Who is Ross Simmonds?When selecting an internet marketer to be the subject of this weekly blog, we look for somebody who is making an impact in the IM industry. Ross is the perfect example of somebody who has become an IM and B2B thought leader. Ross is a B2B specialist with expertise is content marketing, social media, and storytelling. He has a passion for, in his own words, "technology, the future, good people, good coffee, and storytelling". Along with this he is an experienced entrepreneur. Ross owns a variety of businesses and brands that aim to help his fellow marketers, strategists, and entrepreneurs.
Ross is accomplished in many facets of the business world. To start, he's a B2B and content marketing expert. Ross has worked with businesses ranging from startups to Fortune 500 brands to increase their brand awareness and ROI. As Ross puts it. "You can't add fans & followers to the balance sheet. That's a reality. But for many agencies & B2B professionals, that's where the goalpost are and it's exactly why many struggle to see ROI." Ross uses his knowledge of the marketing process to help brands reach their ROI goals using content marketing. Along with his hands on work with brands, Ross wrote Stand Out: The Content Guide for Entrepreneurs. This book is Ross's ultimate guide to understanding the 'Why' behind content marketing.
Ross works with other brands, but he also builds his own. As the founder of various companies, Ross has applied all of his B2B and content marketing knowledge to his own brands to build them into successes. He is the founder of Hustle & Grind, an eCommerce store specifically geared toward entrepreneurs, as well as other brands. Ross exemplifies the forward thinking content marketer that we, here at OCG, aim to bring onto our team. For more information on Ross Simmonds, you can visit his website and learn even more about what he's working on.
Internet Marketing Background:With over 25 years of experience as a writer, marketer, entrepreneur, and best-selling author, Ann Handley knows what it takes to do incredible marketing, and is pioneering the way for marketing innovation. Ann focuses on "inspiring marketers to create marketing magic that gets real-world results." And she's really good at what she does. Her commitment to being an expert at content marketing is inspiring others to rethink their business to attract the right kind of customers.
Ann is a Wall Street best-selling author of Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content and Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) that Engage Customers and Ignite Your business. She is also a keynote speaker as well as the Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs.
Ann has strong opinions about what it takes to do great marketing. According to her, the first step of great marketing starts with a human marketer having honest empathy for an actual customer. It is easy to get lost in the business aspect of marketing, but taking a step back and recognizing that there are humans on both sides of the product is essential for ultimate success. After establishing the necessary human element of marketing, creating content that tells a story will leave your content consumers wanting more. As marketers, we must create content that engages and captivates audiences. We are all human- so marketers need to remember who they're marketing to. Dull content will create dull results. A huge part of content marketing through story telling is being able to concisely tell that story through writing. Being able to write is essential in many careers, but marketers must be able to effectively communicate with others and make those people care about what is being said. Ann is a thought leader who inspires all of us here at OCG Creative to create work that we're proud of. For us, marketing isn't just one aspect of our business, it's our whole business. Everything we do revolves around creating strong and effective marketing. Elevating the work that we do for clients is our top priority, and looking to marketers like Ann Handley for advice helps us do just that.
Internet Marketing BackgroundWhen it comes to internet marketing, Scott Stratten is no amateur. He and his partner Alison have co-written five best selling business books and co-hosted over two-hundred podcasts. From music industry marketer, to national sales training manager, to professor, Scott finds himself at the forefront of marketing innovation. He now spends all of his time keynote speaking at conferences to engage audiences on how to succeed in business today; to get them thinking more and doing more about marketing.
Internet Marketer Scott Stratten focuses on helping businesses “unlearn” the traditional ways of marketing that cause them to fade to the back of customers’ minds. He helps businesses understand how to stay at the forefront, so that when your clients are ready, they choose you.
After watching Scott speak at the Unbounce CTA 2017 Conference in Vancouver, Canada, I became fascinated with his ideas for how to market authentically. He is not only funny, passionate, and inspiring, but also incredibly informative. Also, his expert insight and blunt advice have audiences rethinking their marketing strategies. Scott can’t stress enough the importance of engaging with clients and creating those loyal, lasting relationships so that they need you.
Each of Scott’s books has something different to offer the world of business, all providing tangible value. He always includes real-life examples, guidance, and strategies so that a business can begin applying new, effective strategies immediately.
Adding the prefix “Un” to key marketing terms, Scott encourages businesses to rethink the way they do things. Unbranding focus on branding from the core as opposed to covering up things that are broken with implementing a “quick-fix” strategy. Unselling has to do with creating those ties so that your customers become loyal, repeat customers.
