We've Moved

In the interest of showcasing our digital marketing talents all in one place, we've moved!

Please check out the new Top Shelf Digital & Social Media Marketing website!

Google's New Linking Guidelines

I am incredibly lucky to have connected with a great Search Engine Optimization (SEO) company, Search Optimizers. The Account Manager I work with is incredibly diligent about keeping his clients updated on the newest algorithm changes impacting search. He recently sent me an email with the following information:

Google published a blog post covering the new linking guidelines; we recommend reviewing it carefully as many of these tactics are still ubiquitous. Verboten activities listed in Google’s article include, among others:

1. Purchasing links (any form of purchasing, including free product in exchange for a link)
2. Link exchanges (I'll link to you from my site if you link to mine from yours)
3. "Large-scale article marketing or guest posting campaigns with keyword-rich anchor text links”
4. “Using automated programs or services to create links to your site”
5. “Links with optimized anchor text in articles or press releases distributed on other sites. For example:There are many wedding rings on the market. If you want to have a wedding, you will have to pick the best ring. You will also need to buy flowers and a wedding dress.”
6. “Low-quality directory or bookmark site links”
7. “Forum comments with optimized links in the post or signature, for example:Thanks, that’s great info! - Paul paul’s pizza san diego pizza best pizza san diego”

Remember, even if you don’t do any of those types of activities for your clients, they may have done this with other companies in the past, and it could still negatively influence their site. The affected sites experience significant drops in organic traffic when their site gets picked up by Penguin. Google also published a post detailing steps to take to remove toxic links. Due to the SEO importance of eliminating toxic links, Search Optimizers reviews our clients’ link profiles to determine if a significant number of unnatural backlinks are attached to their sites.

While I am a huge proponent of white hat SEO practices, I recognize that some businesses aren't savvy enough to realize they're paying a fraction of the cost for services that employ unsavory linking practices. I personally had to dissuade a former employer from hiring a firm that was significantly less expensive based on the admission that they would buy links to our pages and build links between our pages and the pages of their other clients. 

As I told the president of the company I was working for, it's not worth risking the penalties Google will impose on us. Sometimes we can go back and wipe those links clean from sites, but it can be incredibly difficult to improve a website's standing with the major search engines. 

The Importance of Client Relations

The single most important part of any service-based business is client relations. Don't believe me? Gartner predicts Customer Relationship Management (CRM) increasing to a 36.5 billion dollar worldwide market by 2017.

My career started in a customer service department, and I have applied the skills I learned there to every other position in my career. It was in that job I learned that client relations is much more than “the customer is always right,” and it often requires quality communication with a generous dose of finesse.

In the years since, I have seen more business relationships crash and burn because of poor communication than anything else. One relationship was ruined by an unexpected $500 over-service charge. Rather than having the presidents of the companies speak on the phone to sort out the miscommunication, emails went back and forth between account managers for weeks until there was a bad taste in the mouths of all parties involved. Eventually business decisions were made based on emotions instead of rational thinking, and the two companies parted ways on terrible terms.

There is something to be said for letting account managers manage their accounts and handle their clients. But there comes a point when emails are not appropriate, phone calls aren’t enough, and the decision makers need to get involved. When an agency president won’t drive two hours to meet face-to-face with an unhappy client, it’s bad business.

Among the many driving forces behind lacking communication, money stands out. Secrecy, misinformation and overcharging have contributed to the majority of instances where companies allowed bad communication to sink business relationships. Is gaining $500 now worth the potential of earning $5,000 later? I would argue no.

In B2B and B2C marketing there is an expectation of legitimacy that is difficult to rebuild once it’s been proven false. My goal is to operate on the foundation that my clients value my work and are willing to compensate me appropriately. I also allot my clients’ budgets as if they were my own. It’s no secret that there are elaborate parts of marketing that aren’t as functional as they are flashy. With limited budgets, I council my clients on the must-haves and make sure to allocate my time to the action items that will have the biggest ROI. Increasing a client’s revenue is the fastest way to increase my own budget.

