However, by using Linkedin aggressively—instead of passively—I was introduced to a few ways that using Linkedin could actually improve your bottom line.

1. Thank Your Connections
Connect. Connect. Connect. The size of your network is dependent on your connectivity. Send a simple thank you after individuals accept your connections. This is a great time to introduce yourself and extend a non-intrusive offer to help in any way you can (i.e. look at their website for functionality, give an insurance quote, etc.). Even if an connection does not instantly lead to business, it increases the amount of people you know which could lead to business in the future.

2. Group Action
Don’t be afraid to interact with fellow users. Engage in a variety of groups. This can also help you grow your network based on common interests and business objectives. Engage in group discussions. Post news that demonstrates your expertise, and establishes you as an industry leader. Contribute to conversations, being sure to add value.

Starting a group is another great way to establish yourself and your company as a thought leader. Creating a narrowly defined group will help you attract the right kinds of prospects. Allow the group to be an open group—the more members the better. Engage, engage, re-engage. Be sure you are closely monitoring your group and keeping its content relevant and useful.

3. Use it as a Follow Up
Be sure to send a Linkedin connection invitation to customers/colleagues/prospects after every meeting. This reinforces your name and skillset. You can even use this as a time to ask for an introduction to a decision member on their contact list.

Does your Linkedin profile need a makeover? Click here for an infographic from last year that is still relevant and helpful.

Happy prospecting!

• Contemplating a decision to enter a new market or product category in which you have not as yet established a position
• Assessing the pros and cons of extending a brand into a new product category or developing a new brand for that category
• Determining whether to sub-brand or utilize a corporate brand – and to assess the balance between the two
• Brand market share is slipping or is not meeting realistic expectations because of competitive activity
• Considering the establishment of a new product category in which your brand will be the first participant.
• You are not certain of your brand’s position, strength or effectiveness in relation to competitive offerings
• It’s time to establish a cohesive branding plan, and implement it through the creation of relevant branding elements: name, positioning statement, logo, packaging, graphic standards, associations, events, etc.

A brand audit needs to be objective to truly identify problem areas.  GuideStar suggests hiring a consultant to focus on the following types of brand audit activities (from Brand Strategy Insider):

• Research:  Does the brand have a clear understanding of current customer need states, attitudes, values, etc alongside the market and competitive landscape?
• Positioning: Does the brand positioning leverage target consumer research to strategically differentiate the brand (along with benefits and personality) within the market?
• Identity:  Is the brand’s visual and verbal identity (name, logo, icon, tag line, type style, colors, symbols, messages) consistently applied based on the positioning?
• Advertising:  Does advertising creatively convey the brand benefits and break through the clutter to effectively reach the target audience?
• Internal marketing team: Is the marketing team well-rounded with a curret toolset inclusive of skills in leadership, creativity, marketing, and innovation?
• Strategy: Is the marketing team partnering with executive leadership to create long-term brand vision and impact-focused marketing initiatives?

The output of the brand audit should identify clear action items and help direct your focus to building a short and long-term strategic plan of action. Main areas of focus should be determined by weaknesses identified in the brand audit (i.e. if you needed to completely overhaul the advertising to better refelct your strong positioning). As a marketing leader, the brand audit is an opportunity to re-strategize, re-position, and creatively adjust the brand identityto maximize marketing and brand effectiveness for tomorrow.

Image by Eugene Z from Stock.Xchng

10. Exclusive Access
The popularity of Royal-Class airport lounges and invitation-only Centurion credit cards are just two examples of modern man’s immense need for respect and privilege…This ‘exclusivity for the masses’, or “Massclusivity” can be an instant add-on and revenue booster for many services in the public domain.
—TrendWatching.com

