Integrated Strategy for Social Media Optimisation

I am currently working on a strategy to integrate and track social media plaforms

I am currently creating a strategy for integrated social media posting

Life in the fast lane of the information highway

IMAGINE that having a website is like owning a car. Before you buy one you have to decide what you want and what you need.

Should it be fast, economical, luxurious, basic, flash, powerful, loaded with gadgets etc? All these factors will affect the cost of your car; some cars have great engines but don't look good, some cars look great but don't have all the gadgets.

Websites are much the same. You may have a fantastic e-commerce or content management system but the front end of the site – the bit your clients see – may look basic or, dare I say, unprofessional.

Let’s go back to the car analogy. You could buy a middle of the range car with an average engine and then spend money later adding skirts, spoilers, decals and a great paint job.

Or you could go for the whole package and get a luxury fast car that comes with all the whistles and bells. It depends on what you need and what you can afford.

Remember some cars can be upgraded later with extra gadgets and even a more powerful engine. Just like a website.

Think back to when you bought your first car - it was probably the best you could afford at the time to get the job done.

But cars age and technology moves fast, so that car you bought with the CD player could well now benefit from being able to connect to your iPod. You might even decide after a few years you need a bigger boot and more storage space. Just like a website.

Usability is important. When I was younger, I owned a car with a door you had to lift to unlock it. I had to pump the gas three times before turning the ignition and only then would it start.

What if your website worked the same way? If you gave a visitor the keys, do you think they would be able to get the car started? A website - like a car - should work the way we expect it to.

Someone recently told me he hated the fact that so many websites look the same! You could argue the same with cars, after all they usually have four wheels, headlights, brake lights, a steering wheel and an engine.

Most of them put things in the same place, too, but this is for the user’s benefit. As soon as you move the ignition to the middle of the car (like Saab did) or the gears to a lever on the steering column then people get confused and are invariably put off.

Websites are the same. Usability means common factors like logos, navigation, site maps and home buttons should be in a standard place.

That’s not to say innovation doesn’t have its place, but innovation needs to be intuitive and when it's not it can cause more harm than good.

What would you think if you went to buy a car and it had the spare wheel on the roof, eight headlamps and six narrow doors? That’s the kind of user issues some badly-designed websites create.

Now let’s consider maintenance. You wouldn’t expect your car to run forever without looking after it, and you don’t expect all external factors to stay the same.

You know that if you don't change the oil from time to time the engine will break. And if a new law regulates emissions, or your car gets so old the manufacturer stops making spare parts, then things need to change.

It’s exactly the same with a website. If you don't clean your database from time to time, or Google changes the way it looks at a site for indexing, then your site won’t be as effective as it once was.

Here’s a trickier concept to grasp, but persevere because marketing a website correctly is crucial. it’s a very important point. Imagine your pockets are deep enough to run a Formula 1 car, your team hires the best driver and invests a fortune making sure the car’s technology will make it perform to the highest standards.

The only problem is that one team doesn’t know what the next team is doing to ensure they are in with a chance of winning. Odds are the team with the best driver and best car will win, although the mix might be the best car with a good driver just keeps up with the best driver with a good car.

Well, it's the same principle with search engine optimisation. You might spend lots on getting the structure of your website 100% right for Google but with an average digital marketer (the driver) implementing the search engine strategy your results might not be fantastic.

Mind you, you might get the best SEO and the best marketer and still find someone else is doing it better. Perhaps they had more money to spend on a link-building campaign.

Finally there comes a time when you need to change your car. Maybe you got bored with it, maybe you need a bigger one or perhaps you need to make a better impression when you pull up at your client's office.

For these same reasons you will need to change your website, too. Life moves fast online, keeping up is not easy - but sometimes it is necessary. The bad news is that one year of website life is like three car years, so you will have to change your site more often than you would like.

But at least you’ll keep ahead of all the others on the information highway.

Not blogged much because...

