From the recent WordCamp San Francisco, here’s Google’s perennially entertaining and informative anti-SPAM guy, Matt Cutts:
Whether or not you use WordPress as a blogging or publishing platform is actually far less important than his presentation’s most important takeaways: namely, that successful blogging and achieving prominent search engine ranking, (like most things), are largely about doing the basics consistently and well, and that the biggest obstacles to achieving success are almost invariably behavioral, not technological.
Obstacle #2: For those of us (i.e. pretty much all of us) seeking a quick and easy way to reach the top of Maslow’s pyramid, in the hopes of attaining some sort of Web 2.0 self-actualization through an abundance of Google juice, and the respect of our professional peers, the secret is… that there is no secret. (Sorry about that.)
Instead, it’s almost entirely about hard work, integrity, a passion for constantly learning (and then sharing what you’ve learned), the self-discipline to buckle down and write, and a sincere desire to help others solve real-world problems or otherwise improve their lives. Of course, there are SEO best practices…and pitfalls, which, to his credit, Matt Cutts doesn’t minimize.
Likewise, he offers some other specific guidance, as well, using the Japanese game Katamari Damacy, (in which the players begin by rolling up small objects, then progressively larger ones) as a metaphor for content creation…and life.
First, start out small. Find your niche. Learn your stuff. Develop a following. Grow from what you know.
Second, be a really good specialist, rather than a mediocre generalist. (My take: Better a rolled-up Katamari than a multi-tentacled calimari, basically.)
That should get you started.
By the way, Matt has an excellent, extra-curricular (i.e., non-Google-related) blog, that’s almost certainly worth an investment of your time.
What makes a brand truly conversation-worthy? Or, If your organization’s social media initiatives have reached a point of diminishing returns – or never gotten past square one, what’s the secret to success? Your mileage may vary, but the answer may also be pretty straightforward: video.
Courtesy of my friends at WOMMA, I came across this new video of Jeben Berg, Creative Director at YouTube, discussing how to effectively leverage and promote your organization’s video assets. (Yes, a video about video.)
He clearly “gets” the concept of video as an effective means to initiate and focus discussion on brands. He also understands it’s a potent force multiplier when used in combination with other forms of text-based social media (discussion forums, blogs, wikis) and static web content.
SEO: It’s Not Just for Text Anymore
I think you’ll particularly appreciate his concise summary of what I’ve advised clients: namely, the importance of going the extra mile to incorporate rich, accurate tagging of video (and even the ALT tags for static images) with descriptive Meta keyword data for Search engine Optimization (SEO) purposes, so that your content actually gets found by people who are searching for what you have to offer.
Remember, YouTube’s a part of Google now. Those lovely little video thumbnails that appear in your Google searches are directly keyed to the Meta data you provide. What’s more, your diligence about proper tagging now will stand you in good stead for the emerging semantic web.
Yes, markets are conversations, and conversations are all about ideas, and the actions that flow directly from them: Purchase. Contribute. Enlist. Enroll. Volunteer. Vote.
So, if a picture’s worth a thousand words, video is worth at least ten thousand. Strategically incorporating relevant, high-quality video content is far more than just a contrivance or “conversation starter,” Rather, it can be one of the most effective (and, yes, authentic) ways to initiate discussion on your brand’s, product, service or cause in online communities of shared interest or practice. That’s creating a truly “talkable” organizational or personal brand, whose key concepts can be incorporated directly into social/SEO-optimized PR and strategic communications, as well.
Although he doesn’t address it specifically, the inherent, potential Word-of-Mouth/Word-of-Tweet virality of video content is a critical point, here, as well, especially when combined with a specific call-to-action.
Got Video? Unlocking the Value of Existing Assets
U.S. Marine Corps Combat Videographer
In my experience, many organizations have un/underutilized video content they’ve never considered putting online – either on the public internet, or internally, as appropriate. Conference presentations, training sessions (sales, safety procedures), HR orientation and much more can be leveraged for cost savings, knowledge capture, and to create consistent training protocols.
For one client, I worked with their internal IT, risk management and marketing teams to create a virtual “academy” or “university” (complete with its own logo done in collegiate-style lettering) within their existing corporate Intranet. This resource relied heavily on existing, internally-produced video content that was timely and relevant, but had been relegated to DVDs that stayed at the clients’ headquarters, where they had spent most of their time stuck in their cases.
As this organization had 20+ locations, (each of which were sending their management teams and new recruits/hires to the main offices for training), it made economic and operational sense to rip this video content, consistent with its licensing from DVD (and even a few analog VHS tapes) to digital video files. These were then converted to streaming Flash (.flv) web video. This achieved the following:
unlocked the value of its existing investments in video content at minimal cost
enabled video to be integrated with socially-enabled intranet and extranet based training resources
saved over $75,000 in annual travel costs through remote training, and created consistency of information presented
Instead, it’s almost entirely about hard work, integrity, a passion for constantly learning (and then sharing what you’ve learned), the self-discipline to buckle down and write, and a sincere desire to help others solve real-world problems or otherwise improve their lives. Of course, there are SEO best practices…and pitfalls, which, to his credit, Matt Cutts doesn’t minimize.
