Do I need to worry about BING?

As anyone who watches prime time TV knows by now, Microsoft recently launched a new search engine called Bing. The site is still relatively small, but the official numbers vary. I've heard it's in third place behind Google and Yahoo (according to Microsoft), but I've also heard it's in 17th place according to Pew research.

Regardless, Microsoft is putting serious muscle behind the engine so some clients are asking if it's worth worrying about SEO for Bing. The answer is "sort of." After analyzing traffic data for client's sites and my own, I can tell you that we're all getting about a 5% referral rate from Bing. Not bad for a startup, but pretty lousy for a major project backed by the biggest company in the world with a $100 million ad campaign.

The reality is for the time being we really don't have to worry about Bing-specific SEO. Microsoft loves to tout all its new features, and even put up an SEO guide for web developers. You can download it here. But if you're even remotely prone to falling asleep at the computer, I'd avoid reading past page two. It's pretty dry. The gist is this: most of Bing is carried over from MSN Search. The main differences are in the way it categorizes results with tabs and the fact that it learns from repeated searches.

The same basic rules that apply to SEO for Google and Yahoo apply here: use page titles and tags to explain the contents of each page, caption and tag photos whenever possible, include as much useful and relevant information in HTML copy as possible, etc. One thing I have heard about Bing is that it tends to favor new and/or freshly updated sites over older static ones, so keep that in mind.

In the meantime, relax and keep pushing forward with a Google-centric SEO campaign, because unless Larry and Sergey make some radical missteps, Google will still be the 900 lb gorilla for many years to come.

Grassroots Marketing

This past weekend we had an open house at one of my client's offices. We promoted it to a very specific niche - Los Angeles based Chrysler owners - and pulled in nearly 100 cars. That's enough to max out the parking lot and the building. My client couldn't have been happier about the results. I promoted it using a combination of old-school tactics (calling all the local club presidents on the phone) and new-media strategy (posting flyers in major forums, asking blog moderators to write stories). Hopefully we influenced the influencers, and they'll spread the word for us.

Is Facebook Runnin on Empty?

Since he just settled a lawsuit with the GOP I thought it appropriate to kick this post off with a little Jackson Browne. Hope he doesn't sue me. Sorry about the long delay, I've been workin' hard hustling media for a few new clients and I've neglected my little corner of the interwebs.

So here's the deal... I've mentioned in a few previous posts that an uncanny number of my aged-challenged friends and family have been hopping onto the Facebook bandwagon. Even big media outlets have noticed. In a way, that's a fantastic thing because it means all demos are becoming comfortable with social media. However like most trends of the past few decades, where the Baby Boomers go, big business will follow. And, like MySpace before it, Facebook is in the process of revamping its advertising program to accommodate new ad packages.

Facebook actually only became the reigning traffic champ about a month ago, but most marketers started shying away from the platform as far back as a year go, when the NewsCorp buyout caused a seismic shift in who was actually using the site. Until Rupert got his hands on it, Myspace was essentially a gathering place for young people. After the massive ads went up and started alienating people, waves of users started shifting towards Facebook. For a short time record labels and movie studios Myspace pages helped bolster the site's traffic, but the magic is gone and Myspace is essentially a trade show hall filled with companies showing their wares and exhibiting their hipness to a non-existent crowd. So Myspace is essentially dunzo.

Now it looks like Facebook might be going the same way. According to recent PC Magazine/MSN story, people are flocking to Twitter from Facebook. I can't say I blame them. Facebook is still an excellent platform for reconnecting with old friends and promoting companies and/or clients. The problem is the new site design bombards people with so many updates and such a deluge of information that any self-respecting page with more than a few hundred friends can't effectively keep news or updates on the front page for more than a few minutes. So.... unless you're literally sitting at your computer checking your wall all day, you'll probably miss a load of info. Twitter essentially takes the update portion of Facebook and throws away the rest.

Now I'm not a huge fan of using Twitter for PR purposes unless you have a dedicated tweeter that knows what they're doing and only broadcasts relevant, interesting info. It will be interesting to sit back and see how things play out, but my gut instinct tells me that Facebook will be irrelevant in two years, and a new platform will have taken its place. What do you think?

