If, like most Alberta business owners and marketing managers, you’re on the wiser side of 30 years old, you probably remember Bob from Sesame Street singing about the people in your neighborhood. From the policeman to the dentist, his songs introduced you to everyone you could expect to see in the real world around you, and the list was always growing.

I think back to those songs at times, especially when I’m explaining the Internet, social media, and online marketing. In fact, I like to bring up Bob in my speeches and presentations. I have two good reasons for doing this. For one thing, whether I’m speaking to authorities in the Alberta provincial government or a group of entrepreneurs in Edmonton, almost everyone seems to remember Bob and what it’s like to meet “a person in your neighborhood.” And on the other hand, it’s a great analogy for the way the Internet has grown.

In its earliest days, the World Wide Web was mostly populated with a handful of young geeks who understood the basics of HTML code. In a relatively short amount of time, however, programmers started to appear as well, and then web designers who made pages more visually appealing, followed by coders who came up with custom apps and languages. The Internet just kept growing and growing – more and more people moved into the neighborhood – until we reach the point where we have search engine optimization specialists, social media advisers, online marketing gurus, community managers, and a lot more.

As the neighborhood has gotten bigger it has become more important than ever for the owners and managers of Canadian companies to know how these different types of professionals can help them grow their organizations and compete online. Just as we have reached a point where we realize the value that comes with having the right accountant, lawyer, or IT professional, having the right online marketing team on your side isn’t a luxury… it’s just good business.

The Internet has grown in complexity to the point where it’s difficult for any business owner, manager, or executive to know everything they need to master the subject. Luckily, you don’t have to – you just have to know who the right people in your neighborhood are.

Want to learn more about Internet marketing professionals, or have David come speak to your group? Get in touch with us today to talk about your event or business situation.

That’s actually a little bit of a trick question; the reality is that they have been for a while. With major search engines like Google, they are factoring in real-time results from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media sites, the trend of merging SEO and social networking began quite a while ago. And now, with Facebook’s introduction of more search features, Google’s +1 rollout, Google Buzz, and the gaining popularity of public profiles, it’s starting to show itself in a way that the average web user can recognize.

So what should you do with this knowledge?

There are two definite courses of action. First, you want to be absolutely sure that all of your content – including and especially social media profiles and updates – is optimized just as a webpage would be. That means paying attention to your keywords, using filenames that can increase your search positioning, constantly adding new updates, and generally paying attention to the ways people can find you. Google alone figures more than 200 factors into their algorithm for each and every search; you can bet they’re paying attention to what you post on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites, and will continue to do so going forward.

The second thing you can do is get full leverage out of your social media profiles. In other words, since search engines are going to factor them in and point to them anyway, make sure that potential customers can find lots of great things about you and your LinkedIn profile, Facebook fan page, and other social networking destinations. In a perfect world, one of your social profiles would do just as good a job selling you as your company’s home page would.

The lines between SEO and social media are blurring, but if you get into the habit of optimizing your content on both ends, that can be a great thing for your business.

Is your business falling behind on search engine optimization and social media marketing? Work with Calgary’s best to get back on track – contact eKzact Web Design And Internet Marketing for free consultation today!

Recently, we wrote about community managers – dedicated professionals who update your social media profiles, post new content, and respond to inquiries. While this is still a new position in most organizations, and one with evolving responsibilities, it’s becoming clear that having one, even on a part-time basis, can be incredibly helpful.

So the question is: does your small business need a community manager to keep up social networking?

Truthfully, probably not… at lease not any more than you occasionally need a plumber, an accountant, or a dentist. That is to say, you can definitely get by without one in the short term, but is it really worth it to do all of that work for yourself?

In most of the cases we see, it’s not. For one thing, there are just too many sites, with too many new features being added all the time, to stay on top of everything. But what’s more, community managers are becoming increasingly important because of something a lot of small business owners don’t even really think about: their online reputation.

Besides just posting pictures and generating tweets, one of the most valuable things a community manager can do for you is take a look at what other people are saying back to you, and about your business. Because the Internet is becoming more interconnected – not to mention updated in real time – and it only takes one or two negative remarks to put a long-term dent in your company sales. For all of the opportunities that exist for finding new business online, it’s more than prudent to have someone who’s looking out for potential threats to your marketing, too.

So if your company is planning on profiting from social media anytime soon, and it should, make sure you plan on including community managers in the mix. They can make the whole process easier and more efficient… but more importantly, they can help protect your reputation online.

Get the most out of social media marketing by working with Canada’s premier web design and development company, eKzact. Call us today and setup a free consultation – it might turn out to be one of the best things you’ve ever done for your business.