Tag: SEO
Use online customer service to create a positve online footprint
Photo: throgers
Swedish SEO guru Christian Rudolf wrote an extensive and insightful piece on how brands get jacked online when negative discussions reach a high ranking in a search for the brand name. I also had the honor to add my comment to the story.
SEO is a founding part of all digital communication, something that is probably still unknown for many within communications. With people learning more about digital communication and discovering new services like blogging, Twitter, YouTube, Posterous etc, and also getting accustomed to liking or disliking brands, brand jacking will become a bigger challenge to organizations.
Digital communication has largely been about campaign sites and hoping for a viral effect, but often there is no strategy for creating positive digital footprints that prevent brand jacking. Creating and maintaining a digital presence is increasingly important and I am convinced that a function like customer service on the internet, where each client dialogue means a digital footprint, will be a natural part of a communication strategy.
Digital footprints is an important part of the strategy when we work with digital presence and online customer service for clients, answering tweets and blog or forum posts. When a forum user expresses a problem it is not only important to answer that person, but also all the users that will follow looking for information about the same product.
Making sure all questions have an answer and also letting users know that the company cares and listens to them is an important message to send both for existing customers as well as potential customers looking for a rational argument when choosing between manufacturers. And in the long run posting the answers online will save time and money for the traditional customer service.
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Swedish digital marketing - one way, short-lived campaigns
Patrick Gardner, CEO at Perfect Fools, writes a column on adage saying that Swedish digital advertising is ahead, but that it has been about one way, short-lived campaigns focused on delivering the message.
I have seen lots of these kinds of campaigns without focus on engagement and dialogue, simply pushing a message through a flash-based campaign site. But I thought that the trend was moving towards two-way communication, not only from more PR focused agencies, but also from ad agencies.
Gardner also mentions creating business is a trend, saying that agencies are developing their own products, like jeans or software. I doubt this is the way to go for agencies, in the long run it will be hard finding ROI in putting your hours into your private projects only to shine.
Rather, I think creating business as a trend should be focusing more on sales, conversion rates and SEO.
US clothing company ruins their reputation in Sweden - IRL and online
The labor unions traditionally have a very strong position in Swedish society, and messing with them usually means that the famous s**t hits the famous fan. These days the flying remainders also creates ugly digital footprints.
It looks like US clothing company, Urban Outfitters, didn't do their home work before asking their employees to quit their jobs so that they could be re-hired through a temp agency.
Trying to work their way around Swedish work laws stirred up a big discussion and loads of upset people. It didn't take long before there was a Facebook group ("Shame on you Urban Outfitters") with 8,800 members.
Of course, media has written lots of articles on the topic as well. Not only will UO need to spend long hours to get their reputation back up, but also their SERP. Looking at the first page of the search for "Urban Outfitters" on Swedish Google, seven of the results are regarding the protests. Several of the sources are from top Swedish newspapers and will need some dedicated work to knock down.
The PR Agency Needs to be Digitally Transformed
Photo: thatliz
I read an interesting post on my good friend Jerry Silfwer's blog (Swedish), where he pasted a comments thread with Christan Rudolf on the blog Disruptive (Swedish) about the state of PR and SEO. The three of us have been discussing the issue on both their blogs, so I figured I'd share my thoughts.
SEO is becoming a more and more important part of PR. If digital PR work is done without SEO it won't be found, and as Christian says "SEO is social - it is all about keeping a conversation", which is where PR comes in.
I am personally quite certain that most (if not all) PR agencies will need SEO skills inhouse, actually they already need it. PR agencies also need skills within digital strategy, digital creative as well as moving image.
Don't get me wrong, PR isn't going to be only digital, but almost all campaigns will be digitally integrated and to be able to create meaningful campaigns you need to be really close to all things digital.
Today lots of agencies focus on the strategic parts, which means advising clients on how to do things, but not necessarily what to do and most often not actually producing the project. Agencies will of course be able to use partners outside of the company, but I don't think it is the right way to go.
Finally, a list of questions to ask your agency to check how digitally transformed they are:
- What should my company do in PR to enhance SEO?
- Could you show me your top three digital projects?
- Can you show me a technological tool that you developed, be it for internal or external use?
- I heard social media is measurable – what do you think?
Are these relevant questions? What other questions should be asked?