The world and his wife seem to be making lists about about their web predictions for 2011 (a sign that many see the increasing importance of SEO work as the number 1 priority perhaps...). I'm also trying to come up with some personal new years resolutions currently, so I can at least have something to talk about with friends over the holidays, even if I know full well that I'll never give up chocolate or consider going for a twice-weekly run!
So, wanting to get involved in the party, I've compiled a list of 11 things companies should look at doing in the new year, if they haven't already done so, to make sure they're getting the most value from information readily available on the web. Of course, if I had my corporate face on, number one would always be talk to Artesian...But seeing as it's the season of giving, I'll try and steer clear of any bias:
1) Identify your competitors and actively monitor how they're using the web to plug their product. How popular is their blog? What do they hashtag on Twitter? Where does most of their news seem to end up? If you can start to establish patterns you stand a far better chance of pin pointing your online targets.
2) Establish what your sales triggers are. It's amazing how many go out in search for content on the web without really honing in on what they're looking for. Of course, most companies are interested in big trigger events, like a management change for example, but try and be more specific with your company needs. What really makes you have to pick up the phone and sell. Triggers can be more personal than ever now with the volume of information available.
3) Make an effort to get to grips with Twitter. Some businesses are still too terrified to touch it but everyday it is becoming more and more valuable as a business tool. A recent study found that brand followers on Twitter are 16% more likely to buy than followers on Facebook. If you can engage successfully with these followers think of the positive impact you could see on your business. (see points 4,5,6)
4) Don't just look to gain followers for the sheer competition of it, see who's following you and try and figure out why they are. If you're picking up followers who don't seem relevant to your target audience, the likelihood is you're not tweeting the right things.
5) What are your followers saying? Search some hashtags to see what others are saying about your space. Can you respond or help out in anyway? The whole idea of Twitter is that you can offer quick solutions. Trying to sell your product at every turn obviously isn't going to work. But forming relationships with people by assisting them or responding to their thoughts can help boost your reputation and ultimately help further down the line.
6) Find out what people are saying about you. Of course, everyone is pushing for sentiment analysis but the power of volume is already very, very powerful. You can not of course respond to every complaint or compliment, but if you notice similar issues or growing concerns you can intercept early and deal with it. Don't become another American Airlines watching your brand get slated on Youtube along with 8million others....
7) Join some groups on Linkedin (if you're not already on Linkedin I'd say that should be on your 'end of 2010' resolution, not your 2011 list!) Find some groups that are relevant to you and see what insight you can pick up from it. You can discover contacts, useful links and invaluable advice just by signing up to a couple of feeds.
8) Work out your key sources. It's not always easy to do, but where do you seem to gain the most valuable content from? Is it local papers, specific journals? Perhaps it's even a set of blogs. Most can roll off the top 3-4 sites in their space, but can you get to at least 20?
9) Make an effort to check updates at least 3 times a week. This is probably much like my 'running two times a week' pledge, as it's often very easy to get swamped with other things. But with so many ways of keeping up to date on the move now don't fall into the trap of leaving insight on a prospect to the last minute. 5 minutes a day is better than a relentless cramming session just before a meeting. And you're far more likely to know what you're talking about.
10) Track your own news. Who's re-tweeting your press releases? How many people are linking to your sites. Stuff like bit.ly and SEO.moz can give a rough overview of this if you're looking for a guesstimate ballpark.
11) Still trying to avoid bias, but I can't ignore the idea of talking to somebody like Artesian. Even if it's just for a bit of advice on Twitter (we have a free weekly newsletter for example ). Whilst all the above takes time, somebody like us can take that pain away too. To show I'm not being biased, there are of course others who can do it as well, but our experience in the field is worth tapping into, even if you do just want a question answered.
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