TopRank Internet Marketing News

The future of public relations relies heavily on interacting with individuals and companies online.  Building awareness and  brand recognition is only the first step.   What are you doing to make your news content and brand story easily found and talked about online?  In order to reach journalists, analysts, bloggers and influentials on the web, it’s essential that Public Relations and Communications professionals understand the role search and social media play with influencing information discovery, consumption and sharing.

MN Blogger Conference Audience

Minnesota Blogger Conference Sept. 10, 2011 – Photos courtesy Missy Berggren and Griff Wigley

Minnesota has a substantial blogging community dedicated to writing on a wide variety of topics including politics, food, sports, fashion, technology, communication –  the list goes on.  It comes naturally for this community to come together for some collaborative learning.  TopRank Online Marketing is a leader in leveraging blog marketing as a strategic focal point for social content development and customer engagement. Our internet marketing agency works with organizations large and small to maximize their presence online and convert that presence into sales or other business outcomes.

Content Marketing World 2011

While it’s important for business website content to be optimized for search engines, don’t forget that your customers are communicating and making purchasing decisions every day on social media and networking sites.  Unfortunately, few companies excel at incorporating both Search and Social Media Optimization in their content strategies.

On Sept. 6 – 9, Content Marketing World is hosting a lineup of over 50 presenters including elite B2B, B2C, small business and non-profit marketers and thought leaders speaking on using content marketing to drive and retain business.  One session will take a deep dive into content marketing for search and social.  This presentation is designed to equip content marketers with an effective process for any organization, large or small.

DreamForce Cloud Computing Event on SEO

Historically, the social media aspects of selling have been controlled by marketers.  Sales people traditionally are kept out of the loop until after a new lead is generated.  In today’s business landscape, successful sales reps are taking control of emerging social technologies to bring in new leads and close deals more quickly, marking the onset of a new era in social selling.

On Aug. 31, Dreamforce ’11 will host a session on tips and techniques addressing how businesses can effectively adopt the integration of sales and social media as a new norm.

When it comes to a business’ online strategy, questions abound for social media practitioners about how to best leverage and integrate the many online marketing tools available.

The disciplines of search, social media and content marketing continue to intersect and often combine to create a powerful mix. Companies and individuals are creating competitive advantages as they adapt to shifts in technology and consumer behavior.  On Aug. 26, the monthly Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis/St. Paul (SMBMSP) will hone in on this integration.

Event details:
Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis/St. Paul
Friday, Aug. 26, 2011
8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Cambria Suites Maple Grove
9655 Grove Circle North
Maple Grove, MN 55369

Search Engine Optimization and Social Media are no longer distinct channels. They are forever intertwined, each affecting the other in terms of how digital information is discovered, consumed and shared. The subsequent impact on reach and engagement means the integration of these channels is as relevant for Public Relations as it is for Marketing.

I was asked by Melanie Mitchell, SVP of Search Marketing at Digitas to give a presentation on holistic SEO at ad:tech San Francisco where I caught up with another amazingly smart friend, Susan Bratton. She recorded an interview with me on the Social & SEO for Public Relations topic for her popular DishyMix podcast and shared the transcript with me to repost.

John Jantsch & Lee Odden at BlogWorld New York 2011 - Photo thx to @ducttape

Blogs are perfectly suited as social media information hubs for companies or individuals that want to dominate their niche online. TopRank Online Marketing has been an active proponent and pioneer of blog marketing as the centerpiece of social content strategy for many years. We’ve been working with companies ranging from B2C retailers like J&O Fabrics to Fortune 15 company, McKesson on blogging, social media and SEO with impressive results.

Are your social media and search marketing teams talking to each other? They should be.

In an upcoming webcast, Rand Fishkin and Lee Odden will explain why, plus share practical tips on how to boost your SEO results through blogging, online PR, and smart coordination between social media and search. We’ll look at:

• How brands are coordinating Search Optimization and Social Media efforts
• A content marketing model for implementing a coordinated Social SEO program
• Why Google & Bing’s Love Affair w/ Twitter & Facebook is Just Beginning
• What Signals Matter in a Tweet / Share

Acknowledging that the rules of Public Relations (PR) have changed is something entirely different than entering the field of play. Put another way, when social media makes it possible for anyone to create and publicize their own news, how can today’s PR professionals ensure these actions help – rather than hinder – the PR goals of their clients and organizations?

On Thursday, December 2^nd, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Minnesota will help today’s professionals master the new rules of PR as it hosts the 2010 Professional Practices Conference, Engagement:  There’s A Map For That!

In the world of online marketing, search and social media are evolving at an incredible pace.

Consider:

• Twitter queries approaching 20 billion each month
• Google queries approaching nearly 90 billion each month
• Facebook topped over 200 million users this year and beats Google in weekly web traffic*
  *Hitwise

With online marketing evolving by the minute, it stands to reason that the most valuable insight will be that which can be shared in under one minute.