Kahn Media in the News

From the latest issue of The Green Sheet, the weekly trade newsletter for the automotive aftermarket:

RED LINE OIL RETAINS KAHN MEDIA FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS, OUTREACH

Red Line Synthetic Oil Corp. (Benicia, CA), which manufacturers a line of motor oils, gear oils and additives, has engaged Kahn Media of Woodland Hills, CA, to provide Red Line with North American media outreach and P.R. assistance. This includes targeted media outreach, social media marketing, new product debuts, events and special projects.

More specifically, Kahn is working with Red Line’s management on strategic planning initiatives, as well as the development and implementation of a social media marketing campaign. Kahn also will promote Red Line’s motorsports initiatives, including drag racing, sports car road racing and more.

You can read the whole issue here.

State of Social Media

The research gurus at Nielsen released some interesting info last week about where Americans are spending their time, specifically regarding social media.

Top Social Networking and Blog Sites (April 2009 U.S. Home and Work)

You can get all the details in their press release, but this is the gist:



April was the fourth month in a row that Facebook held the top spot in both unique visitors and total minutes, but Myspace has been winning in online video with 120.8 million video streams. Myspace visitors spent 384 million minutes viewing video on the site, with an average of 38.8 minutes per viewer. In comparison, Facebook visitors spent only 113.5 million minutes viewing video in April, with an average of 11.2 minutes per video viewer.

Twitter is growing by such huge proportions its staggering, but that might not last as the medium becomes saturated. In the meantime, it appears that Myspace shouldn't be counted out yet, particularly if you have video to promote.

Direct Email Mistakes to Avoid

Let's face a reality here: direct email marketing works. If it didn't I wouldn't get 20 messages a day promoting everything from 600 horsepower crate engines to business card printing services. The key is to build a tight list of readers who want your information, create a list big enough that even if your open rate is 20% you're still reaching a significant number of people, and then managing your content so its interesting and not a blatant sales pitch.

I've had great success with clients building email newsletter campaigns that essentially mimic what magazines did in the past: provide an interesting, entertaining and informative blend of feature stories, company news and product information. Done correctly, your database will grow and the newsletter will not only drive traffic to your site, but also increase brand awareness.

My friends at MailDog recently put up a fantastic list of direct email marketing mistakes and how to avoid them. Check it out below:

Ignoring CAN-SPAM Requirements - The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 and other Federal Trade Commission regulations require that email marketing messages be permission-based, in addition to having a true identity in the "From" line, an accurate subject line, a valid postal address, and unsubscribe link in the email.Failure to do so could result in a significant fine from the FTC (up to $200 per complaint) OUCH!

Sending to Non-Opt-Ins - Sending email without having the recipients permission is one of the quickest ways to alienate prospects and customers... not to mention goes against the CAN-SPAM (see above) and Mail Dog's permission-only policies (bad dog!). Having customers sign up, keeping accurate opt-in records and providing a quality email newsletter makes subscribers happy and keeps you out of the hot water!

Linking only to your Homepage - If your email links just send subscribers back to your homepage, you could be losing major impact points with your subscribers. Instead link to specific products or pages and don't make subscribers hunt for the information.

Large, Image-Based Emails - Images are overrated, plus they are suppressed by more than 50% of emails subscribers' software, so the key is to craft an effective offer and feature it using both text and graphics. And always remember to use ALT-tags on images.

Writing Whatever - Pay attention to your copy. It should be short, yes, but not at the expense of quality... and always have someone else proof read to make sure it all makes sense.

Lazy Subject Lines -A good subject line is the most important indicator of open rates. Be short, sweet, and specific. Good rule-of-thumb - spend the same amount of time writing the subject line as it takes to write the copy.

Only Using Email Marketing - Don't treat your emails campaigns as one-offs, or segregate them from the rest of your marketing. If you have video on your website, be sure to include links to previews of that in your emails. Also, link to your social media pages like Twitter and Facebook to keep your customers engaged.

Sending Before Testing - Always send test emails! Check subject lines, copy, offers, and any other content you are including. Then double check and check again. Once an email is sent it is gone!