1) Getting Mobilized with Mobile SEO
Mobile Marketing is on the cusp of becoming the most powerful form of marketing in years.

• Why?
  • Nearly 35 of all mobile handsets are smart phones
  • 3x more mobile handsets are installed than PC’s
  • Mobile is always connected – it can be used anytime, anywhere

Two important factors to keep in mind when designing and developing a mobile Internet presence:

1. Ranking

2. Display

2) Optimizing Press Releases
“The old world of PR is changing and it’s not coming back” – SES San Francisco 2010

• 3 things to remember in today’s press releases:
  • Optimize
  • Publicize
  • Socialize
  • Crunchin’ the stats:
    • 89% of reporters/editors turn to blogs for story research
    • 52% turn to microblogging services such as Twitter
    • 65% of media use social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn for story sources
    • 100% of journalists use Google as a tool when working on stories.
    • Quick tips for optimizing
      • If longer than a few paragraphs, include a subheader
      • Don’t shorten familiar terms
      • Post to your website and through wire services
      • Include keywords in URL
      • Include a description tag
      • Include title of release

3) The Importance of Local Search

• Fast facts

1.       74% of all users perform local searches

2.       61% of all local searches result in purchase

3.       57% of online shoppers say they shop online but plan to make purchases offline

4.       82% of local searchers follow up offline with an in-store visit, phone call or purchase

• 7 keys to being found on Google Map results

1.       Have a verified listing

2.       Have the same info from your verified listing in multiple popular directories

3.       Have the appropriate categories selected

4.       Have a website linked to your Google Places page

5.       Have web references that verify your business

6.       Have a physical address and local phone number

7.       Have only one Google Places page associated with your business

4) Creating Compelling Content

• Two types of content
  • The unique content your create
  • User generated content
  • The main advantage of the good content you create
    • Control

§  Conversions + SEO

• The CUL guide to creating great SEO sales content
  • Customer personas are key
  • Understand the benefits your bring to the table
  • Leverage SEO opportunities

5) Simplifying Your Social Media Strategy

• Locate your audience
  • Aim for your audience
  • Attract with Facebook landing pages
  • Attract with contests and coupons
  • Post fresh, relevant, and optimized content
  • Integrate other social mediums and offline outlets
  • Measure Engagement
    • Monitor analytics
    • Set up Google Alerts
    • Measure Fans
    • Monitor Comments
    • Measure “Likes”

Facebook tracks your fan pages’ engagement with the Insights tool. From my limited sample of a dozen or so fan pages, it seems that the growth rate correlates nicely with the engagement ranking. Sites that have a 4 or 5 engagement are showing growth rates of around 1.25% per day, sites with a 3 to 4 have a rate of about .75% per day and sites with a 2 or 3 have a rate around .25% per day. Below that sites don’t seem to have a material growth rate. Of course this doesn’t include special efforts at growing fan base such as email campaigns etc., this is just the natural organic growth of fans. A compounded growth rate of 1.25% per day is over 45% per month. The numbers get pretty staggering after a year. These organic growth rates also show how valuable early efforts at growing fan bases can be over the long term.

It will be interesting to see how long these numbers hold up. So far, it has been pretty consistent for up to 6 months.  Facebook was the easiest one to calculate these values. I’ll put the numbers together for blogs and Twitter in a later post.