4 Tips to Overcome Writer's Block

The irony of writing this post is that I’m experiencing writer’s block at this very moment. I know what I want to write about, but I can’t seem to find the words to get started.

All professional writers experience this during their career, and most will experience it regularly. Sometimes it’s more challenging to write for certain clients, topics, and industries than it is to write for others. These are my 4 tips for beating writer’s block:

1. Do Your Homework. It’s easier for me to write when I have a plethora of information at my fingertips to source and draw inspiration from. The more I research and the better informed I am, the more likely it is that I’ll be able to write.
2. Get Organized. I habitually list the key details of each thing I write in the header so I can refer back to them while I’m working. Usually I put what I’m writing for (publication, website copy, advertorial, etc.), who my target audience is, and what my deadline is. If I get stuck with on a paragraph or particular word choice, I refer back to the basics – who, what and where – to spark creativity, keep me on message and ensure I meet the purpose of the piece.
3. Write Out of Order. The more seasoned I become, the more I rely on this strategy. As a young, obsessively organized writer, it felt wrong to write a body paragraph prior to the introduction. But by starting with something that’s easy to write, I quickly find my voice and rhythm. As I continue to develop my writing skills, I see this can be a very valuable way to circumvent writer’s block and create a powerful introduction that aligns with the meat of my work. One note on this tactic, I find it’s most effective when I am following an outline so I don’t go off on tangents. 
4. Write Something Else. In the agency world, there is always something else that needs to be done and I would often complete unrelated tasks to “warm up” for a large writing project. At worst, this means cleaning my office and organizing my desk, but at best this means editing something I’d previously written, responding to emails, coordinating logistics, or even writing an easy press release or pitch. Of course, it’s not always feasible to employ this strategy due to deadlines or workload, and there is a very fine line between writing something else and procrastinating.

Jon Stewart Taught Us The Importance of Authority and Authenticity

I, like many of my friends and colleagues, was sad to hear that Jon Stewart will be retiring from The Daily Show. To be honest, I had no knowledge of the show prior to college and assumed that Stewart had been a part of the program since it’s inception – which isn’t true.

Sonia Simone, co-founder and Chief Content Officer of Copyblogger Media, posted an insightful blog on the brand’s website explaining why The Daily Show has succeeded where other news programs have failed. It comes down to two things, which Jon Stewart and the team at The Daily Show taught us time and time again – authority and authenticity are critical in 21^st century marketing.

Simone labels Stewart, “a content marketer of ideas,” and identifies his product as “a critical, unsparing approach to politics and current events coming from a particular point of view and set of beliefs.”

She goes on to identify five things that Steward does exceptionally well that can be used by marketing professionals in any industry.

Read Sonia’s post on the Copyblogger Blog here.

B2C Instagram Best Practices

I attended an International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) luncheon earlier this week to learn about B2B Instagram best practices. I was a bit skeptical that Instagram can show ROI and measurable results with regard to B2B marketing.

In the end, I felt the speaker, Rochelle Coles of Sister Act Media, proved there are ways to utilize Instagram to engage B2C clients, but not as much for B2B clients. Much of her presentation seemed to focus on basic best practices for social media, but she did recommend Iconosquare for Instagram measurement, which was helpful. In all, Rochelle's shared 5 "proven strategies" for increasing Instagram followers and engagement, website traffic and sales - which can be used for most social media marketing:

