Social Media MarketingMirna Bard

The Best Way to Blog for SEO – A Beginner’s Guide
Posted Aug 30th, 2011 By Mirna Bard in Blogging, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) With | 1 Comment

Are you clueless on how to blog for SEO? This beginner’s guide will take you through simple steps on how to get your blog posts in tip top shape for when the search bots come crawling.

Why Blog for SEO?

There’s two very good reasons you should do this, which lead me to put together this beginner’s guide on how to blog for SEO.

1. Since you’re already taking the time to write the blog, so you might as well know how to blog for SEO.

2. It will help drive extra traffic to your blog in the long term – which is why you’re blogging right?

How to Blog for SEO

First you should plan out your blog post. It might seem like extra work, but believe me it will make the whole process a lot easier. You can download the plan I used to prepare this blog for SEO here.

Topic – First you’ll need to decide on the topic you’ll be blogging about. Ideally it should be a trending topic or something you know is popular with your target audience. There’s no point writing about something no one’s interested in.

Keywords – Probably the most important consideration when tailoring your blog for seo is the keywords you’ll use. Once you’ve decided on your topic, the best way to select keywords is to head on over to the google keyword tool, which will show you a bunch of suggestions for the topic you enter. Ideally try to choose 2 or 3 phrases which have high search traffic and low competition. If you downloaded the plan I used for this post, you’ll see that the phrases I’ve selected are ‘blog for seo’, ‘how to blog’ and ‘beginner’s guide’, which all have low competition and searches in the thousands. (more…)
Looking Beyond Social Media Hype
Posted Apr 29th, 2010 By Mirna Bard in Social Media With | 4 Comments

Due to being blinded by hype and caught in an emotional rush of excitement and hope, many small business owners have been jumping on the social media bandwagon. As a social media consultant, I am anti-hype. Don’t get me wrong, social media has opened many doors of opportunity for businesses, and it does touch every part of a business (not just marketing). As small business owners you have to remember to not be easily swayed by “shiny new tools” just because everyone is using them and thinks they are the “holy grail” of the online world. It is paramount to look beyond the hype, take the time to learn the correct way to use social media, and implement the strategy that is suitable for your business.

If you’ve been observing what many companies are doing online, you’ve probably noticed that many brands have been tremendously succeeding with social media. Did they succeed overnight? Absolutely not. These brands have taken the time to understand social media as well as brainstormed and strategized before deciding to take the plunge. The truth is social media should always come last in any planning you do for your business. It is also important to understand that social media is not the end-all solution to your business problems, and it should never be used as a replacement strategy or as a stand-alone.

There are 10 essential steps that need to be taken before you dive into social media. One of my favorite mentors, Dr. Ivan Misner has listed them on “Networking Now,” an Entrepreneur.com blog — Looking Beyond the Hype to Get Started with Social Media.

Enjoy!
Ask Mirna: Should I Use an Intern to Manage My Social Media?
Posted Apr 20th, 2010 By Mirna Bard in Ask Mirna, Social Media With | 11 Comments

QUESTION:

“I met a social media strategist at a networking event last week who recommended I get a summer intern since I don’t have time to manage my social media. I read your blog and find your tips very helpful and easy to follow. Would it be possible to please share your opinion on this?” — Barbara H.

ANSWER:

Hi Barbara. Thank you, I am glad you find my blog helpful. My answer is absolutely NOT. First, please run if a social media strategist told you this. I mean it .

Second, I want you to answer these questions: Will an intern understand your objectives, products/services, competition, etc? Will an intern be as passionate about your business as you or someone who is employed by you? Can an intern build relationships for you online and be able to answer questions, share their expertise, and respond to negative comments? Do you want that person to be the voice of your company? Do you want to keep training new interns every quarter? The answer to all these questions is mostly likely NO, right?

Using social media is a long-term process that should to be handled by someone who has been fully-trained and has enough knowledge about every aspect of your business. You also need someone who is passionate about your industry and brand. And, depending on the size of your company, you may need more than one person.

However, there are a few tasks that may be good for an intern, such as certain kinds of research, building reports, uploading blog posts and videos, starting new accounts for you, etc. Basically, these are the simple tasks that don’t require for them to have a voice for your company online.

I hope this helps and thanks again for submitting your question.

If you would like to get your questions answered by Mirna, please visit the Ask Mirna page.
“Who’s Blogging What” About Social Media in 2010 eBook from HubSpot
Posted Apr 18th, 2010 By Mirna Bard in Social Media With | No Comments
Thanks to HubSpot, you can now have a free download of the “Who’s Blogging What” about social media in 2010 eBook. Read the collective wisdom of over 30 top marketing bloggers who made predictions for social media in 2010. My predictions are on page 30, so make sure you take a peek!

You can also read what we had to say about benchmarks marketers can use to measure social media ROI, and how you can separate hype from reality in social media marketing.
Download “Who’s Blogging What” about social media in 2010 eBook.
The 21 Essential C’s of Social Media
Posted Apr 15th, 2010 By Mirna Bard in Social Media, Social Networking With | 15 Comments

To succeed with social media, you must be open-minded enough to embrace its many essential elements. Here are the 21 essential C’s of social media listed in alphabetical order:

1. Caring

The essence of social media is caring. Consumers want companies they do business with to show that they care enough to listen to their comments, complaints, opinions, ideas, etc. They want to feel important and appreciated. Customers know when you genuinely care, and they are willing and ready to reciprocate.

2. Change

The rules of marketing, public relations, advertising, and communication tools are changing at the speed of light. In order to succeed with social media, you must be ready to embrace, adapt to, and influence change.

3. Character

Character is your online identity or brand, which is an extremely important element. Consumers want to know who the human behind the brand is. Social media helps to humanize your brand. People want to do business with a person (YOU), not an object. Being authentic and letting your true personality shine through social media makes a huge difference to your audience. The more they know about your personality, the more they feel comfortable to do business with you. So, don’t think people can’t see that just because you are hiding behind a computer.

4. Clarity

When you are trying to communicate your message online, clarity is number one. Confused consumers want someone that can clarify things for them. They do not buy if messages are ambiguous or complicated. They buy when you have simply and clearly solved their problem.

5. Collaboration

Social media enables us to tap into the collective wisdom of our audience (crowdsourcing, which is another “C” of social media). Many social media tools are designed to help us work jointly with our customers, employees, partners, investors as well as competitors.

6. Commitment

Too many people are saying social media is free. Since when did true time commitment and dedication to our businesses become free? Social media is not rocket science, but you have only scratched the surface if you jumped on the social media bandwagon without a plan. To stay on track and have social media not be a time-waster for you, it takes a solid plan as well as serious commitment to stick to that plan and make adjustments as needed.

7. Communication

Communication has always been an essential element for enhancing relationships offline or online. You are now able to communicate with your audience across the globe faster than ever before due to social media. Remember, marketing on the social web is not about getting your stories out through one-way communication, but rather two-way communication. (more…)