Social Media TV

Theres an interesting phenomenon going on involving Twitter and linking. A couple of years ago, when someone would see an interesting piece of content, they would link to it. Today, when this happens, people tweet it. So, what does this mean for link bait?

In this interview with WebProNews, Rand Fishkin of SEOmoz says, essentially, Twitter is cannibalizing the Webs link graph, and its doing so in a disproportionate manner for more social media forward industries.

Although Fishkin does not believe the link graph is disappearing completely, he says its growing faster in the social Web than it is in the blogosphere. Google is also picking up on this trend and is paying attention to tweets. According to Fishkin, people can calculate Page Rank with the Twitter graph in the same way people do on the Web. He thinks Google is working with this concept now and expects to see more from them in this area.

Speaking of Google, Mike McDonald asks Fishkin about Google Buzz. From a strategic standpoint, Fishkin believes Google wants to let people know that the social Web and social media are important to them. In addition, Google realizes the amount of sharing and connection that happens through email and wants to leverage it.

There are, however, many issues that have been raised over Google Buzz, as WPN previously reported. While the lasting power of Buzz is still to be determined, Fishkin says SEOs are waiting to where it goes before they fully embrace it.

What are your thoughts regarding link bait in this age of Twitter, and do you believe Google Buzz will stick around?

Duration : 0:7:55

(more…)

Technorati Tags: 2010, bait, Buzz, Fishkin, google, Link, McDonald, media, Mike, OMS, Rand, seo, seomoz, social, twitter, WebProNews

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Most marketers utilize search engine optimization in order to make it easier for customers to find them and, ultimately, buy their products. As search, social media, and public relations become more intertwined, marketers need to understand that journalists are essentially customers as well.

Lee Odden, the CEO of TopRank Online Marketing, spoke with WebProNews at OMS and explained this idea. It is no secret that all companies want media coverage since it produces credibility, sales, search visibility, and more. So, what can marketers do to get noticed by journalists?

Based on survey conducted by TopRank, 91 percent of reporters, journalists, and editors used Google to help them find contacts in 2008. Of those surveyed, only 27 percent used social media. However, George Washington University and Cision released a report this year showing that 86 percent of the media use blogs and 64 percent use social media.

What does this tell marketers? According to Odden, marketers need to optimize their content in regards to what journalists are looking for. In other words, he suggests including terms such as expert and other credentials, specifications, and trends that journalists would use.

Incidentally, the survey found that TV and online journalists were more apt to use social media to find information.

Duration : 0:3:38

(more…)

Technorati Tags: 2010, Lee, marketing, McDonald, media, Mike, Odden, OMS, online, public, relations, search, social, summit, TopRank, WebProNews

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

While most companies have come to agree that social media use is important, the how remains unclear in many cases. Ravit Lichtenberg, founder and chief strategist of Ustrategy, was good enough to give her thoughts on the subject during an interview at OMS 2010.

Lichtenberg tried to dispel what might be one common misconception by stating, Social media itself is not a tool. It is a strategy. She then added, Every business should have a strategy around social media.

Lichtenberg thinks its best to form this strategy in a vision-driven way. The question companies should ask themselves is, Who do you want to be as a business when people see you online? Coming up with an answer will help organizations pick their approach.

Deciding on an online identity will also help employees who can be a businesss biggest advocates know how to act online. And Lichtenberg thinks it isnt wise for companies to forbid access to social networks, by the way.

Then heres one last tip: before trying to use social media to help with lead generation and sales, conduct specific campaigns around factors like awareness, market share, and buzz. These things are better-suited to social media and serve as good starting points.

Duration : 0:5:48

(more…)

Technorati Tags: 2010, Lichtenberg, McDonald, media, Mike, OMS, Ravit, social, Ustrategy, WebProNews

Bookmark It

Hide Sites