game developers like Booyah, who plan to create new social games based on location.

Facebook, similar to Yelp and other location-focused sites, is also allowing businesses to claim their location in Facebook Places. Once Facebook Places is available to you, add the location to your business. Once that location page is created, you will then have the option to “claim” it as the page for your business. It is likely that Facebook will launch many other marketing opportunities for Businesses on Facebook places in the future, so it is important to go ahead and claim your location now.

Facebook Places isn’t an attack on Foursquare, it is a direct attack on Google and Yelp. Facebook realizes that as retail business shift marketing dollars online, a huge opportunity exists.

Do you plan to use Facebook Places? If so give us a call and we can help you get setup (602) 283-3550.

Law Firms and Social Media

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 22:18:00 GMT

I recently read an article in the Phoenix Business journal related to the use of Social Media by valley law firms. Like most business we can assume that law firms are looking to leverage the increase usage of social media to attract new customers. However, it is important to understand that Social media is not a one size fits all type of marketing plan. Each law Firm must carefully plan and implement their social media plan. If your law firm handles corporate mergers you need a much different plan than a firm that specializes in divorcee law.

When most of us think of social media our first thoughts are to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. While each of these channels can provide a great outreach for business, law firms must be careful which social channels they use. In most cases we would advise our law clients to avoid any social media channels that allow individuals to post unsolicited or unapproved comments on their social media.

In the Business Journal article there is reference made to Snell & Wilmer, LLP and their use of social media technologies to acquire and interact with clients. The marketing consultant sites Snell's use of Facebook to build trust with current and potential clients. However, on further investigation you notice that their Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Snell-Wilmer/104054512963404) is limited in many ways and does not fester interaction. While limiting user interaction on a law firm Facebook page is the right choice; the execution is poor and likely does not have ties to a comprehensive plan.

Let's take a look at what a social media plan might look like for a law firm.

Law Firm Social Media Plan

A well though out social media plan for a law firm like Snell & Wilmer, LLP might look something like the following:

Client Outreach Marketing

Blogs: Blogs should be the primary social outreach of all law firms. It should be located on the corporate website and be a promeniate feature of all law firm sites. Blogs should speak to firm topics and allow approved comments to promote interaction. Every blog post should be distributed via Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Twitter: Twitter is a great social outreach for law firms because the posting is one way. You control the tone and what is said on Twitter. Twitter allows law firms to control the conversation and the tone. It is a great place to talk about current laws, community outreach, opinions, victories and replicate important content.

Facebook: Facebook should be used as a marketing and branding tool similiar to your website. Instead of just limiting Facebook interaction through permissions, law firms should create unique and dynamic facebook landing pages for potential clients. Other examples of great Facebook landing pages are http://www.facebook.com/toyota, http://www.facebook.com/vitaminwater, and http://www.facebook.com/cocacola. This type of landing page system allows the law firm create a consistent marketing message.

YouTube: Creating videos of your lawyers discussing how they practice law and building a repor with your potential clients is a great way to market your firm. Video's must be professionally produced and under 2 minutes in length. These videos can be used on your website and social media channels. Video is a very valuable marketing asset. You can view some examples at http://www.youtube.com/user/wsilogix

Important: all social media postings should be controlled by a central source at the law firm.

Employee Outreach Marketing

LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a great way to help attract future talent and build a community of employees and business clients. It is a professional network that allows individuals in your law firm to connect with other professionals in the industry. It is a great way to share business related information and keep connected to important individuals in your industry.

As you can see social media for law firms is a complex matter. It requires the guidance a professional marketing firm. If you are interested in a consultation please give us a call today at (602) 283-3550 or visit us at http://www.wsilogix.com.

Small Business Sees Increased Paid Search Conversion

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:41:00 GMT

With the ever changing marketing environment businesses are constantly looking for new and more effective ways to market their business. Small businesses in Arizona are no different. With the advancements in Paid Search marketing companies are now better able to determine the value of their internet marketing efforts. At WSI we are now able to track the actions that users take once they click on a Paid Search advertisement. This includes phone calls placed, contact forms, downloads, email sign-up etc. With these advancements we can write better ad's and bid on terms that convert and don't just lead to clicks.

In general when in comes to paid search advertising conversions are up, both on an annual and quarterly basis. With 43.3% of clicks resulting in a website conversion and 6.9% in a phone call. Stats taken from eMarketer (http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007839)

In addition, conversion activity for a variety of website actions actions was up across the board. This would include actions such a video views, form fills, printing, downloading, driving directions and book marking.

Paid search spending by small business is on the rise, with a 159% increase over last year. Small businesses also continue a steadily increasing the number of keywords they purchase for their search campaign.

So with the improved conversion of Paid Search and more users clicking on paid search to find businesses it seems logical that most businesses could benefit from running a paid search campaign. If you are an Arizona based business and need help implementing your Paid Search marketing give WSI Logix a call today (602) 283-3550.

How to find an Internet Marketing Consultant

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 04:03:00 GMT

With so much buzz about internet marketing and social media advertising many Arizona business owners are seeking the advise of internet marketing consultants. However, finding a good internet marketing consultant in Phoenix metro area can be difficult. It seems that everyone from the sales people at Dex Online to your Facebook crazy friend is calling themselves an internet marketing consultant. Business must be careful to find a consult that can effectively assess the needs of their business and provide a marketing solution based on industry knowledge.