Are you on the list? Well of course, isn’t everyone? We’re all members to some “exclusive club.” Whether it’s from the miles we rack up with our favorite airline carrier, or the card we use to basically charge everything—we’re all special because we’re members. Today, it’s this exclusivity that earns brands their fans, and it’s this exclusive access that maintains these fans. Fans come with a price, according to a 2011 study from ExactTarget.com, 58% of Facebook likers expect both access to exclusive content, events or sales, and discounts or promotions through Facebook. Gilt Group takes this statistic to heart, and offers its Facebook fans exclusive access to sales, as well as the ability to preview the site’s daily flash deals an hour early. Just like consumers play favorites based on exclusive access, companies are taking this exclusivity trend and making it into a competitive advantage. YouTube, for example, recently secured the rental rights on hundreds of Disney movies.
What Others Are Saying
• Facebook ‘Likers’ Expect Access, Discounts
• YouTube Snags Hundreds of Disney Movie Rentals
• Gilt Brings Exclusive Sales to Facebook

11. Power Couple Effect
“Our acquisition of Drugstore.com today significantly accelerates our online strategy.”
—Greg Wasson, president-CEO of Walgreens

It could be called the hottest look for the New Year. Digital mergers are in vogue, and making all the difference to organizations large and small. It’s wheeling and dealing in snatching up start-ups. Larger companies are acquiring smaller ecommerce companies. Commonplace are joint ventures and multiple acquisitions to address strategic business initiatives. EBay has already spent billions acquiring a laundry list of companies for its future expansion in the ecommerce realm. Facebook also recently acquired Foursquare competitor Gowalla, a location sharing service provider. These digital mergers demonstrate the benefit of purchasing “pre-packaged goods.” Digital startups already have the dirty work completed, and once both signatures are on the dotted line, a firm’s digital arsenal grows tenfold. This growing trend addresses a few additional movements in the digital arena, like growing digital ecommerce (hint: refer to trend 2).
What Others Are Saying
• Twitter Acquires Mobile Security Firm Whisper
• Hottest Trend in e-Commerce? M&A.
• E-Bay’s e-Commerce Strategy

12. Upping the Game on Loyalty
“As a customer’s relationship with the company lengthens, profits rise. And not just by a little. Companies can boost profits by almost 100 percent by retaining just 5 percent more of their customers.”
—Frederick Reichheld, author of The Loyalty Effect: The Hidden Force Behind Growth, Profits, and Lasting Value

It’s the loyalty game. But today’s winners aren’t merely rewards program. Today’s winners are engagement champions, as this is what ultimately creates brand loyalists. Various aspects of marketing can help increase loyalty. Many companies are expanding their rewards programs to provide further incentive for interaction. Southwest recently launched an enhancement to its Rapid Rewards program—aimed at making the brand more engaging. Facebook has also been called the ultimate loyalty tool. As your fans are the prime consumers, those who you want to further develop and maintain a relationship with. Gilt City used Facebook Groups to establish a private loyalty program for its users. Justin Kistener the social-media products director of web analytics firm Webtrends said, “Facebook is really the anti-Groupon, because it’s more about preaching to the converted than getting new converts.” Corporate responsibility is another way many companies are tipping the loyalty scales. Pointers to develop loyalists—listen to your consumers. They are the voice of the brand, you, are not.
What Others Are Saying
• Building Brand Loyalty Among Fickle Digital Consumers
• Does Corporate Responsibility Build Customer Loyalty?
• How Brands Should Think About Facebook: a Loyalty Program

6. Super Healthy
“Our intention is to reinvent this category in the same tonality that we have reinvented over the last 40 years the basic commodity of coffee. We see a lot of white space.”
—Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on the acquisition of Evolution Fresh Inc.