I spend most my days on Twitter! I will ,however, make sure I put some blogs up soon


-- Post From My iPhone

Worldmapper gives a great way to see the world

See this link to see where the bulk of internet users are in the world http://www.worldmapper.org/animations/internet_users_animation.html or how about this project world populations by 2300! http://www.worldmapper.org/display.php?selected=12

Social Media in Plain English

This is such a simple but great example of what social media is, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpIOClX1jPE

Most Popular Internet Activities

Here are percentages of internet users who do such activities online as sending email, playing games, downloading music, and more.

	Percent of Internet users who report this activity
Send or read email	92%
Use a search engine to find information	89
Search for a map or driving directions	86
Look for info on a hobby or interest	83
Research a product or service before buying	81
Check the weather	80
Look for health/medical info	75
Get travel info	73
Get news	73
Buy a product	71
Visit a local, state, or federal government website	66
Buy or make a reservation for travel	64
Surf the Web for fun	62
Go to a website that provides info or support for a specific medical condition or personal situation	58
Research for school or training	57
Watch a video clip or listen to an audio clip	56
Look for "how-to," "do-it-yourself," or repair information	55
Look online for news or information about politics or the upcoming campaigns	55
Look up phone number or address	54
Do any banking online	53
Watch a video on a video-sharing site like YouTube or GoogleVideo	52
Take a virtual tour of a location online	51
Do any type of research for your job	51
Look online for info about a job	47
Get sports scores and info online	45
Get info online about a college, university, or other school you or a family member might attend	45
Download other files such as games, videos, or pictures	42
Get financial info online, such as stock quotes or mortage interest rates	41
Send instant messages	40
Look for info about a place to live	39
Download computer programs from the Internet	39
Pay bills online	38
Download music files to your computer	37
Upload photos to a website so you can share them with others online	37
Look for information on Wikipedia	36
Send or receive text messages using a cell phone	35
Look for religious/spiritual info	35
Play online games	35
Listen to music online at a website	34
Read someone else's online journal, web log, or blog	33
Rate a product, service, or person using an online rating system	32
Use online classified ads or sites like Craig's list	32
Log on to the internet using a wireless device	30
Listen to a live or recorded radio broadcast online, such as a newscast, sporting event, or radio show	29
Categorize or tag online content like a photo, news story, or blog post	28
Search for info about someone you know or might meet	28
Pay to access or download digital content online	28
Share files from own computer with others	27
Download video files to your computer	27
Participate in an online auction	26
Research your family's history or genealogy online	25
Download screensavers from the Internet	23
Chat in a chat room or in an online discussion	22
Download computer games from the Internet	21
Create content for the Internet	19
Download a podcast so you can listen to it or view it at a later time	19
Make a donation to a charity online	18
View live images online of a remote location or person, using a webcam	17
Use an online social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, or Friendster	16
Sell something online	15
Visit an adult website	13
Take a class online just for personal enjoyment or enrichment	13
Participate in an online discussion, a listserv, or other online group that helps people with personal issues or health problems	12
Send or receive an invitation to a meeting or party using an online invitation service	12
Take a class online for credit toward a degree of some kind	12
Create or work on your own online journal or blog	12
Take material you find online—like songs, text, or images—and remix it into your own artistic creation	11
Buy or sell stocks, bonds, or mutual funds	11
Make a phone call online	8
Go to a dating website or other site where you can meet people online	6
Create an avatar or online representation of yourself	6
Download or share adult content online	4

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project tracking surveys (July 22, 2008).

Where Teens Use the Internet

	Home	School	Library
All teens	89%	77%	60%
Girls	91	76	59
Boys	86	78	60
Age
12–14	89	71	58
15–17	89	82	61
Race/ethnicity
White	91	78	59
Black	80	83	69
Hispanic	85	69	53
Household income
Less than $30,000/yr	70	75	72
$30,000-$49,999	86	88	63
$50,000-$74,999	87	72	55
$75,000+	99	74	57

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Teen/Parent Survey on Writing, Sept.—Nov. 2007.

