Posted by Michelle LaPointe
I’m not a worrier by nature. Ask anybody. But I am worried about SOPA, the online anti-piracy act that was shelved last week after acts of desperation by Google, Wikipedia and others. Shelved – but not killed.
Thousands of words have been written about SOPA, many of them incredibly confusing. Discussion of the bill has been framed as a battle between entertainment Godzillas and Internet Mothras, as a watershed difference in generational mindsets, and as the monkey wrench that will wreck the international domain name system. Those in favor of SOPA argue that it’s necessary in order to assure rewards… Read more –>
Posted in: Uncategorized
Posted by Michelle LaPointe
Here’s how to generate blog and Facebook content that gets the job done — and avoids the cringe factor
What follows is a true story. The names have been changed to protect the embarrassed.
Imagine that you are an ad agency in search of a technology partner for some upcoming projects and proposals. You do your research, come up with a couple of candidates, and contact them.
Between the time that you leave a voicemail for the CEO of one of them, and the time that he calls you back — not long; less than two hours — you go… Read more –>
Posted in: Facebook, Google, search engine optimization, search marketing, SEO, social media, Social networking, Tips, Website design & content
Posted by Michelle LaPointe
When the conversation starts, everything’s rosy. The sky is Disney pink and blue. The birds are singing. And then a friend or colleague says, “We just found someone who’s going to to get us to the top of search engine rankings.”
That’s when everything changes. My stomach churns. The sky grows dark. In my head, I hear the soundtrack from Jaws. “DUH duh…DUH duh…DUH duh…” And I hold my breath in fear until I learn whether the story has a happy ending.
A happy ending is that the friend has found an honest and competent SEO resource. Another happy ending… Read more –>
Posted in: Google, search engine optimization, SEO, Strategy, Website design & content
Posted by Michelle LaPointe
Note: This was originally part of a longer posting from 2010. I’ve had a lot of questions lately about using Facebook more extensively as a marketing tool. It makes sense for a lot of organizations, as long as it’s a) part of a coherent strategy, and b) includes relevant content. But few people are aware of the significant copyright issues surrounding Facebook. That’s why I’m reposting this as a standalone topic. I’ve made minor edits and clarifications. You can see the original posting here.
The Great Facebook Content Catch
Quick quiz: Who owns your Facebook content?
A…. Read more –>
Posted in: Copyright issues and advertising, copywriting, Facebook, Marketing strategy, social media, Strategic planning, Strategy, Website design & content
Posted by Michelle LaPointe
But here’s something very, very important to know: Google hasn’t searched meta keyword tags for years. The real trick to optimizing your website for search engines is to fill it with well-written, relevant content.
Posted in: Google, search engine optimization, search marketing, SEO, Website design & content
Posted by Michelle LaPointe
Talk to the person who has the problem.
Talk to the person who can solve the problem.
Talk to the person who has to pay for the problem.
Posted in: business-to-business, Lead-generation, marketing, Sales
Posted by Michelle LaPointe
Traps to avoid if you want your prospects to stick around past the handshake
#2 in a series.
Trap #2. Congratulate a woman for running a business.
As of 2007, women owned 28.7% of all non-farm businesses in the United States. They’re executives, managers, and decision-makers with influence and purchasing power in many more. So it’s no wonder that a lot of b-to-b marketers are targeting women business leaders.
But sometimes that noble intent is ruined by lousy execution. And one of the easiest ways to turn off women business leaders is to congratulate them for being women business leaders…. Read more –>
Posted in: business-to-business, copywriting, marketing, marketing to women
Posted by Michelle LaPointe
Traps to avoid if you want your prospects to stick around past the handshake
#1 in a series.
Trap #1: The mysterious home page.
It’s cool. It’s pretty. It’s got a talking head, animation, a soundtrack, an interest form, and half a dozen widgets. It’s crammed full of keywords that the SEO specialist gave you. It matches your brand personality, your product packaging, or the colors in the CEO’s office. Yet none of that matters if the prospect needs more than three seconds to figure out what it is that you do.
That means:
- The right words: A short,
… Read more –>
Posted in: branding, marketing, Website design & content
Posted by Michelle LaPointe
Two short weeks ago, I wrote that 80% of marketers probably don’t need Twitter. I may have been wrong by an order of magnitude.
As Ad Age reported on July 27, “a six-month analysis of the service’s ubiquitous 140-character messages conducted by digital agency 360i” confirmed an advertiser’s deepest fears: they’re not talking about your brand on Twitter.
In fact, they’re not talking about any brands on Twitter. Well, a few, in order: Twitter, Apple, Google, YouTube, Microsoft, Blackberry,… Read more –>
Posted in: branding, marketing, social media
Posted by Michelle LaPointe
If you’re like 80% of businesses, you can safely ignore the cute little bird. Here’s why.
I got a chance to catch up with my friend Marti Barletta last week. It was delightful, as always, and fun to catch up on news of our lives, work, and families. But when the talk came around to marketing, Marti shared two astonishing bits of information.
- She is now among the top .05% of Tweeters in terms of followers.
- She has just over 700 followers.
You read that right, and because you can do math, you know… Read more –>
Posted in: marketing, social media