It started with the explosion of Cross Fit. It progressed with the success of health foods stores nationwide. And once coffee juggernaut Starbucks was on the super health bandwagon, “health” as we knew it ceased to exist. Nowadays, simply being healthy and fit is not enough. Today’s goal is to be “super healthy.” Goodbye calorie-portioned microwavable dinners and 30 minutes on the elliptical. Hello vitamin-enriched juices, fortified protein bars, and stretching your body’s limit with cutting edge fitness. The trend of super health is upon us. Extreme fitness has now become the norm rather than the exception. Cross Fit and Tough Mudder have helped shift society’s view of fitness as recreation, to fitness as a lifestyle. Starbucks has even acquiesced to the super health trend with its $30 million dollar purchase of Evolution Fresh, with plans to reinvent the premium juice segment. Whole Foods, once a niche grocer, is now a main player in the super health
movement with fiscal Q4 revenue growing to $2.4 billion, on 31% earnings
growth. 2012 earnings are projected to grow to over $11 billion.
What Others Are Saying
• Top 2012 Food Trends
• Tough Mudder: The Future of Grueling Obstacle Event
• Can Starbucks For Juice What it Did for Coffee?

7. Lean and Mean
“Increasing pressures on organizations to be more competitive, agile, and customer focused—to be a ‘lean enterprise.’”
—Judith Heerwagen, Ph.D., J.H. Heerwagen & Associates

A fundamental shift has occurred in the marketplace. The initial change stemmed from the volatile economy. The recession setback even the most stable of firms and overpowered giant enterprises. The unexpected downturn forced many companies to rethink, redesign and reposition themselves. Companies are now turned toward “lean” endeavors—constantly trimming fat where they see fit. Starbucks contributed to this lean movement, cutting close to 7,000 jobs and closing 300 stores in the past few years. Also, according to Bloomberg, companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 generated free cash flow over the past 12 months of $883.4 billion, 119% more than in 2006. This excess of cash demonstrates that firms recognize they can no longer afford to waste neither time nor money. Today’s lean organizations are more agile. They can react to change fast and keep up with the ever-dynamic marketplace. This is key to remaining competitive. Consumer perception can shift on a dime; therefore, companies today have to be able to keep up.
What Others Are Saying
• Simplification of Lean
• A New Way to Teach Entrepreneurship
• The Changing Nature of Organizations

8. Green Revolution
“This is a great development—an indication that leading businesses are beginning to define their roles as true stakeholders in the future of our planet.”
—Jens Martin Skibsted, founding partner of KiBiSi, a product design consultancy, and Rasmus Bech Hansen, director at Venturethree, a global brand consultancy

They’re starting a revolution. And no, there are no radical protests or occupying of any main streets. The revolution is a green one, an eco-friendly one if you will. Businesses—large and small, national and worldwide—are starting a revolution of sustainability. We’re not talking a few feel-good green initiatives, but green company initiatives, that will ultimately better the earth as we know it. The best way to create educated consumers is to lead by example, and that is exactly what a number of corporations are doing. PepsiCo recently donated $8 million to Water.org to provide 800,000 families in India safe water by 2016. AT&T recently offered $20k for its “Power Your Future” contest to create an eco-minded mobile app that delivers an environmental or energy efficient benefit. We’re seeing an ongoing trend of companies bettering the world, not just their country or even company, and helping to build sustainable societies. Welcome to the evolution of “Green” into the foundation of corporations.
What Others Are Saying
• US Airlines Getting Greener as Biofuels Rule the Air
• Why Standardized Rules About Sustainability Don’t Make Sense
• The 7-Stage Evolution of a Socially Responsible Brand

9. Seeing is Believing
“…The resume infographic is a trend that foreshadows the future because one thing is certain: the way we consume data is changing, fast.”
—Jen Jenkins, founder of the Punctuation and Language Appreciation Society & Social Media Manager for LIME Marketing

We live in a skeptic nation. Nowadays, distrust towards news organizations, the government and big business are at all time highs. With shorter attention spans and a need for instant gratification, an infographic movement has transformed the way we take in data. Today, a picture is truly worth a thousand words—as the public generally trusts photos and visual representations more than the written word. We are also in an age of engagement. Words on a page do little to engage a reader. A visual graphic, however, does. Retail giant Saks has taken this train of thought into their holiday displays by creating the world’s longest outdoor video mapping experience with “The Saks Fifth Avenue Snowflake & the Bubble” projected onto their New York store. Even resumes have taken to the infographic trend. Images engage and captivate an audience. But it doesn’t stop there; the future of infographics is boundless. Many believe HTML5 will create interactive-rich creative, others reason real-time data visualization will come into play; and there are also those who presume user-interface design will once again transform the infographic trend.
What Others Are Saying
• 3 Trends that Will Define Infographic Future
• Saks 3D Holiday Display
• Content Marketing to the Next Level