In today’s ever-changing business climate, Scott reminds us that we need to remember what is important. Great products and great service are what ultimately make a great business. Scott’s passion for what he does inspires each of us here at OCG Creative to create something that truly matters. We want to create business that is “awesome,” as Scott would say.
Check out Scott and Alison’s website unmarking.com to learn more about how to start engaging.
Here we are, at the beginning of 2018. And, with that, we're starting to see the usual flood of predictions for the year. Naturally, as a digital marketing strategist, I couldn't pass on the opportunity to make my own list of 2018 internet marketing predictions. A year ago, I predicted a lot of change will center around human language search due to the popularity of devices like Google Home, Amazon Echo and of course, Siri. It isn't just the availability of devices that's driving this. Technology is making its way into the backgrounds of our daily lives. By now, an entire generation has grown up with the Internet as the backdrop for everything. Today, everything is always on, and everything is listening. Much of what we do as marketers will be in response to technology that's only now starting to become mainstream. While 2017 proved there is a market ready to embrace the new technology, in 2018 we're going to see it take root. By 2019, we're going to experience a complete transformation of how we reach people, but I'll save that for next year.
Naturally, I could add dozens more 2018 predictions, but in many ways it wouldn't make a difference. The bottom line for business owners and marketers is that building relationships is the key to online success. That's always been true. What's changing is the tools and methodology. If you haven't already, now is the time to embrace it.
Internet Marketing BackgroundAuthor of 13 books and presenter of over 50 keynote speeches a year, it’s no wonder that Guy Kawasaki is our internet marketer of the week. A venture capitalist, entrepreneur and advisor to Google among many other titles, Guy has worked with clients including Nike, Audi, Apple and Microsoft. But what sets Guy apart is his enthusiasm for innovation and entrepreneurship.
A marketing icon, Guy Kawasaki spent much of his early career learning how to sell. After he graduated from Stanford University with a BA in psychology, he enrolled in the MBA program at UCLA. While there, he worked for a fine-jewelry manufacturer, which helped him learn the principles of selling. Later, he took a job at Apple as a “chief evangelist” – a position that required him to “maintain and rejuvenate the Macintosh cult.” Since then, he has worn many hats, including advisor, writer and speaker.
I first became aware of Guy Kawasaki after being given his book The Art of Social Media in one of my university classes. As any college student, I quickly scanned through the book, wondering if it was worth my time. But I quickly realized that this stood out against the towering pile of textbooks we were expected to read. It offered immediate and tangible value. Guy capitalizes on the idea that positioning and branding come down to what the consumer decides, not what you decide. As marketers, we do our best to communicate to the world that our services and products are unique and valuable. But we must remember to continue to innovate, to look out for the next curve, and to roll with the decisions of our consumers. At OCG Creative, innovation is in each of our practices. From creating content strategies, to web development and lead generation – innovation is defined in each thought, definition and creation. For more information on Guy Kawasaki or to view his speech on innovation, visit him at guykawasaki.com.
Seth Godin is a public speaker, bestselling author, entrepreneur and marketing ideologist. He has published 18 books and founded both Yoyodyne and Squidoo. Not only does he have an MBA in marketing from Stanford, but was recently inducted into the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame in 2013. But what sets Seth apart in my mind is his model of marketing ideas in the digital age.
A brilliant marketer, Seth’s focus lies on the nature of ideas. How they are conceived and how they are spread. He brings back the concept of tribes- a human social unit linked by common ties. Seth describes tribes as being about leadership, and about connecting people and ideas.
As a writer, Seth’s reintroduction of the “idea of the tribes” strikes a chord. Converted to marketing, it’s about connecting people to a product that tells a story. A shoe company that gives a pair to the needy for every pair bought. A company grown off the backs of hardworking founders. Writing is about telling a story to people who want to hear it. To create a tribe of like-minded people and lead a movement - even if it is just drawing attention to a company or issue. To me, his lesson is about reinventing how you relate. Being a storyteller turns you into a leader, which sets you apart. In Seth’s words - “In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.” Finding what makes our clients unique is what helps drive our marketing strategy. You can find out about his books and speaking engagements by visiting www.sethgodin.com. Or, just type Seth into Google.
