Should you jump on the bandwagon?

By Rachel Kerstetter, PR Architect, Sonnhalter

“It seems like a lot of companies are doing _________. Should we be doing it too?”

Fill in the blank with any new digital tool: Virtual Reality, Facebook Live, Snapchat, Augmented Reality, etc.

Marketers are asked to consult on new communication mediums and trends on a daily basis. When they aren’t asked to consult, they’re being directed to jump in.

Once upon a time marketers were asked about email, then social media and apps. We’ve come a long way in technology trends. But the basic question is: Should we jump on the bandwagon? (more…)

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Relevant Social Media and SEO

Today we have a guest post from Rachel Kerstetter, our PR Engineer, about the evolution of social media and SEO.

logo4wIn our B2T niche, as well as in the general B2B market, we use the word “relevant” frequently.

When it comes to B2T social media, quantity does not equal quality. Quality social media engagement can’t be measured in simple number of followers or likes. The relevance of those follows and likes is where we find the quality.

It can be hard to keep up with current SEO tactics that will land you on the first page of Google search results since the algorithms change every day, but as social media continues to grow, SEO is getting easier because it’s no longer optimizing for search engines that will land you on page one of Google.

Social engagement is becoming the new SEO. One of the many benefits of being involved in social media that I explain when we create social strategies is improving search visibility.

I was reading, “6 Reasons Social Media is Critical to Your SEO” on Social Media Today and Stephanie Frasco explained the concept so well when she wrote about the old SEO strategy of link building,

“Think about it – why did Google ever allow links to determine which websites ranked above all the others? The answer is simple: links were like “votes” for your website. The more votes you get, the better off you are. So SEO companies started building links (aka “votes”) manually[…]The idea behind links as a ranking factor is a very good idea, but since it’s become so easy to manipulate, Google has been forced to turn to social media channels which do the same thing but are much harder to manipulate. Link building was always about social proofing.”

The shift toward social search is an excellent opportunity to market more efficiently. Connecting with people (even in business-to-business social media, the decision-makers are still people) won’t have constantly changing algorithms because people have been communicating in similar ways basically forever. Social media is simply taking the natural, conversational form of communication that history shows taking place in the gathering places (think the Greek agora or the city coffee shop) and put it online, where it’s easier to be involved with the conversations that are relevant to you.

You can read the rest of Stephanie’s article here.

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Talent At the Core

Today’s post comes from Scott Bessell, Sonnhalter’s Idea Builder.

I was catching up with a friend who works in the printing industry and our conversation turned to the changes that we had seen in the industry. We discussed that the concept of craftsmanship in our industries, and others, seems to have vanished. Processes today still aim for the same end result, albeit with fanfare and accolades given for spending less time and using fewer resources.

That conversation got me thinking more about the state of the industry and its future. As the concepts of craftsmanship have diminished, how have we survived? How do some of us still produce excellent products and services that make happy customers?

The more I thought, the more I realized, that it’s not the processes or the craft itself that drives industry successes. It’s the talent of the people involved.

No matter how fast-paced our society becomes or how many hats people in industry need to wear, as long as you’ve put your talented people in the right roles, you’ll excel.

People still do great work and companies still produce excellent products with reduced staff sizes because of that talent. They obviously use different tools and techniques, but as human nature goes, they adapt, master and excel, driven by talent as the backbone for any endeavor.

In order to build the best team, take stock of who you have and what their talents are, then give them what they need to succeed. With the right people in place, finding ways to adapt to changing industries is possible.

The best toolmakers, architects, engineers, chemists, accountants, designers… are those who are very good at what they do–naturally. No matter how many times the tools and processes change along the way. There’s an overabundance of mediocrity in today’s workforce, but there are still craftsmen. I acknowledge–the talented ones.

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