This email, together with any attachments, is intended ONLY for the people that have access to it via the intricate network of firewalls, routers and servers that are required to deliver it to it’s final and real intended recipient… the entity to which it is addressed. It may contain information that is legally privileged, but probably does not, it might be confidential, and/or subject to copyright, but since the use of email pretty much exposes me totally to anyone in your address book, I will forgo the false hopes that this information will remain private, primarily because privacy is a concept that no longer exists. If you are not the intended recipient, please be informed that it is virtually impossible for me to stop you from dissemination, distribution or copying of this email, any attachment, or part thereof (I have freaking told you it is strictly prohibited). Kindly note that internet communications are not secure (which pretty much indicates that all prior warnings are of no real value), and therefore are susceptible to alterations (so I may actually have not wrote what you are reading). If you have received this email in error, please advise the sender by reply email, and delete this message. Your co-operation on this matter is highly appreciated. Thank you.
It is about “when” you deliver your knowledge.
Have you ever met with a business person, and before you have a chance to get to know them, they take pause to “offer you some insight”. For example, a quick critique of your business card. They may offer, “it is the most important part of your marketing, your card is too cluttered and the double sided gloss finish… (inject sigh) …I like to write on peoples cards and I can’t write on your gloss finish”
Well, my cards are full of information so you don’t have to write on them. Design is subjective. One persons perception of excellent design is outright rejected by another.
By freely offering insight, professionals devalue their knowledge.
If they are not a trusted adviser, they are simply giving an opinion. You know what they say about opinions, don’t you? Business advisers need to be careful how and when they deliver their knowledge or it will not hold the value that they think it does.
Cheers,
David West
As a distributed technology and communications platform, the people who created the internet did not intended it to become a soap box for customers to burn their service providers in effigy.
The question used to be, “how can I get my website on first page Google?” Now the question is, “how can I get this offensive blog posting off of first page Google?”
Reputation management is becoming a term that more and more businesses are learning. Reputation monitoring and effective response are a part of your daily chores. If not today, perhaps tomorrow.
David
…because dogs don’t have thumbs.
It’s really a matter of how you look at life. When people make statements, it isn’t really the statement that counts, it’s what pops into the listeners head that counts.
Years ago, I read a list on “email etiquette” that included the caution that one day “you” will write an email and regret it. Social media sites like Twitter, Meetup and Facebook take us into a whole new world of “one day you will regret it”. We have matured beyond email etiquette to needing social media etiquette.
Pause before you post.
Cheers.
David
How about your Search Engine Optimization expert? Do they hold their cards so close to their chest that you have no idea what their next move is?
“Baby Google” Causes a New Industry Called SEO
Only 10 years ago, when Google search was in it’s infancy, a whole new industry started to appear. Search Engine Optimization consultants, or SEO’s, as they are commonly referred to, emerged as a new industry. Over the years there have emerged some excellent SEO practitioners, as well as some less than desirable. Most SEO practitioners continue to do the work of Search Engine Optimization for their clients, but the act of doing SEO is something that can be learned. It is something that can be taught. As the purchaser of these services, I assert that you should have, at minimum, an entry level understanding of what you are buying.
Where Do the Best SEO Practitioners Come From?
Some of the best Calgary Search Engine Optimizers, that I know of, have evolved from website developers into website marketers. It is natural that someone who develops hundreds of websites would be challenged to help their clients get those sites on Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERP’s). I have also witnessed some very driven entrepreneurs create very powerful online brands by doing their own research and implementation. You can effectively get your own website to perform online.
There is no Secret Sauce or Magic Relationship to Page 1
Beware the Search Engine Optimizer that tells you there is a secret formula. A silver bullet that only they can shoot, a special relationship with Google… I met one of these new SEO practitioners recently. My red flags were flying pretty high by the end of our little chat. Unfortunately, the website owner doesn’t typically know enough about this industry to protect themselves from people like this. More and more website owners are tuning in though, and as a result making better decisions when finding trusted advisors.
Enter The Era of a New Industry – and a bunch more confusion
11 years after Google revolutionized the word “search”, a new industry is spinning up. Companies are being driven to find a Social Media Consultant. Enter the era of a new industry, and another confusing purchasing decision for small business owners. Business owners have to decide to learn and do it themselves, hire an employee, or hire a consultant. This industry is, in my humble opinion, even more crazy than that of website development, or search engine optimization. We are seeing people who were Virtual Assistants yesterday touting themselves as an expert in Social Media the next. I’m sorry, but just because you can open a Twitter account or use Facebook does not make you the best advisor for a legitimate business.
We found this at a recent blog posting in Calgary;
I have been helping businesses market themselves for over 10 years, starting off with promotional products and now with Social Media. I understand the value of 140 characters
Anyone Can Tweet – But Does a Tweet in the night get heard?
There is more to Social Media Consulting than just opening accounts and shouting at the World. Having a fundamental understanding of the tools and technologies helps. Having the ability to craft good messages and manage relationships – essential. Having a social media action plan that gives purpose to your chatter online – essential. At the end of the day, if participation in the social aspect of the Internet does not position your business as the experts in your industry, and if it does not allow you to own your online reputation, then what are you getting out of these efforts?
How Many Red Flags can you raise?
If your Social Media Consultant simply brushes your questions off with the assertion that they are the expert, “just leave it to me”, then you should raise a red flag. If your Social Media Consultant does not teach you with the intention that you or your own staff can take ownership of your online “persona”, then you should raise another red flag. If you do not control your social media accounts online, you are at the will of your consultant. Raise another red flag.
Know What You are Buying…
You can learn how to do these things yourself. Indeed you may want to stay focused on your core business. In any case, being educated about these industries will make you a much better purchaser, should you wish to hire a consultant.
Ulistic, a Calgary Internet Consulting firm, combines the power of search with the power of social to turn website havers into website owners. We have developed a website owners training process that will empower you to take ownership of your online marketing. Is it time to get started now?
Cheers –
David