Let me begin with a story. We have a client that went through half a dozen Internet marketing agencies prior to working with us. Those agencies did all the standard stuff: social media, PPC, landing pages, SEO… you name it. In every case, the agency added to the costs, but failed to make even a tiny impact on sales. Given that history, it is surprising that we are able to tell this story. Even as we were signing contracts, the client told me point blank that he didn’t believe our experience would be any different that what he’d been through with other marketing agencies. Fast forward a year… In about 12 months, we managed to place about 150 keywords on page 1 in Google. Those, by the way, are just the ones we’re tracking. There are probably another 300-400 top performing, related keywords that we don’t track. I’ll save an explanation of that for another article. Now, with hundreds of page one (most in the top 3) keyword rankings, you might expect tens of thousands of new visitors to the website. In reality, it’s closer to 4,000 per month. Big deal, right? Seems like a lot of work for 4,000 visits. Maybe, but here’s what those 4,000 new visitors mean to our client. From their own numbers, website form fills alone have lead to a little over $550,000 in revenue so far this year (FY17, as of August 1st.). Including web generated phone calls pushes YTD web-generated revenue close to a $million. Here’s the thing. For that $million in revenue, the client pays nothing to Google, and very little to the agency. The obvious question—What did we do differently? How is it that OCG Creative was able to tack on an extra million dollars in top-line revenue, after all the other agencies failed? The answer: Keyword selection. Well, keyword selection, coupled with being very good at SEO. Of course, you also have to provide your website visitors with what they were looking for when they decided to click, but it starts with optimal keyword selection.
There are three primary factors to keep in mind when selecting keywords for SEO. Lets examine them. User intent: A good way to look at this is to ask, what kind of problem is the searcher trying to resolve? When asked, clients typically suggest keywords (key-phrases) that are very broad. In SEO terms, we call them “short tail” phrases. An example of that would be “school supplies.” Short tail phrases tend to have the highest search volumes. In fact, 60,500 people search for “school supplies” every month. Compare that with “minecraft school supplies”, which receives about 720 searches per month. That’s just 1.19% of the search volume when you take away the word “minecraft.” It’s what we call a “long tail” keyword or key-phrase, and a virtual guaranteed better performer than “school supplies” by itself. The problem with short tail phrases is that they are nearly impossible to match to the problem your website visitor is trying to resolve. “School supplies” can be anything from soap for the nurses office to copy paper. The individual looking for “minecraft school supplies” probably has a 10 year old boy that’s into minecraft. (That’s a video game for those of you without a 10 year old boy.) The problem the searcher has is her kid wants minecraft themed stuff for school. (We can safely assume it’s a mom, because dad would try to make him get by with last year’s supplies. Let’s hope those karate lessons paid off, because any kid rolling into 5th grade with his 4th grade pencil box is the guaranteed object of ridicule.) The point is, regardless of the tiny relative search volume, “minecraft school supplies” is almost certain to make a sale. That very same mom conducting an initial search for “school supplies” is going to forced to keep searching. To further that point, we can generally assume about half of people searching for any given phrase will click on a result. Roughly a third of those will click on the top result. Number 2 gets about 20%, and #3, maybe 12% to %15. That works out to 120 website visits if your site is number one in the SERP (search engine results page). A highly targeted phrase is also going to have a high conversion rate. I’ve seen conversion rates as high as 70% for some keywords! Let’s aim lower, 25%, which would lead to 30 visitors making a purchase. To make that a little more digestible, I’ll break it down. Search volume, “minecraft school supplies”: 720 Searchers that clicked: 360 Click share for #1 in SERP: 33%, for 120 website visits Conversion rate: 25%, for 30 sales Let’s say the average sale is $50. That’s $1,500 per month in sales from a single keyword. Annualized, that’s $18,000 per year from one keyword! If you can identify 100 key-phrases like that one, similar numbers will produce $1.8M in annual revenue. It doesn’t even have to be 100 products. There might be 20 or more keywords different searchers use to find the same item. Since each searcher is a unique individual, the result is cumulative.
Shift your thinking from broad-match, high volume phrases, to long-tail phrases, highly focused on user intent. These are far easier to optimize for rankings, and will provide a directly measurable ROI. When selecting keywords, have a specific customer in mind that will take a predictable action. Know what problem the searcher is trying to resolve when searching that phrase, and provide the solution. Finally, set expectations for every keyword you choose to optimize. At minimum, include your anticipated click volume, conversion rate and average sale for each, and track them monthly. By planning your SEO efforts around specific keywords, selected based on user intent, you’ll be able to forecast their ROI. You’ll find it easier to achieve top rankings, and get a massive jump on your competitors.