Top 10 Languages on the web

Ecoaware.co.uk Eco Ideas for an Eco Home or Eco Business

The idea is that whenever I come across an idea or product that can help with environmental issues I will post it on this website. If you have an idea, product or service that can help the environment then please email me using the send idea button on the site.

www.ecoaware.co.uk

Google Maps Tutorial

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, I've been really busy and just got back from a week away. This is a really good developers tutorial for Google Maps.

http://maps.forum.nu/gm_custom_controls.html

Google Chrome Experiments

When Google Chrome launched last September, it included a powerful JavaScript engine, V8, which was built to make the next generation of web applications perform faster in the browser.

Google Chrome is the fastest growing browser and has overtaken Safari's market share in just months. Although still at a tiny 3.9% or so I wouldn't be surprised if we don't have to start web site compatibility checking this platform in the not to distant future!

The results of their experimentation have been great, with each project turning the browser window into an interactive application, a game, or even a piece of art. Whether you're a casual web surfer or an advanced JavaScript developer, we think you'll appreciate what they've achieved.
http://www.chromeexperiments.com/

A common IT factor

IT projects often spend 50% of their time being 90% complete... sound familiar to anyone?

Web Browser Statistics and Trends

Statistics are important information. From the statistics below, you can see that Internet Explorer and Firefox are the most common browsers.

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Browser Statistics Month by Month

2009	IE7	IE6	IE8	Fx	Chrome	S	O
January	25.7%	18.5%	0.6%	45.5%	3.9%	3.0%	2.3%
2008	IE7	IE6	IE5	Fx	Chrome	S	O
December	26.1%	19.6%		44.4%	3.6%	2.7%	2.4%
November	26.6%	20.0%		44.2%	3.1%	2.7%	2.3%
October	26.9%	20.2%		44.0%	3.0%	2.8%	2.2%
September	26.3%	22.3%		42.6%	3.1%	2.7%	2.0%
August	26.0%	24.5%		43.7%		2.6%	2.1%
July	26.4%	25.3%		42.6%		2.5%	1.9%
June	27.0%	26.5%	0.5%	41.0%		2.6%	1.7%
May	26.5%	27.3%	0.7%	39.8%		2.4%	1.5%
April	24.9%	28.9%	1.0%	39.1%		2.2%	1.4%
March	23.3%	29.5%	1.1%	37.0%		2.1%	1.4%
February	22.7%	30.7%	1.3%	36.5%		2.0%	1.4%
January	21.2%	32.0%	1.5%	36.4%		1.9%	1.4%
2007	IE7	IE6	IE5	Fx	Moz	S	O
November	20.8%	33.6%	1.6%	36.3%	1.2%	1.8%	1.6%
September	20.8%	34.9%	1.5%	35.4%	1.2%	1.6%	1.5%
July	20.1%	36.9%	1.5%	34.5%	1.4%	1.5%	1.9%
May	19.2%	38.1%	1.6%	33.7%	1.3%	1.5%	1.7%
March	18.0%	38.7%	2.0%	31.8%	1.3%	1.6%	1.6%
January	13.3%	42.3%	3.0%	31.0%	1.5%	1.7%	1.5%
2006	IE7	IE6	IE5	Fx	Moz	N7/8	O
November	7.1%	49.9%	3.6%	29.9%	2.5%	0.2%	1.5%
September	2.5%	55.6%	4.0%	27.3%	2.3%	0.4%	1.6%
July	1.9%	56.3%	4.2%	25.5%	2.3%	0.4%	1.4%
May	1.1%	57.4%	4.5%	25.7%	2.3%	0.3%	1.5%
March	0.6%	58.8%	5.3%	24.5%	2.4%	0.5%	1.5%
January	0.2%	60.3%	5.5%	25.0%	3.1%	0.5%	1.6%
2005	IE6	IE5	Fx	Moz	N7	O8	O7
November	62.7%	6.2%	23.6%	2.8%	0.4%	1.3%	0.2%
September	69.8%	5.7%	18.0%	2.5%	0.4%	1.0%	0.2%
July	67.9%	5.9%	19.8%	2.6%	0.5%	0.8%	0.4%
May	64.8%	6.8%	21.0%	3.1%	0.7%	0.7%	0.6%
March	63.6%	8.9%	18.9%	3.3%	1.0%	0.3%	1.6%
January	64.8%	9.7%	16.6%	3.4%	1.1%		1.9%
2004	IE6	IE5	Moz	N3	N7	N4	O7
November	66.0%	10.2%	16.5%	0.2%	1.2%	0.3%	1.6%
September	67.8%	11.2%	13.7%	0.3%	1.4%	0.3%	1.7%
July	67.2%	13.2%	12.6%	0.4%	1.4%	0.4%	1.6%
May	68.1%	13.8%	9.5%	0.6%	1.4%	0.4%	1.6%
March	68.2%	14.6%	7.9%	0.8%	1.4%	0.6%	1.4%
January	68.9%	15.8%	5.5%	0.4%	1.5%	0.5%	1.5%
2003	IE6	IE5	Moz	N3	N7	N4	O7
November	71.2%	13.7%	7.2%	0.5%	1.6%	0.5%	1.9%
September	69.7%	16.9%	6.2%	0.6%	1.5%	0.6%	1.8%
July	66.9%	20.3%	5.7%	0.6%	1.5%	0.6%	1.7%
May	65.0%	22.7%	4.6%	1.0%	1.4%	0.9%	1.4%
March	63.4%	24.6%	4.2%	0.9%	1.4%	1.1%	1.2%
January	55.3%	29.3%	4.0%	1.2%	1.1%	1.7%
2002	IE6	IE5	AOL	N3	N5	N4	IE4
November	53.5%	29.9%	5.2%	1.1%	4.9%	2.0%
September	49.1%	34.4%	4.5%	1.3%	4.5%	2.2%
July	44.4%	40.1%	3.5%	1.2%	3.5%	2.6%	0.5%
May	40.7%	46.0%	2.8%	1.2%	2.7%	3.4%	0.7%
March	36.7%	49.4%	3.0%	1.2%	2.4%	4.1%	0.7%
January	30.1%	55.7%	2.8%	1.3%	2.2%	4.4%	1.0%