Check back for the rest of the 12 Trends of 2012 next week…

3. Interactivity is Key
“This ad unit takes advantage of how users interact and explore with the iPad as opposed to other digital and mobile devices.”
—Dionne Colvin, national manager of media for Toyota on its new Yahoo Living Ad

Gone are days of passive consumers, who were content with being spoon-fed brands. Today, it is consumers who tell companies what brands stand for. They are now key players in the branding process. Consumers want to be engaged, and companies acknowledge this trend by making interactivity paramount in new initiatives. This key engagement creates brand loyalists. Domino’s Pizza Tracker allows pizza lovers to follow their pizza from order placed, to baking, to delivery. Taking interactivity to the next level, Domino’s also developed the Pizza Hero mobile game for iPads. Even print ads are now upping the game on interactivity. Murat Paris’ interactive jewelry ad allows a smartphone to be placed over the hand in the ad and try on different bracelets and rings. Television is also changing with this trend. CBS Sweep Week is a chance for fans to interact with their favorite CBS stars as they take over the network’s social media. Yahoo’s new Living Ad for the iPad grabs users with photos and videos—creating an entirely new digital experience.
What Others Are Saying
• Yahoo debuts “Living Ad”
• Interactive Jewelry Print Ads
• CBS Stars Take Over Social Media Accounts

4. The Connected World
“Humans crave other humans inside of search.”
—Bing chief Stefan Weitz on Facebook in search

It’s accomplished a lot more than simply the ability to “poke” someone. Facebook—while revolutionizing social connectedness—has shifted the renowned 1967 study that hypothesized everyone in world was separated by 6 degrees. Today, that number is 4.7 based on a new study of over 720 million active Facebook users. This isn’t hard to believe, since if Facebook were a country, it would be the world’s third largest after China and India. Taking social connectedness to the next level, Facebook is now partnered with Bing to allow search results based on the “likes” of your friends. Search-engine optimization will now be returning results customized to the individual user. “We are, first of all, not solitary creatures and second of all, we are deeply embedded in the lives of others,” states physician and social scientist Nicholas Christakis. Today, connectedness is a way of life, and influence is more important than ever before. In order to adapt with this trend, companies must realize who influencers are and how they carry their message.
What Others Are Saying
• How Facebook’s Partnership with Bing will Change SEO
• Q&A w/ Nicholas Christakis, Our Modern, Connected Lives
• Infographic: Mobile Statistics, Stats & Facts 2011

5. Scaling the Great Wall of China
“I would anticipate that China would become our third market quite quickly and within a few years will be our second-largest market.”
—WPP chief executive Martin Sorrell told AFP. At the moment, China is WPP’s fourth-largest market in terms of revenue, behind the U.S., Britain, and Germany. The company’s annual revenue in greater China—including Hong Kong and Taiwan—is around $1.1 billion.

Our western eyes are set on the east. Visions of new profit markets are encouraging many companies to turn to China, while American consumers continue to recover from the economic downfall. Just last year, Levi Strauss was the first Western clothing company to launch a new line in China—called dENiZEN—before launching in the US. Gap has stores in both China and Vietnam, with plans to have 15 more open by year’s end. Abercrombie & Fitch opened its first store in Japan last December with two more stores in the works. Arguably, companies are beginning to see the buying power and potential of the east, which is embracing many “American” ideals, including social media. Mark Zuckerberg has been in talks with China’s search engine giant Baidu to bring Facebook to China. Rovio Entertainment, the creator of “Angry Birds” is opening its first retail store in China, which happens to be its fastest-growing market. Starbucks recently partnered with the Foursquare of China—Jiepang—for its holiday promotion, rewarding customers for check-ins. China’s growing fast, and for many companies, scaling its Great Wall is an idea that’s growing even faster.
What Others Are Saying
• Starbucks Taps China’s Foursquare for Holiday Check-in Push
• China Must Innovate to Keep Up
• Infographic: Asia-Pacific Social Media Stats

Check back for more of the 2012 Market Trends next week.