1. Make the most of every opportunity on your profile. Visuals are incredibly important on Instagram, so be sure you have a profile photo that accurately represents your brand and is attractive to your target audience. The only space you can put a live link on Instagram is in your user bio, so make sure that you have a URL to your website, Facebook page, or LinkedIn profile so that people can find you and make a purchase. 
2. Post images that reflect what your target clients post. This applies to all social media channels, but it's a good thing to keep in mind. If your target clients are animal lovers, make sure that you are posting platform-appropriate content that appeals specifically to that interest.
3. Leverage your words to establish and reinforce your message. Be sure you're utilizing the brand voice in all company communication regardless of the platform. Additionally, write like a human. Consumers do not respond well to corporate speak on social media platforms.
4. Use video to connect. Digital marketing is becoming more and more about a complete user experience instead of just text or just images. When appropriate, post behind-the-scenes video, clips of ads, etc. on your Instagram feed.
5. Invest in current followers and proactively pursue new ones. Like images your followers post that resonate with your brand. A recipe for success is to spend five minutes a few times a day liking five images and commenting on three images for one user so that you come up prominently in that user's feed. This is a great tactic if you're trying to empower brand evangelists or get noticed by local media contacts.

Tips for Managing Professional Stress

During my tenure at a PR Agency, I was plagued by debilitating stress and I became a pretty negative person. It affected my health, my relationships with loved ones and my passion for hobbies. 

Public relations is a notoriously stressful profession, and today, PR Daily posted "6 ways (plus a few more) to stay positive in PR." 

They list some obvious things like get away from your desk and take a walk, talk/vent, listen to music   and meditate. One of the recommendations was something I hadn't heard of before, 750 Words. This is a completely anonymous website that encourages 750 words of writing each day to help alleviate stress and feelings of being overwhelmed. 

All-in-all it was an interesting read and something that was meaningful to me. Some of these tips are things that I employed on a very regular basis, such as playing music in my office. Others I will keep in mind for the future.

Elements of a Killer Digital Portfolio

I recently dove headfirst into the world of digital self promotion and started a Squarespace website to house my digital portfolio. There are lots of great platforms available to creative professionals, and if Squarespace isn't for you, check out Behance, Coroflot and Carbonmade.

After a lot of research into how to make a killer digital portfolio, these are the 8 must-haves for digital portfolios:

1. Claim Your Vanity URL. It is so easy to acquire vanity URLs there's no excuse for not pointing one at your digital portfolio. To be easy, make your URL your name if possible.
2. Showcase Your Creative Style. Your digital portfolio should reflect your style and personality, so make sure you choose a design template that you feel comfortable with. Text, colors and images can be used to convey your personality as well. This is a great way to stand out against other applicants.
3. Be Consistent. I hadn't quite pulled all of the pieces of Top Shelf Digital Marketing together when I decided to launch a digital portfolio and it inspired me to create a logo to give all company materials a unified theme with a cohesive look and feel.
4. Create Clear Categories. Some people organize their work by brand, something that works well if you've got renowned clients. Some people organize their work chronologically, which is great if you're an entry-level applicant without much to show. Since I'm not currently targeting global brands or a specific industry, I decided to showcase each skill with a variety of projects from several clients.
5. Be Your Own Client. Remember that a well-organized digital portfolio will be easier for potential clients and companies to view, ultimately making a better first impression for your personal brand. Treat your digital portfolio as you would a client project, identify your target audience and be strategic about how you'd like them to experience your work.
6. Use Your Latest and Greatest. Choose the very best samples of your work, from the biggest brands you've supported over the last five years. Exceptions can be made if you have an exceptionally impressive campaign or project that is older.
7. Show Versatility and Adaptability. For each skill you'd like to showcase, show versatility, breadth and depth by giving several different examples. For example, try to use examples of your work from a variety of clients, unless you're targeting one specific industry. Also, don't stick to one kind of example, copywriting could include press releases, advertorials, infographics, marketing materials, website text, etc. 
8. Use Strategic Copywriting. Yes, digital portfolios are heavily reliant on visuals. But text is also a powerful tool and should be used to convey additional details such as e-newsletter open rates, website analytics, social media engagement statistics, etc. 

The Importance of Work-Life Balance

Steve Taylor posted a really insightful blog for The Creative Group this week and it got me thinking. The topic was 8 career development tips to keep you ahead of the curve, and as a big proponent of introspection, these topics tend to pique my interest.