Matt Siltala is the master of the career change. He was a successful foam mattress retailer for close to 14 years, starting in 2004. Then in July of 2012, he made the unlikely move into digital marketing, where he quickly became an industry leader.
His company, Avalaunche Media handles the usual range of online marketing services like web design, SEO and PPC, but the agency hits its stride in visual communications. Serving clients like GoPro and Salesforce, you’re probably familiar with the company’s infographics and motion video, without realizing who created them.
One of the things I love about Matt Siltala’s background is the absence of the usual collegiate pedigree. He’s got an AAS degree in CIS and a high school diploma. He’s carved out a career in business and marketing by being brilliant and getting results for his clients.
A quick scan of his LinkedIn profile shows that he’s anything but new to marketing and business. He’s got agency experience and SEO skills that reach back a long way.
I first became aware of Matt Siltala when his face started popping up on speaking rosters for marketing events. Then I began making the connection to his work that I was seeing around.
In many ways, Matt’s story is similar to my own. Before launching my first agency, I had spent many years in retail (in my case, musical instruments), and had an AA degree. I also spent a lot of time providing SEO services to businesses while running that business.
Matt is fast becoming an Internet marketing icon because he is a great Internet marketer. He has aptitude, passion and drive. It’s great to see, and a true inspiration.
Internet Marketing BackgroundOver the years, I’ve noticed that very often the marketer have engineering or data science backgrounds. Mark Roberge is a quintessential example of an engineer that is also a brilliant Internet marketer. April Dunford is another.
Also an engineer by training, April Dunford makes top-level Internet marketing her career. She’s driven successful sales and marketing programs for startups like Tulip Retail and Watcom, as well as holding executive marketing positions at companies like IBM, Nortel and Siebel Systems.
April is focused on helping companies position their products in the marketplace. She uses the term “framing”, which she rightly points to as the key element in a product’s success or failure. You can find out about her workshops and speaking engagements by visiting www.rocketwatcher.com.
Prior to last June, I had seen her name on speaking rosters and the occasional marketing forum, but that’s about it. Then, a few of us attended the Unbounce CTA ’17 conference, where she was a speaker. It was a great conference, with mostly good speakers, a few great ones, and a couple duds. April was one of the great ones.
First, she’s great at holding an audience, but more importantly, she understands product positioning and the sales process incredibly well. You can find that Unbounce presentation here: https://calltoactionconference.unbounce.com/speakers/2017-april-dunford/
To me, her underlying lesson is never to be held captive by our own assumptions. She tells the story of a database product she was charged with getting into the market. It’s a tough sell in a crowded space, so success was challenging at best. Eventually, after countless frustrating presentations, one feature resonated with the executive she was pitching. That one feature turned out to be a game-changer that none of her competitors had.
The company pivoted and repositioned itself as the leader in that specific financial vertical. Previously, she described an overnight mental self-revelation that the product was “crap.” In fact, the product was gold, but had been positioned where it had little chance for success.
If you get a chance to see April Dunford speak, don’t pass it up. She is brilliant, funny and a total pro, and you’ll likely learn a few things you can use to make your own company at least a little more competitive.
Effective internet marketing for any business often starts with SEO, that is, Search Engine Optimization. Google is constantly updating its search algorithms in order to connect customers to the most relevant results. This can make it difficult for small, local businesses to stand out among the top pages. Local SEO services provide a way for physical businesses to improve their online website rankings. By branding your company to a specific location, you become visible and relevant to customers in your area. Targeted keywords and educational content help boost businesses among the top ranks.This roots you into a community and connects you to an ideal local customer. Local SEO services typically include the following:
Search engines like Google, Yahoo and Safari use keywords to link potential customers with websites. Keyword research is one of the most valuable steps in your SEO process. In order to have effective keywords they need to:
Consistent content like blogs can be the key to a company’s success. Targeted content or blog posts can drive shares on social media as well as traffic to your website. Here are other ways that good content can boost your business:
Ultimately, your website is where you want leads to end up. It’s where their journey to conversion continues. If you aren’t getting traffic to your website, or are seeing a high level of bounces, your website may need to be optimized for local searches. These services will help increase your traffic and conversion rates:
OCG Creative is here to help with any of your SEO and Reno web design needs. Call us, we’ll answer your questions. 775.324.1644
For those unfamiliar with local SEO services (Search Engine Optimization) it is worth taking time to define and explain the diffe
rences between local and global SEO, especially within the context of Google My Business and its relationship to local searches.