Indeed, the web 3.0 drumbeat is getting louder as the social web matures. Will Facebook reach 1 billion users in 2012? With nearly 1,000 apps submitted per day just for IOS, mobile has arrived and is ready to take center stage. We note Facebook’s recent acquisition of Foursquare competitor Gowalla.

Companies must evolve to stand out in this increasingly digital world. From engaging ad campaigns to exclusive access such as Gilt sales on Facebook, companies are becoming clever to stand out from the crowd. In the spirit of standing out, our Seeing is Believing Trend is based on the increasing importance of photos and video in communications. Don’t just rely on the written word!

Onto macro trends, we are all aware of the obesity issue in the US. With one out of three adults being obese, the rising trend of the Super Healthy gives hope that consumers will proactively manage their health. Finally, we cover macro trends that continue to stay in the forefront, including the Great Wall of China and the Green Revolution. If your company is lean & mean, put innovation at the top of your agenda and grow with the trend in 2012 and beyond.

1. Web 3.0
“If Web 1.0 was all about companies selling stuff to you, and Web 2.0 is about information sharing and user-participation, then what’s Web 3.0 going to be? It might be a whole new angle on browsing, for one: In three dimensions.”
—Kit Eaton, writer, Fast Company

They say the first phase was all about information. They called that Web 1.0. Next came the era of socialization powered by networks, what we now call Web 2.0. After these periods we were left with an onslaught of byproduct clutter. Welcome to the next phase. Welcome to Web 3.0. In a world literally laden with data, Web 3.0 is a shift in the “live” Web experience, aimed at filtering this info. There are various speculations as to what exactly Web 3.0 will evolve into. Here are some of our best bets. Mobile will undoubtedly be a large part of Web 3.0; as the way we have come to consume information has changed. Stagnant web pages have been replaced with “live feeds” and media streams. Technological changes will also be much of the driving force behind Web 3.0—aka the semantic web. Databases are a main pillar of Web 3.0’s expectations, intended at deciphering much of the information overload. Linking data—to be exact—will power Web 3.0.
What Others Are Saying
• LinkedIn Founder, Web 3.0 Will Be About Data
• Web 2.0 is Dead, Eclipsed by Data-Driven Content & Live Feeds
• Web 3.0 Explained with a Stamp

2. Digital Commerce
“If I had to guess, social commerce is next to blow up.”
—Mark Zuckerberg

According to Wired Magazine (UK), 90% of all purchases are subject to social influence. BazaarVoice.com states 67% of consumers spend more money online after such socially influenced recommendations. Suddenly, we’re in the realm of a real game-changer—social commerce. As more traditional and retail stores are moving into the ecommerce field, we see all digital players suddenly vying for headway. When we say “digital commerce,” we don’t simply mean online sales, even though those are at an all time high. As proof to this, consumer spending was 31.3% higher on Cyber Monday compared to Black Friday this year. There have also been some real wins for F-commerce (Facebook shopping) lately as well—Pampers sold 1,000 diapers in 1 hour on its Facebook Store. In 2015, social commerce is predicted to reach $30 billion in revenues. Starbucks recently announced that one in four transactions are now done via mobile. Like all things digital, commerce is experiencing an ongoing transformation. This trend is predicted to change the way consumers spend, including on their mobile devices.
What Others Are Saying
• Can Social Shopping Finally Take Off
• The Value of Social Commerce
• Infographic: The History of F-commerce

Check back next week for more 2012 Market Trends…

Reach your target.
1. Who is your target audience? What audience needs are you addressing?
2. Who are your competitors? What are they offering?
3. How are you standing out to your target audience in a competitive market?

