Time keeps on ticking…

I’ve recently been discussing the concept of time, and how unfortunately I am unable to change it’s natural laws of changing too quickly or too slowly.  Some of my clients want it to slow down… some of my clients want it to stop.  Other clients feel that it needs to move more quickly.  I’ve had to explain to them that, although I am highly skilled, I am unable to master time.

When helping clients with Search Engine Optimization, it seems everybody wants everything to happen today.  They think that, doing a little metatag optimization, making sure plenty of keywords are in the content, having a well developed site, and then doing some generic link building and blogging should all result in overnight results.  Alas… that probably isn’t the case.

SEO takes time… and consistent effort in order to be successful.  You’ll need to focus on how long it will take you to get realistic results.  If your competition on page 1 has been optimizing for years, 3 months isn’t going to get you in 2nd place right underneath their organic placement.  Long term focus is needed when looking at SEO solutions.

There was a fantastic article written in Search Engine Watch about this… I highly recommend you browsing it.  It’s called “Give SEO Time!” and you really need to spend 3 minutes reading more about it.

Caribbean Updated – They Need Service Providers!

After spending a week cruising the Western Caribbean, I learned something critically important.  The internet hasn’t reached the Caribbean.  No really… it’s not there yet and it’s amazing that, without it, you can still survive?

Nope, for a week I didn’t check email, read a blog, update a campaign (the team did that for me), or even use my iPhone.  Here in Dallas, that might have been a killer, but in the Caribbean it’s just a part of life I guess.

Humorously (and at the expense of some very jaded remarks from family and friends) I found a location that offered “free wi-fi” access… at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Cafe in Grand Cayman.  Guess they know who their clientelle is because as I feverously checked my email, voicemail, blogs, websites, and even tried to figure out when Buffett will play Dallas… I was competing with at least 5 other individuals for pipeline on the wireless stream.

So the interent still needs to come to the Caribbean… and I for one want to lead the charge.  I’ve always thought that Ruvena needed a Caribbean office.  Maybe two… one Western in Grand Cayman and one Eastern in St. Maartin.  Anybody else interested in helping out… ?

Blogs Ease Communication – eMarketer Article

What a great article today from eMarketer on the power of blogs in today’s purchasing decision.  Basically, the article “Blogs Can Ease Customer Communication” on today’s eMarketer Newsletter is a must read for anybody looking for good information on the need for a good blog today.

In short, the article goes on to discuss how individuals choose to buy from inidividuals and sites they trust… and that the blogs and ad’s on blogs are highly trusted as compared to other mediums.

The study also found that blogs have more impact on purchasing decisions than social networks. One-quarter of readers said they trust ads on a blog, as opposed to 19% who trust ads on social networks.

In addition, 40% of blog readers—and 50% of frequent blog readers—have taken an action after viewing an ad on a blog. Aside from technology-related purchases, for which 31% of readers said blogs are helpful, other categories for which respondents say blogs are influential included media and entertainment (15%); games, toys and sporting goods (14%); travel (12%); automotive (11%); and health (10%).

Go forth and blog… it’ll help you win more business and draw new clients.

Personal Use of Company Internet…

Really… I can’t tell you how many time’s I’ve had to disagree with a client about Internet usage trends and why running a Paid Sponsorship campaign at 8:00 PM is a waste of time and energy.  Every test we’ve ever run shows that Internet usage spikes during work hours (especially in the morning hours from 8am – Noon).

Playboy Magazine (by far not an expert in the Internet or Internet Marketing – but really good at asking people questions and getting honest answers) took a poll and published this in their December magazine.  It notes that 93% of US Employees admitted they used the Internet while at work and that surprisingly over 1/2 of them would give up coffee before their work Internet connection.

"It Ain't So, Joe"

Just more proof that people are out there, searching for you and your products, and you can’t afford to not be in their face providing them information about how to buy from you.

Online Christmas Card “Cracks” Us Up…

Thanks to the team over at Search Engine Watch Blog for recommending this… but for a last second funny Christmas card try this:  R/GA Christmas Tattoo.  I don’t want to spoil your fun, and it’s a pretty quick process but it’s way worth the 1 minute of you Holiday Schedule to check it out.  Great job and I wish we were all so full of free time to create like this.

Friday Rant – Christmas Greeting from Ruvena

I’ve decided to take a week off from my hard hitting Friday Rant about Internet Marketing… and wish everybody a happy holidays and a happy new year.

Thinking back to my post called “They Sky Is Falling…” I think it’s important to remember that things aren’t as bad as some people would like to believe.  The economy is rough, times are a little tight, and everybody is watching their wallets a little more this holiday season, but in a funny way I was reminded of whats important this holiday season.

I got a Christmas card from a client that was simple and understated… but basically said “Remember What’s Important This Holiday Season” and it had a picture of a young girl catching snowflakes in her mouth.  It made me remember that the holidays shouldn’t be about economy, money, gifts, or the $17.4 Billion bailout of the American Auto Industry.  The holidays are about family and friends… and finding ways to celebrate your relationships.

Hopefully this holiday season you can find ways to say “thank you” to all your friends and family… and take some time to appreciate all the good things in your life.  Enjoy the holiday season… and get ready for 2009.  It’s sure to be an interesting trip around the sun.

Why Viral Marketing?

