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The online channels: Tips and Techniques
28 September 2010
by Ramsey Mohsen
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Today’s Objectives
• Help you understand how your efforts online can extend
your brand.
• Provide you with specific, actionable tips and techniques, to
increase website visits.
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Agenda
• Your website
• Leveraging the channels:
– Email
– Google Search
– Facebook
– YouTube
– Twitter
• Commenting and Contests
• “4:1 Rule”
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Ramsey Mohsen, Consultant and Social Media Strategist
• Digital Evolution Practice Lead for Social Media
• Leads/executed/advised social media engagement efforts for
Hallmark, Gordmans, Ferrellgas, Midland Radio, KC United Way
• Recognized regional and national speaker on social media
• Prolific video blogger, one of the first life-casters on justin.tv,
over 1 million views on YouTube, globally featured video on
YouTube home page for over three days, covered by national and
regional mainstream media for video blogging efforts
• Named one of Kansas City’s inaugural “twenty in their twenties”
emerging civic leaders in their under thirty
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Digital Evolution Group, Firm Overview
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
"Your website isn't a
destination. Get over
yourself."
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
58% check email first.
• …people start their day by checking their email.
- eMarketer, July 2010
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
YouTube is #2
• YouTube is now the second most used search engine in the
world.
- Comscore 2010 report
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
500+ Million
• …active users on Facebook.
www.facebook.com/press
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
50% log on
• Of the active users, 50% log on to Facebook every day.
www.facebook.com/press
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
One-Third
• The proportion of women who check Facebook when they
first wake up – even before going to the bathroom.
- Oxygen Media and Lightspeed Research
photo credit: mashable.com
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
27 Million
• The average number of Tweets sent per day.
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Your website isn’t good enough.
•
•
•
•
It’s not a destination.
A website is 1 component of a larger online strategy.
You must have “outposts” for discovery.
All roads should lead back to your website(s).
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Is social media the answer?
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
No. Social Media isn’t replacing anything.
• It’s 1 part of the spectrum of communication.
• It should be “with” not “instead of”.
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
You need to have a digital strategy.
The channels all support each other.
• Email
• Google Search
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Twitter
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Email
• 58% of people start their day by checking their email.
• Integrate email and social media to increase customization
and relevancy.
• No questionable ROI.
• A/B testing, multivariate, and segmentation.
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Email: Tactics
• Weekly or monthly “best of” emails.
– highlight comments and specific people
• 1-click sign-up field on every page.
• Prominent “Share with a Friend” email.
• Send “Welcome” email 1 week after sign-up.
• Grow your list!
– “give to get” campaigns
– Shows and conventions collect emails
– Contact Us form should have “opt-in” checkbox
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Google Search
• PPC vs. SEO (“pay” vs. “pray”).
• Rewrite your print headlines.
– print = short, to the point, save space
– online = longer, proper nouns, first/last names, cities, state
• Inbound/outbound links.
• META tags and page titles configured.
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Google Search
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Facebook
• Take advantage of your profile photo.
– 200 x 600 px of space
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Facebook
• Link readers
to your website
for traffic.
• Use bit.ly
links.
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Facebook
• Link your related
Facebook pages.
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Facebook
• Using the @ symbol
to tag people and other
Facebook pages.
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
“Facebook Collect” for Email
• By creating strategies and tactics in which you combine
email and social media, your digital efforts work together
and complement each other rather than being disjointed.
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
YouTube
• Within the description
of each video on YouTube
place links back to
your website for more
details.
• Use tags.
• YouTube =
authoritative link-back
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
YouTube
• “How to” instructional videos perform well.
• If you feature or highlight a video on your website, provide
additional information not in the video.
– “behind the scenes”
– teasers, “What’s your favorite part?”
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Twitter
• “No one reads all your Tweets. Get over
yourself.”
–
Twitter is like gigantic gushing stream or river of many things…
–
Your followers will not see everything you post. The more you Tweet, your chance of being “noticed” in the huge river of Tweets
increases.
–
@replies are the “email” of Twitter
–
Time of day DOES matter.
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Twitter
• The “fire hose” vs. niche
• Link your author names and Twitter handles
• Search for and use local #hashtags
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Commenting
• Commenting should be on every part of your website. It’s a
huge traffic driver.
• Email alerts sent for follow-up comments to users.
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Commenting
• "An online community that allows commenting is a strong
traffic driver, but it's also an ethical responsibility. If you
write content that you want your audience to discuss, you
should provide them with the tools to do just that on your
website. If you do not promote open discussion, you're not
properly serving your community.“
– Whitney Mathews: Online Editor, LJWorld.com
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Easy Contests
• Simple and light contest(s) work. Ask Dunkin Donuts.
– Post a photo.
– Just leave a comment.
– Share an experience.
– Pick from a list of options.
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Rapidly Evolving Space
Social media is green field, moving and changing daily.
While good models and best practices are emerging…
there is no single right answer
for any substantive length of time.
Try. Learn. Refine.
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
The “4:1 Rule”
It’s not about you.
“If you build it, they won’t come.”
Follow the 4:1 Rule
For every ONE social object (piece of content) that is
about you, there needs to be FOUR social objects that are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
informative
inspirational
entertaining
engaging
re(markable)
promote others
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com
Questions?
Ramsey Mohsen
www.ramseymohsen.com
mohsenr@digitalev.com
@ramseym
@ramseym
www.ramseymohsen.com