Interact with your audience.
1. What action do you want your user to take once they get to your web site?
2. How are you navigating the user to take this action?

Communicate the right way.
1. What are your top 3 business objectives with the web site?
2. What are the top messages that you must communicate (key features and benefits as well as potential objections from your audience)?
3. How are you communicating functional benefits? How are you making an emotional connection for the long-run?
4. How are you customizing communication points by segmenting out your audiences?

Match design with brand message.
1. What is the overall style and personality that your web site should convey?
2. How does your web site use design to simplify communications (i.e. a picture is worth 1,000 words)?
3. How does your web site use design to make an emotional connection?
4. How does your web site use design to simplify information communication and create a good user experience?

Stay digitally current.
1. How does your web site integrate digital assets such as video and social media?
2. Do you have a need for multiple web sites/customized landing pages for specific use cases (i.e. newsletter landing page)?
3. Have you incorporated supplemental materials such as product PDFs?
4. Is your site optimized for search?

Prepare to repair.
1. Is your web site easy to maintain and update to keep content fresh?
2. Are you constantly testing your site to make sure design features run smoothly?
3. Does your site leverage scalable platforms (i.e. Drupal, WordPress)?

Once you conduct your own web site evaluation, contact Sparxoo Agency for a free consultation on how to elevate your web site presence and better your brand. Sparxoo Agency is a branding, digital marketing, and consumer innovation agency that focuses on web design and development to expand online presence. Take a few moments to learn more about our agency:
www.sparxoo.com

A startup company often parallels a living entity. The business owners refer to the company as their “baby”, an endeavor that must be nurtured, cared for, and developed. In its infancy stage, Infinity is in the midst of creating a cohesive brand and defining its position in the market. Positioning your brand in the market is a key step to building a successful brand. Beyond positioning, the entrepreneurs had to tackle the challenge to virtually create a new market.

By bringing a New York City cast to Annapolis, Infinity has built a marketplace for the district. Innovation within the new market has set the stage for their growing business model.  The novelty of a NYC cast is Infinity’s value proposition and communicating this value stems from building relationships. Partnerships and sponsorships within the community have helped to make connections that promote the business in Annapolis and gain a loyal customer following. In spite of this, the company’s main challenge is overcoming a digital consumer mindset.

Digital access to media across every sector poses a test for the business owners to get residents out of the house and into the theater. The entrepreneurial duo has taken on the challenge of keeping the performing arts spirit alive. In doing so, Infinity uses fresh thinking and creative angles to differentiate their product and position their brand with productions that speak to their audience. Plays such as “My Way”, a musical tribute to Frank Sinatra, and “Little Shop of Horrors”, a household name with a distinctive edge, make Infinity’s product more attractive and get theater goers through their doors.

In the spirit of entrepreneurship, in the spirit of show business, Infinity Theatre Company is reinventing the Annapolis theater industry. Leveraging their talents to build a successful brand, the entrepreneurs have quickly learned that creating a market position, a loyal customer following, and a differentiated product in the digital world will breed a winning brand.

We have dug through the annals of web and advertising history to find advertising blunders and successes that you can learn from.

1. Let’s talk quantum mechanics

Unless you already have die-hard brand advocates, it’s not just about you. Chances are, if you’re a local law firm, not many people are gripping to their edge of their seats waiting to see your ad. Think about going to a holiday party and spending twenty minutes talking about quantum mechanics. Crickets anyone? To appeal to your customer, understand what they enjoy and build off of it.

2. Do you like me? Circle yes or no.

Ask for permission. Seth Godin is a huge proponent of permission marketing — where brands ask instead of push. Ask your clients whether they want your monthly newsletter, don’t just send it because you can. Furthermore, allow them to opt-out. If you don’t ask for permission, you risk the chance of appearing as a spammer, not a meaningful brand.