Would a sales person at Toyota recommend you buy a Ford based on your specific driving needs?

A consultant should be an impartial evaluator of your business and recommend solutions based purely on your business goals. This is why most sales people cannot provide you with reliable consultation about what products or services will work best for your business. It makes since that someone selling email services will recommend email, someone selling pay per click (PPC) will recommend PPC, someone selling search engine optimization (SEO) will recommend SEO, etc. Sales people are well intentioned, but they are not internet marketing consultants.

At WSI we are not tied to any single product or solution for our clients. We charge for consultation, to eliminate the need to recommend a marketing solution. When we do recommend a marketing plan it is based on years of industry experience. Our plans focus on business objectives such as revenue and lead generation. As we understand that every business is unique and each requires a specific internet marketing plan.

With no specific product to sell or technology to implement we can confidently call ourselves internet marketing consultants. Even better most consultants get to make recommendations, but then have no responsibility for execution of the plan. At WSI we not only provide the internet marketing consulting, we also offer implementation services. With our extensive network of suppliers we can provide a wide range of internet marketing services.

So remember to look for an internet marketing consultant that can provide your business with impartial business focused advise. You never want a consultant that has an incentive to sell you a service or product. Look for a consultant that is willing to take responsibility for the execution of the marketing plan and has the ability to grow with your business. We are confident that the internet marketing consultants at WSI will provide your Arizona business the best possible internet marketing plan.

Executives and Social Media

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 05:03:00 GMT

The social media landscape has changed the way Executives now interact with their employes and customers. In many cases the interactions can be positive and in others it can be negative. The most recent example of Social Networking gone wrong is with Whole Food CEO, John Mackey. Mr. Mackey wrote an op-ep piece for the Wall Street Journal that was linked to all over the Social Networks. His opinions on Health Care created an up roar and an eventual boycott of his stores. You can read the article here - http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=8322658&page=1.

More than eight in 10 management, marketing and HR executives responding to the July 2009 survey cited relationship- and brand-building as benefits of social media. Execs also considered social media a good tool for recruitment (69%) and customer service (64%), and 46% thought it enhanced employee morale. - emarketer.com.

See Chart of Social Media Value

Respondents reported using social media most for brand-building, followed by networking, customer service, and various research- and information-related activities.

See Chart of Reasons to Use Social Media

While executives are very aware of Social Media, most are sceptical about how to use it to effectively grow their business. They are fearful about not knowing enough how the platforms work or how to use the medium.

More than one-half of those who did not use social media said they did not know enough about it, and four in 10 worried about confidentiality and security problems. Another 37% had concerns about employee productivity. - emarketer.com

See Chart of Reasons to Not Use Social Media

What we know is that there is still a lot to be learned, but executives are look for new an innovative ways to use social media.

The Growth of Search Marketing

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 04:57:00 GMT

Most of us have known for some time that the world of Advertising is changing. It seems like every day there is some new technology or website that captures the imagination of the public. Reaching potential buyers for products and services is becoming increasing fragmented and finding the right mix for your company becomes increasing difficult.

The internet has become the hot area of advertising. We have seen great increasing the amount of money spent on internet advertising and the trend does appear to be slowing. This trend has given rise to companies such as Google who know have the money and resources to fund the development of numerous free applications for the consumer. The affects of this type of business model have many ramifications, but that is another topic.

This topic is about search marketing and what is predicted to grow from 25 Billion currently in 2009 to 55 Billion in 2014. That is an amazing amount of growth for a segment that already seems to be getting a bit saturated. Much of this growth will come from 2 areas (1) Search Marketing and (2) Display Advertising. So what does this mean for your business? (Reference E-Marketer July, 21 2009 – Interactive Marketers Lean on Search)

Well number 1 it means if you don’t have an internet marketing strategy you better start thinking about developing one. And please take some time to develop a real strategy and don’t do it yourself. Number 2 it means that the space is going to get more competitive and more costly. Which is why should really develop a good strategy to maximize your budget and gain the best results. You might be asking how this all relates to your Social Media strategy.

With all the recent talk about Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook you might think that Social Media is going to take over the world and I might be one of those people. However, when it comes to ad spend on social media it is predicted that Social Media will account for only 3 billion of that 54 billion dollar total in 2014. What this means to me is opportunity. Opportunity for business owners to develop effective social media strategies to reach and engage customers in a very new space. While it might feel like these technologies have been around forever, they are still very new and very dynamic. See my post on Social Media Convergence.

With such a dynamic space and so much opportunity it will be even more important to develop a social media strategy that your company can follow. “Do it yourself” in this space will end badly in most cases. It will be even more important to find a consultant or company that you can trust in this space. It seems like today everyone thinks they are a social media experts. Network meetings are full of people giving advice on LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. They brag about the number of connections they have Linked or the followers on Twitter. Yet, they produce no tangible results for themselves or their colleagues. Thus, developing a strategy that you can execute and feel confident it is critical to your success.

In closing it is important to understand that your business is unique and not all technologies are good for your business. You must understand your market, your customers and your results. A strategy must take advantage of the technologies that can help move your business. There is a happy medium between the business that refuses to engage and those that try to engage on every level.