aimClear® Search Marketing Blog

Welcome back to aimClear’s coverage of #PubCon Vegas 2011! After an inspiring opening keynote with Leo Laporte, the morning of Day 1 launched in warp-speed fashion towards the first round of sessions. Salon B of the lux Las Vegas Convention Center housed a special treat for those interested in the crossroads between search and social, an intersection of increasing value and significance to any serious online marketer.

Search engines are some of the granddaddies of the Internet, and social media, once (arguably) perceived as the trendy-edgy-nose-pierced-teen-punk on the block, has blossomed into a sophisticated, powerful, influential and beloved friend. Savvy to the global use (and continued growth) of social media, search engines get that they have to pay mind to social media if they want to continue to be relevant to users. If search engines recognize this, you better, too.

John Ellis,CEO and Owner, Crescent Interactive, and Michael Gray, President, Atlas Web Service joined forces to dish out tip-top tactics, techniques and best practices for making sites more SEO-friendly social media friendly. aimClear live-tweeted this session via @beebow. Read on for the full scoop. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome back to aimClear’s coverage of #SMX Advanced! Let’s be honest – by and large, ours is a culture fixated on instant gratification, real-time engagement, the here and now. In such a fast-paced world, it’s no surprise we leverage shorthand vernacular where we can. From OMG to LOL to IITYWIMIWHTKY, we’ve got an acronym for everything. Likewise in an industry where every character counts, the online marketing realm has its fair share of abbreviations from SEO & SERPs to blogs & WYSIWYGS to PPC, CPA, and ROI to CPC vs. CPM. Many chic geeks (present company included) are well-versed in such vocabulary. But as far as “SoLoMo” goes? It’s one of the NKOTB.

As well it should be! The term was only recently coined by Kleiner Perkins internet visionary, Mary Meeker. She’s already begun referring to the next five years as the era of “SoLoMo,” or Social, Mobile, and Local for you n00bz out there (present company included…), and she’s not alone. This powerful intersection represents a serious market revolution to some, a natural evolution of the industry to others. Regardless of the perceived degree of influence, it is noteworthy statistic that for the first time ever, smartphones and tablets are outselling personal computers, emphasizing the fact that people want to be online now, instantly, without lugging themselves over to the other side of the room to boot up the ole’ family PC.

A stacked panel consisting of Kelly Gillease, VP Marketing, Viator, Jennifer Grappone, Partner, Gravity Search Marketing, Daniel Lemin, Founder & Principal, Social Studio, Mac Ling, Director, Mobile, iCrossing, and Nicola Smith, VP, Business Development, Performics, not to mention moderators Greg Sterling, Founding Principal, Sterling Market Intelligence and Michael Martin, Senior SEO Strategist, Covario, Inc. were ready to examine this behemoth trend as well as the opportunities and impact it carries for marketers.  Read on for an in-depth look. Read the rest of this entry »

Well friends, it’s that time of year again. SMX Advanced is all set to take place in soggy lovely Seattle next week, June 7-8, and we’re just stoked. The aimClear team is heading westward to participate in this hallmark event– Lauren (yours truly) will be churning out live coverage (via @beebow) and full write-ups right here in aimClear blog, and our own Marty Weintraub (@aimClear) will storm the stage at 10:30 am PST on Wednesday, June 8 to tag-team the Facebook Ads, Meet Search Ads panel.

SMX Advanced means two days jam-packed with top-shelf sessions, but even when the main event wraps up, we’ll rest easy knowing there’s still a ton of awesomesauce in store. aimClear’s Facebook Marketing Intensive Workshop is back on the SMX landscape, and we’re looking forward to hosting marketers for a full day of soup to nuts training in all-things Facebook. From organic optimization hacks to paid Facebook advertising, and harnessing Facebook’s massive online community to achieve KPIs, it’s an all-you-can-eat brain chow buffet. Read on for a closer look at what we’ll be serving up… Read the rest of this entry »

Is your business listening and responding appropriately to those who reach out? Last February our post, 6 Superb First Social Media Tactics For Business caught some buzz and conversation. We discussed the importance of listening and offering unconditional service to new friends and customers, when they obviously seek to engage

The more I travel the world, broadcasting experiences as I go, the more this basic tenant resonates. I’m always surprised by who’s listening and who’s not.  In the last 36 hours, I’ve had revealing experiences with two iconic Minnesota brands, Mall Of America and Mayo Clinic, that illustrate this crucial social media fundamental splendidly. One brand got things really right, the other was not listening. No matter whether your customer’s channel of choice is Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, or a lesser known community or forum, answering the call of users who want to engage is key. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome, fellow community managers, to the first installment of aimClear’s tips for lowering blood pressure, keeping cool, and effectively engaging irate customers in cyberspace, also know as part one of The Community Manager’s Guide To Intra-Community Bloodshed.

We unveiled this series last week with a sympathetic yet motivating  20,000 foot glimpse at the utter crud conflicts some of us as community managers have to deal with… trolls, haters, spammers; negative reviews on products and service; comment threads rife with false accusations; spiteful backlash from sharing benign stories; community member pitted against community member pitted against brand for reasons not even Dr. Phil could comprehend. Crises galore. But hold on a tick… are these in fact crises? Read the rest of this entry »