Why owned really is the new earned.

Have you heard the buzz phrase – PEO is the new SEO?

Do you think it’s portentous nonsense and another example of appalling jargon? Me too. But there is something really important we can take from it.

If P is paid for and represents advertising and E stands for earned, which is what old style PR was all about ie. getting clients in the newspapers or on TV – then it is the O that we really want to look at.

O stands for Owned and is a key marketing development to emerge from the internet maelstrom.

Advertising and PR experts were all about getting exposure for a brand. They took the established media, whether that was billboards, tv spots or magazine editorial and worked hard to get their clients some space there in order to showcase their wares.

But the internet turned the world upside down and made space, which was scarce and expensive, into an infinitely available commodity. Anyone can publish content on the internet. You want a blog post? – Have ten. You want to show me your beautifully shot arty photos? Have an account with Flickr.

The O part of PEO – the Owned bit – looks at all that cheap space and says – ok, we are going to use this freedom – we are going to become our own publishers with our own community of readers and viewers, with our own agenda, which we OWN.

This is a marvellous opportunity for brands with a strong following to step off the treadmill of someone elses agenda to make their own and the kings of this, in my view, are Boden.

This upmarket clothing label didn’t even have a blog a year ago, now they have an entire community. It’s a hive of activity with hosted discussions and guest ‘columnists’ talking about style and kids parties and Christmas…..there are places to post photos, to chat and ask questions. It is, in short. a brilliant use of the owned space.

Would it work with a smaller community for a lesser known brand? I think this is basically what we all need to be aiming for and the medium is the Facebook page. It can be hard to get a community going when people are reluctant to comment and get stuck in, but if we don’t start engaging people then I think the consequences are serious.

Pages with low levels of engagement simply won’t show up in people’s news feeds. If you want your page to thrive you are going to have to start creating the kind of content that people want.

If you build your own buzz, nurture it and develop it you may find that the O part of PEO turns into more than just jargon.

 

Read This Before You Leap Into Video

You’re not doing video? What do you mean you’re not doing video – video is the next big thing didn’t you know – the New Year batch of social media predictions left us in no doubt about that.

In fact it’s already being done pretty comprehensively all over the web with 36 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute and 2 billion videos viewed every day.

And if you want to get found then apparently the SEO advantages are off the scale – they say You Tube is the second largest search engine in the English-speaking world.

So what’s not to like?

Well plenty actually. Let’s look at a couple of examples of why I think you should think carefully before you rush in to video.

Quality

Video is great for forming a bond with your audience by letting them see who you are. Good looking bloggers with quality equipment who talk fluently have the upper hand as do enthusiastic “good eggs” who don’t care if it’s a bit creaky – but I don’t know how many of us have the chutzpah to get away with that. Look at this video from good egg Gini Dietrich who writes Spin Sucks and is fab – but do I really want to take time out of my life to listen to a dog bark all over what she is trying to say?

The “Fun” Video

Create video that is fun and engaging they say. Funny videos go viral and can draw attention to your brand for a fraction of the cost of a TV advert but I think this has already been overplayed. You have to be terribly witty and original to make something which is genuinely funny. Look at this video from the medical billing company NuesoftTechnologies * “hilariously” ripping off Lady Gaga.

The goal of the video was not about generating sales leads but to get noticed by thought leaders in the industry. Well it’s good to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve but to me this “jolly spoof” is pure David Brent and if I were a thought leader I’d run a  mile. Staff larking around in a “You don’t have to mad to work here bit it helps” fashion, may get you attention but what about respect, influence and kudos?

OK let’s get positive now – on the plus side “How To” videos are great. If you need to know how to do something, like a one-armed press up or how to make an icing funnel, then You Tube or I-village are full of brilliant video tutorials (if you are lucky you get a buff guy by a pool in LA as well, although there is less demand for naked cake decoration.)

I don’t mind the slightly home-made aspects of these videos because they meet a direct need – how do I do that blinking one arm press up? But I deplore shoddy work which could be avoided. Is there a cult of the amateur going on which positively welcomes the wonky vid?

Laura McBeth, senior marketing manager for Washington Green Fine Art says it’s all about knowing your audience. She produces video with a hand-held ‘home-made’ feel when she wants to promote mid priced product for a youngish audience who will comment and share. This is perfect for raising awareness and buzz but may not always lead to a landslide in sales. When it comes to selling something luxurious and top end Laura reckons the higher income crowd want something slicker and more polished and she gives it to them.

Better broadband speeds coupled with cheaper video recording devices and ever more user-friendly editing software means video can be done really well even by solopreneurs and bloggers.

PR and Social Media expert Paul Sutton from Bottle PR sent me a link to this slick social media tutorial on the Social Media Examiner which proves the point.

In conclusion, the year ahead will increase the need for all of us to be more creative and innovative. Things aren’t going to slow down and we need to keep across it. But you need to make a conscious decision about why you want to do video, whether it is to improve your rankings, appeal to a new demographic or get your stuff talked about and shared.

There is nothing wrong with choosing what works for you and there is no compulsion to jump in without a plan.

If you do decide to do video;

• Keep it short 30 secs – 2 mins max
• Interview others but be kind – people hate the sight of themselves even more than they hate the sound of their own voice.
• Don’t be afraid to take your time and do several takes – no one wants the Occado man in the background.
• Enjoy yourself – shifty and embarrassed is not a good look.

My thought to take away? Try to produce the best work you can.

* This example is taken from the HUBSPOT e-book – 11 examples of online marketing success

Thanks to all who helped with this post including mediawomenuk who helped source additional material.

Why Your Business Needs a 20 Minute Audit

We’ve all heard of the 20 minute make-over. Somebody from a TV show or magazine comes along and makes huge improvements to your clothes/room/ entire life – all in next to no time at all.

Well this is not it. What I’m talking about is much more worthwhile.

I’m suggesting that you take 20 minutes out of your busy day to look at what your web presence says about you.

Imagine you are your own prospective customer or client and you are trying to get an initial idea about whether or not you should do business.

• Step 1. Put your name or the name of your business into Google. For me, that brings up my blog followed by my LinkedIn and Twitter profiles, some articles I’ve written on other sites and a random Bebo entry from someone who is not me. The Bebo thing is annoying but in general I am happy with the results. I tried this with a professional organisation I wanted to check out and found they were ranked fourth for their own name. That is not so great. If they were selling a product and their competitors were coming in ahead of them then it would be terrible requiring immediate help from the Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) doctors. As it is, this organisation might want to think about why it’s not doing better in the rankings and get cracking on upping their online presence with some guest articles and blogs.  
• Step 2 Put some search terms into Google that you think people might use while looking for your services ie Find cleaners in Maidenhead – if you are nowhere to be found put Keyword Research onto you to do list and read this article by  Lisa Barone to get you started.
• Step 3. You might want to get a friend to help you with this one. Go to the web site and write down the first three things that occur to you as you look at it. If those words are dull, grey and confusing then book an appointment with a web designer, preferably a new one.
•  Step 4 How easy is it to find out basic facts? Where are you, what is your phone number, how can people contact you?
• Step 5 This is one I like to throw in because I am interested in press and publicity – What does the outside world say about this service? Testimonials, links to press cuttings,  mentions on other websites? Try using the web service Social mention   for a quick overview.

Now I think our 20 minutes is up, but do give it a go or organise a swap with a friend – just make sure that it’s an honest audit and that you take the time to act on it.