Large scale search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo perform countless searches each day, but have you ever considered how these search engines prioritize and display this information back to users? Did you know that given the right information, your local or small business could consistently appear as one of these top positions? When a potential customer searches for goods or services, your name could be made to appear at the top of list through the use of targeted keywords and relevant content designed to educate.
Local SEO is just that - local. This is important for local or regional businesses that operate within a targeted and specific city or region. Local search engine optimization allows for the use of targeted and specific keywords that focus on increasing a webpage's relevance so as to better target local customers. By comparison, global SEO (also known as international SEO) refers to the optimization for search engines on a more global or international scale. Google stores and recalls information differently from its global index than it does for local searches. Here, business and companies compete for keywords targeted to specific audiences, but without specific emphasis on physical location. While local SEO efforts center around your Google My Business profile, global organic search efforts rely on content relevance and inbound linking (backlinks), social media activity and other cues. Both forms of SEO are important, but your business size and goals will determine what resources and how much energy should be put into each.
Search engines accommodate a myriad of "near me" mobile or desktop searches. As an example, when out searching for a restaurant "near me", or similar local modifier, Google and other search engines often display convenient, mobile-optimized views of search results based not only on proximity to a given restaurant, but on its keyword and content relevance to the query. Google My Business is essentially a compact, public profile that displays your business' relevant information and is often optimized for mobile platforms. It is then incredibly important that your business interface local SEO with Google My Business to properly optimize and display information pertaining to your business's location, hours, description and relevant information. Local SEO is the process of optimizing your business' Google My Business profile, potentially drawing in more customers and simultaneously providing them with all of the relevant information they need to make an immediate buying decision. So before you do any SEO on your website, have a specific plan and strategy. Know what mix of SEO you need: global and local, what location you are targeting, who your target audience is, what your keywords and relevant information is and how all of this might be properly displayed through Google My Business. If you have further questions about local and global search engine optimization or you are unsure where to begin; we can help. OCG offers local SEO services for all types of organizations. Call us. We'd love to help. (775) 324-1644.
OCG Creative is excited to announce that our Partner/Vice President, Jill Rutherford has been awarded the 2017 Saleswoman of the Year Award by the Professional Saleswomen of Nevada (PSN). Each year, this award is presented to a woman in the Northern Nevada community that excels in her profession of sales and marketing. On May 9th 2017, PSN held their 30th Annual Awards Luncheon and Fundraiser to publicly recognize and honor women in sales and marketing for their professional accomplishments, achievements, and advancements. There were five wonderful nominations at this year's event including: Kimberly Wade, Jill Rutherford, Robyn Nichols, Shari Pheasant, Staci Nauman, and the Junior Saleswoman of the year, Laney Fix.
According the the PSN website, PSN seeks nominations throughout Northern Nevada of those women who:
Jill's dedication to her business, family, and community shine through in her everyday life. She's someone that always meets you with a smile and genuinely enjoys what she does. As the Vice President of OCG Creative and mom of two, active kids, Jill also knows first-hand what it means to cultivate and foster long-lasting relationships, both in business and life. In fact, one of her favorite quotes highlights her life philosophy perfectly:
"One of my favorite sayings is, ‘it is a rare person who can take care of business while taking care of hearts,’ and that is exactly how I live my life. I truly believe that the more enriching your relationships, the more successful your business.”- Jill Rutherford
Jill merged with OCG Creative in 2008, fully immersing herself in the fast-paced landscape of digital marketing. Prior to that, she owned her own advertising agency for 15 years, serving a wide variety of clients throughout Northern Nevada. Today, OCG Creative is a full-service marketing company that specializes in web design, internet marketing, and print solutions. As a seasoned marketing professional, Jill prides herself on providing the best possible marketing services and support for her clients. When she’s not leading her team or jugging projects, Jill enjoys volunteering in the community with the Reno Rodeo Association, which she has done for 23 years, and donating time and marketing services to the Down Syndrome Network.
After a wonderful lunch was served, the afternoon also included a speech from keynote speaker, Dr. Erin Oksol, who is an expert on cognitive-behavioral psychology. We all left with an important message of adapting a "growth" mindset. It was a great message for all of us, and something that Jill, as a marketing professional and leader, exhibits in all that she does. Read more about Jill Rutherford at the Northern Nevada Business Weekly.