3. “I love Whole Foods” – Anonymous CEO…

Econsultancy’s “21 ways to commit brand suicide in the 21st Century,” cites Whole Foods CEO John Mackey to illustrate deceptive marketing practices. “Over a seven year period – [Mackey] posted anonymous comments on Yahoo’s stock market forums to criticise a competitor (while calling himself ‘cute’ in the process). Funny and embarrassing in equal measure. And also deceptive: the comments prompted an SEC investigation. He was cleared, he apologised (kind of), but the damage was done.” Overinflating your brand image like Mackey can only lead to a bitter end — tarnishing your brand image and reputation along the way. Remember, next time a critic slams your brand, consider a thoughtful, genuine response, not respond as an “anonymous loyal customer.”

4. The ol’ switcheroo

Costumers don’t like the ol’ switcheroo. While brand advertising should highlight the selling points of your brand, it should not overinflate claims. How disappointing is it to go to the “most inexpensive furniture store in town” to find out prices are the exact same down the street? Or, consider Apple fans’ outrage when the developer cut $200 off the iPhone shortly after its release.

5. I’m smart your dumb. I’m big your little… Take that!

Starting “turf wars” can show customers the true maturity of the company leadership. For instance, Verizon’s battle with AT&T over maps. While turf wars try to position the competition in a negative light, it engenders ill-will — a turn off to many consumers. No one liked the bully in high school so what makes you think they will like bullying with their favorite brands? Moreover, turf wars advertise the competition. Instead of using precious, expensive advertising space for your competition, utilize that space for your brand.

6. Putting customers in epileptic shock

Standing out doesn’t mean adding a thick layer of flash, sparkle, boom, pow to your brand advertising. To stand out, create a unique environment for your customer. You can interest your target audience if you appeal to their lifestyle. For instance, EA sports created a banner advertisement that rolled into a racing game. All those users playing the game in the banner ad compete for prizes. EA’s campaign appealed to the lifestyle of their target audience while engaging them in a meaningful way.

7. What does Bob Dylan and a lingerie have in common?

While you might want a mascot or famous celebrity to advertise your brand, consider if they are right for the job. In an epic misstep, Victoria Secret signed on the weathered, old Bob Dylan as lingerie’s mouthpiece. While it might have made for a funny joke, do women buying sexy underwear want to imagine the aging Dylan? If anything, the lingerie brand created an unsettling feeling in the stomachs of its audience.

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Additional Resources:
Successfully promote and market your creative ideas with an online degree in advertising.

Bricks and Mortar

Take example from the search term, “live shows” which Google Instant auto fills with “live shows in philadelphia.” The most prominent link on the SERP is occupied by an ad from phillyfunguide.com. Then, the top organic results are authoritative sites, such as philly.com (page rank 8 )  and  philadelphia-thearter.com (page rank 4).

There is an incredible amount of space dedicated to Google Places and Maps — both of which are free and take little effort to submit to. Maps even overlays the ads in the right sidebar. If you were a club promoter, spending a year optimizing for live shows in Philadelphia could be equivalent to 10 minutes submitting your site to Google Places and Maps.

Information Products

What if you don’t have an actual location? What if you are a blog that talks about social media tips? If we type “social media tips” into a Google, there are news results that comprise roughly a third of the page above the fold. Updating your blog with the keywords social media tips could help you land in the news section and cyphen-off some of the 1,300 monthly searches.

Products / E-Commerce

How long would you have to optimize the search term, “hand soap” to land on the home page? That would mean you’d have to have a more attractive hand soap site than Colgate, Amazon and other top brands. However, Google lends a lot of real estate to product listings in its product search. Although the link will not direct visitors directly to your homepage, it can give your brand visibility amongst others in the product space.

The above tips are great ways to inexpensively get some real estate on the first page of Google for highly competitive search terms. And although Places and Maps doesn’t link directly to your site, it can still be a valuable funnel to direct users to your site. Have other tricks and tips to leveraging search engine products? Share them in the comment section.