IE	Internet Explorer
Fx	Firefox (identified as Mozilla before 2005)
Chrome	Google Chrome
Moz	The Mozilla Suite (Gecko, Netscape)
S	Safari (and Konqueror. Both identified as Mozilla before 2007)
O	Opera
N	Netscape (identified as Mozilla after 2006)
AOL	America Online (based on both Internet Explorer and Mozilla)

Top level domains that sold for a couple of $$$s

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The Power of Website Optimiser

Google adwords has a fantastic facility that allows you to carry out multi-variant testing

Google says 'You want your ads to be successful. To measure that success, you use click and conversion tracking to gain insight into user behavior on your pages. If users are reaching your pages, but you aren't getting the conversion results you want, what do you do? It's time to make improvements to your site. Website Optimizer can help.

Website Optimizer allows you to test changes in the website content of your pages in order to determine what will be most effective in getting conversions. You choose what parts of a page you'd like to test -- headline, image, promo text - and we'll run an experiment on a portion of your site traffic to determine which content on your site users respond to best. When we've collected enough data, we'll provide you with reliable reports and a suggested course of action in order to optimize your site for maximum business results'

We are using this facility and recommend you do too!

Presentation at the Executive Association of Great Britain

Today I presented in the penthouse of the Dorchester Hotel - Park Lane. I went freestyle with my presentation on 'marketing in a downturn'. No projector, no slides! Feed back was great, so all in all a good day. If anyone wants to book me for workshops or speaking se the speakers section of my website www.damonsegal.co.uk

Facebook hits 222 million visits!