Here recently I have been hearing the same question over and over in the most random ways and places. Whether it’s a client calling to ask us if we can set up and maintain a Facebook or MySpace profile for them or my wife running into a lady at a shoe store who asked her if she would like a sample of specialty chocolates for people with diabetes (they were delicious). The question is “What is viral marketing and can you do it for me?”

Two days ago I saw a report on CNN about the “Newspaper Downturn” which made me think to myself “What will outlast the printed newspaper? Or even expensive television or radio ads for that matter”? I believe the answer is social media and viral marketing. With all of the recent ‘recession’ talk it’s no wonder that businesses large and small are looking for new ways to connect with consumers.

So what is Viral Marketing anyway?

I believe that it is the online personal connection between consumers and retailers. A small business owner may be able to carve out a little time to run a company profile on Facebook or MySpace part time. What sets SEM & SEO professionals and Viral Marketers apart is the ability to actively maintain a presence on all social networks that fit our clients’ key demographics on their behalf. Consumers subscribe to many different social applications and networks, and it is near impossible for a small business owner to successfully maintain an active presence on all of them without a little help.

In my next blog I will be writing (in the good Clear Hat SEO spirit) more about the strategies and some of the tools we use here at Ruvena.

Until then, what strategies, tools, etc. have you found helpful in your Viral Marketing efforts?

If you enjoyed this post, Josh Bernoff’s “Why Social Applications Will Thrive In A Recession” is a must read.

iPhone and G1 Options Now Available via Google AdWords

Monday Amanda Kelly from the Inside AdWords crew posted about a new campaign -level option that will allow us to target ads to the T-Mobile G1, the iPhone, and any other mobile device with full (HTML) Internet browsers. Now we can create exclusive ‘mobile’ campaigns and get separate performance reporting. This is very exciting news for us marketers!

Screenshot of setting inside AdWords.

Working for a boutique search engine marketing agency, it is very difficult for me to recommend spending client funds on advertising that I cannot track and report on. Especially with the economy where it is today.

Being an iPhone user, I have found myself searching “on the go” more and more. I no longer need to run to my desktop computer and search before walking out the door. Voice recognition searches on my mobile phone make it all too easy. When I think I have found a good price for a product in a store I no longer have to call a friend and have them check online to see if a competitor has a better price. I just pick up my phone and search. This is modern day bargain shopping and we as advertisers are obligated to capitalize on this new trend.

Ruvena Monthly Report – November

by Bradley Koettel – Director of Sales and Marketing

I’ve recently been reading quite a bit about “Link Building” campaigns, and how we can best manage these types of campaigns for our current and new clients. It seems that many of the things I read often contradict each other, but there is one thing that keeps being repeated (by at least the highly reputable information sources)… and that is the fact that Links need to be HIGH VALUE for the client.

The unwritten commentary here is that these links need to be High Quality, and not High Quantity. There are still numerous places online that promise a high quantity of links and ensure the client that these links will improve their SEO positions almost overnight. This just isn’t the case anymore… and until we get the word out to all interested parties these companies will continue to do a plethora of work that doesn’t equate to much, and charge the client until their pockets are empty.

We have been recommending that clients focus on the QUALITY of the links they are developing. Our experience has shown that 1 high quality link to a highly ranked website with good content will go much farther than building 10 links to lowly ranked websites.

The practice of finding and working with these high quality sites is where a company that specializes in SEO solutions will help out. Our team will mine your industry for the best possible link partners and begin developing links to them on our clients behalf. Managing the communication back and forth, working on one way and reciprocal linking, and ensuring that the relationships are managed until the loop is closed allows our customers to focus on their business, while allowing specialists to manage the process quickly and efficiently.

So quit buying all the cheap links you can, and start looking for the best partners online. The search engines will notice, but more importantly your potential clients will notice as well.

For more information about how Ruvena can help with your Link Building Campaign, please contact us at 800.516.0927 or via email at sales@ruvena.com.

Friday Rant – Upcoming Changes in Online Business

by Brad Koettel – Director of Sales and Marketing

It was the great Bob Dylan that sang… “then you better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone, cuz the times they are a changing.” Unfortunately, that refrain rings truer today than it did in 1963 when he wrote it. What did he know that the rest of us didn’t…

As everybody tightens up their wallets and start to live a little more frugally, it’s fair to expect that change to roll into our online experiences as well. The days of “if you build it, they will come” are beginning to change. Yes, individuals are still out on the Internet looking for products and services they need, so the NEED for Internet Marketing is still in great demand… but tomorrows shoppers are going to be more and more selective in their choices when they do decide to buy.

In a recent online poll by eMarketer, they found that most people are looking to cut back on their online spends across the board, but more importantly their online spends for major ticket items like jewelry, watches, and electronics. People will still be buying, but they are going to be looking even harder for the best deals possible in this depressed economy…

BRAD’S TIP ON HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL ONLINE TOMORROW: take the time to evaluate your offering online. Tomorrow, individuals are not going to buy from you just because you are number one on the page. You have to have a good solid offering for them to feel confident in their purchase. You need to look at everything from your website, your content, your positions, and your products to make sure you are delivering the best opportunities online. Everything needs to work together to suggest the customer buy from you. Take the time now to evaluate THE TOTAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE and start evaluating what is and isn’t working for your customers. Then, when you’ve totally optimized the experience for your customers, you’ll be in the best possible position to succeed in this difficult economic time.