What was really interesting to me was #6 - Maintain a Good Work-Life Balance. Steve wrote:

This one is a little harder because it's not always in your control. However, a healthy work-life balance can make all the difference between a good career and a great one. Sure, you could stay an extra hour at the office and churn out work that isn't due until tomorrow night. Or you could spend it with your family, get plenty of sleep and produce even better work the next morning.

Too many of us have come to believe that "the brass" favor workaholics. However, I've come to find that many managers prefer individuals who keep work in check because employees who enjoy a life outside the office are often happier and more creative.

I am the first to admit that I have failed pretty miserably at maintaining a good balance between my personal and professional lives this past year. In addition to taking on a new job just before Christmas 2013 I spent most of 2014 planning our August wedding. I have always believed, especially at my current marketing and public relations agency, that workaholics are revered and greatly appreciated. But the level of respect and appreciation doesn't seem to match the amount of work that I've put in and the number of personal sacrifices I've made - namely, spending my evenings at home with my husband and our dog recharging my creative juices.

One of my top three New Year's Resolutions is to maintain a healthier work-life balance, and I appreciate Mr. Taylor for reminding me that I'm not the only one to value this skill.

Digital Advertising Trends to Watch in 2015

We may be a couple of weeks into the new year; however, the creative geniuses over at The Creative Group have published their list of digital advertising trends to watch in 2015.

Being that advertising isn't as much my speciality, I'm going to go ahead and just direct you to their post.

Enjoy!

3 Tips for LinkedIn Recommendations

LinkedIn recommendations aren't likely to make or break a career opportunity for you; however, the professional networking site is without a doubt a resource for people who are considering job applicants. With that in mind, my philosophy is to take advantage of every avenue available to make a great and lasting impression - including requesting LinkedIn recommendations from colleagues, coworker and clients.

Here are the three tips I follow when I'm requesting recommendations:

1. Be Timely - The best time to ask for a recommendation from someone is when your work is top of mind, this goes for digital and print mediums. As soon as you know someone's happy with the project you completed, reach out via phone, email, or LinkedIn's "Ask for recommendations" tab. Being that some people don't often check their LinkedIn account and the email they receive alerts on may be different from the one they check regularly, it doesn't hurt to request the LinkedIn recommendation via phone or email and follow up with a request through LinkedIn itself.
2. Request Strategical Recommendations - Plan your recommendation requests to showcase the range of your work. Ideally, you'll garner a couple of solid recommendations for each of your areas of expertise. If you have 'holes' focus on requesting recommendations that will speak to your strengths in those areas.
3. Manage Your Recommendations - Now that LinkedIn lets us rank our recommendations, make sure you put your best ones front and center. Just like with a digital portfolio, you want to showcase the skills that you are focusing your career on with the best possible recommendations.

Good luck!

What the Facebook News Feed Changes Mean for Businesses

Chances are you've heard that Facebook is changing their News Feed settings to improve the consumer experience based on feedback from user surveys.

Starting sometime this month, Facebook will be reducing visibility of posts that are "too professional."  Moving forward, Pages that post promotional content can expect their organic reach to fall significantly over time. So, what can you do about it?

Employ a social media strategy that generates content that is not deemed "too promotional" according to Facebook's algorithms. Apparently, surveys have  found three things that make organic posts seem "too promotional" to users:

1. Posts that solely push people to buy a product or install an app
2. Posts that push people to enter promotions and sweepstakes with no real context
3. Posts that reuse the exact same content from ads

Okay, Facebook, challenge accepted.

In theory, this would mean that witty, creative, insightful posts would continue to garner the same reach as they have in the past. Of course, many people suspect Facebook is simply rewarding companies who spend advertising dollars since that's now the only way to ensure your content is being viewed by your followers and potential fans. 

The reality is that while I suspect that was a huge bonus for Facebook, I highly doubt that this is a purely self-serving move. As a consumer, I completely support algorithms that improve the user experience and ensure brands are proving me useful content in my News Feed. Of course, I am very likely to unfollow any company that abuses the privilege of appearing in my feed, and one hopes that concern is enough reason for businesses to hold themselves to higher standards of content creation.