Facebook.com grew a dramatic 127 percent in the past year to 222 million visitors in December, and now ranks as the top social networking site worldwide.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based Facebook Inc. is also the seventh most popular Internet property in the world, according to ComScore, which reported that the worldwide Internet audience above the age of 15 crossed 1 billion last month.

The most popular destinations in December Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) sites, with 777.9 million visitors, followed by Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), Yahoo Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO), AOL, Wikimedia, and Ebay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY).

Fox Interactive Media, owner of MySpace, which was surpassed by Facebook in April, came in 10th with 172.8 million visitors. The Asia-Pacific region accounted for the highest share of global Internet users at 41 percent, followed by Europe, with 28 percent, North America with 18 percent share, Latin America, with 7 percent, and the Middle East and Africa with 5 percent. China represented the largest online audience, with 180 million Internet users, or almost 18 percent of the total worldwide audience, followed by the U.S. with 16.2 percent, Japan with 6 percent, Germany with 3.7 percent and the U.K. with 3.6 percent.

Academy of Chief Executives Speakers Parade

Speakers parade went really well in Manchester, Monday, I was in good company with Andy Lopata, Networking Guru, Michael Dodd, Media Trainer, Gary Bailey, Ex Goal Keeper now Leadership Speaker and many others. I scored well 8/10 but waiting for confirmation on this. Best of all I have been booked to speak at the Academy Midlands Regional Meeting.

For a list of my keynotes and workshops see www.damonsegal.co.uk

Facebook Lexicon, big brother is so cool

I don't mean the big brother on TV although that is mildly amusing. Facebooks lexicon gives you

Lexicon is a tool to understand what Facebook's users are talking about on Walls.

http://www.facebook.com/lexicon/new/

over 700% increase in Google traffic!

We have just achieved from SEPT to DEC a increase of over 700% in traffic from Google organic listings to one of our clients sites. From 600 visits to about 5500 visits. Infact we have increased the site traffic from 7000 visits total to 18,000 visits in that time period. So all in all a great success!

This was done by restructuring the website and optimising researched keywords into each page of the site.

Voucher sites are cropping up everywhere. If you have a business and want to build a mailing list and enhance brand loyalty these sites are a great distribution hubs to get the word out. If your a consumer then you'll appreciate the credit crunch value: http://www.myvouchercodes.co.uk

IAB Online Adspend Study H1 2008

These are the topline findings from the IAB Online Adspend Study showing details for the first 6 months of 2008. The topline figures were reassuring news, confirming that advertisers are continuing to realise the importance of online advertising to their marketing communications in what has been a difficult marketplace. This tracking study, dating back to 1997, presents the official industry measure and acts as the barometer for the health of the market. Total market size – Jan-June 2008

• Record spend: Online adspend in H1 2008 came in at almost the £1.7 billion mark at £1,682.5m.
• Growth: Spending on internet advertising grew by 21% year-on-year on a like-for-like basis. The advertising industry as a whole declined by -0.7%.
• Market share: Online’s share has grown to 18.7% for H1 2008, up from 14.7% for H1 2007.

Growth in context
• Internet advertising has grown faster than any other mainstream advertising medium.
• The UK advertising market as a whole declined by -0.7% year-on-year – a decrease £65.6m. Online on its own grew by £348.2m.
• All advertising markets experienced decline except for cinema and online.
• Following online’s growth of 21%, Cinema was the next fastest growing medium at 12%.

Advertising formats
The online industry has experienced strong growth across all advertising formats.

• Display: Display advertising accounted for 19.8% of online advertising during H1 2008 with £333.8m spent across all display formats throughout Jan-June 2008.
• Search: Paid-for listings maintained its position as the largest single format with a 58.3% share of the market. £981.0m was spent on search in H1 2008.
• Classifieds: Accounting for 21.5% of the market, classifieds continue their strong growth to £361.6m.
• Solus Email: Still a relatively new category to the IAB Online Adspend Study, with £6.1m being spent by advertisers, accounting for 0.4% of the market.

Source: http://www.iabuk.net