4. February 2012 by Frank Goad.

I’ve been working with a client on an Internet advertising proposal. They sent me a note and said, “We have a new client that works on websites and seo’s (sic). I am sure you understand.” I do, but not sure they do and I wonder, do you? Let me explain it a bit so that you can make more money from your site.

First let me say: SEO is NOT advertising - not even close. SEO, or search engine optimization, is important - no doubt about that. It’s function is to make your website attractive to the “crawlers” (also called “robots” or “spiders”) that the search engines like Google send out daily to examine every website they can find. Crawlers send bits of programming code back to the search engine that details the content of the sites they find, yours included.

If you sell blue handled shelf stretchers and someone enters “shelf stretchers” in a search box and hits Enter, the search engine’s servers kick into gear. They look through their lists of data to find every website with those two words in their keywords and page’s text. If they enter “red handled shelf stretcher,” you’re now pushed down the list because you sell blue ones. The more times they see those words in your web, the higher your “relevancy” ranking. This is where SEO comes in. By entering the right keywords, you get picked more in the lists of sites the search engines display.

If keywords were the only thing Google and others use to rank websites, then SEO might be enough. The fact is it’s only one small part of the relevancy formula. One big thing that makes a difference is … money. Despite how democratic the web might seem, filthy lucre is the biggest determining factor, and that’s where advertising comes in. Higher rankings mean you get closer to the Holy Grail of being first in non-paid advertising.

Postscript:  From when I first posted this, they are now out of business. Sometimes I hate it when I’m right. In the end, a balanced approach across all types of media (if they apply) still gives the best results; also, hire a pro (and, yes, I am a pro).

Posted in Google, Social Media, Yahoo, YouTube, blogging, blogs, FrankyGee3, Frank Goad, Frank, Advertising, The Long Tail, business, Frank Communications, building business, Marketing | Print | No Comments »

4. February 2012 by Frank Goad.

The previous installment covered content, scripting, talent (who’s on camera) and length. This time, it’s about one thing … well three things in one, actually: Content – what is important in your script? Sounds easy, but it’s far from it. Please read on.I’ve been in communications for over thirty years and, to me, it boils down to three things that your audience needs to accept your message and consider you as a good source for video. They are: Confidence, Trust and Engagement.

Do you think confidence and trust are the same. Sorry, but they’re not. Confidence is about them believing you know what you’re talking about. Can they believe what you say? Does it sound like bull or the real thing? To build confidence, humbly let them know what your background is. Notice I’ve already mentioned how long I’ve been doing this, and you probably thought – even if not consciously – “Well, if he’s done it that long, he’s got to know something.” (“I do,” he said blushingly.) Notice that I didn’t say, “I’m an expert with … ,” because words like expert, guru, master, etc., are titles that others give you. I routinely go through my social media accounts and delete anyone who says they are a “guru” or “master” because they never are. Let your experience do the talking.

What can you say to prove you know what you’re talking about? Can people see other things you’ve done? Do you have a good place where they can find them, like a blog or a Flickr account or a website? Just as employers want to see your résumé, people want to see your work. Seeing what you’ve done lets them make up their mind if they want to listen to you and believe you. It’s okay to put your experience out there, just be thorough, accurate, honest and a bit humble. If you’re just getting started, well, everyone has to start somewhere and now is your time.

Trust is something that builds after they get confidence in you. What good is it to have confidence in your ability to bring information regularly, but not trust everything you say? Trust means coming to you as a prime source of information delivered in a way that let’s them use it, and so that they can also share it with friends – people rarely share things they don’t trust. For instance, a phrase you don’t hear: “Check this pistol. It’s pretty flaky so don’t get mad because it will probably shoot your finger off.” Confidence brings them to you (well, that and curiosity or a referral) and trust keeps them there.

Your audience must trust your work to be accurate and fair in what you say. Sure, you can go with bombast and incendiary topics, but audiences who respond to that are, generally speaking, fickle and fade quickly. You want a dependable, long-lasting audience.

Next is engagement. How are you going to talk with them? What can you say to engage them in a conversation? It might be one sided, but what do you have that will hold their interest? Do you have info that they can’t do without, or that you format in a way that gives lots of direction to the best sources? How is your delivery? Are you engaging on camera? Have you studied the techniques of television personalities you like?

A caution: Be honest with yourself and find someone who looks and sounds a bit like you. If you look like Jonah Hill, Bobby Hill, Eric Cartman, the dancing creepy old guy on the Six Flags ads, Tommy Lee Jones or Jack Black, don’t emulate Matt Damon, Bruce Willis or George Clooney. Sure, take hints from their delivery, but be who you are just like all the ones in the first group. Use it to your advantage – poke a little fun at yourself and go with what you have. You are the most engaging person once you get a rhythm and learn a bit about delivering lines on-camera.

Get feedback from friends (careful asking family as their boundaries can be a bit far out) and watch yourself on the screen as objectively as you can. It’s tough to get a natural delivery and only a few have a totally believable delivery (they’re called stars – see the names mentioned above), so accept that you’re an amateur and have fun with it. If you take yourself too seriously, your audience won’t take you seriously at all. It takes time and practice so, keep at it and have fun.

Think of it this way: There are lots of grocery stores and restaurants, but we usually have a favorite. We drive past others to get there and do so gladly. Your audience will listen to you for reasons you might never know, but they’re there. The size of your audience is less important than their loyalty, and your consistently good work will keep them coming back.

As to your scripts, use small words and active phrases. Avoid the words will, should, could, might, etc., and use active words like is, does, has, goes, etc. “He might have a chance if the playoffs go well,” vs. “He has a chance with good playoff performance.” Which is more engaging and exciting – yea, the second one. Make statements, but make ones you can stand behind.

That’s it for today boys and girls. Here’s another one of mine that was well received. Cheers!

Who Defines Your Brand? From Business Lexington’s “Smiley Pete TV” channel on YouTube.

Please subscribe to this blog - it’s easy. Scroll down the left side of the page, at the bottom of the lists, there’s a box titled, “Meta.” Click where it says, “Entries,” and it’ll open a window to choose how you want to receive notices (email, etc.). Thanks!!!!!

How about some Facebook – please Like my page: Frank Communications Lexington

Also, there are videos on my YouTube channel, Franky Gee Lex, or at Business Lexington’s Channel, Smiley Pete TV, where I’ve got about 35 or so videos, many with folks I’ve interviewed.

Oh, yes, there’s my LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and Quora. There are more, but that’s enough. Thanks!!

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1. February 2012 by Frank Goad.

Video is about the most powerful tool on the web. YouTube has upgraded its looks and layout and has added more business-friendly features. Your YouTube or Vimeo channel can be your best marketing and advertising tool. In another post, I’ll talk about do-it-yourself video (cameras, mics, etc.), but today’s post (and a couple more in the future) is about the very basics of content.

First, remember to talk with your customers and prospects, not “at” them. Offer them information they can use in their everyday lives. If all you do is throw sales pitches out on the Web, you’ll soon be avoided, and then forgotten. Every business today must learn to help people understand why your product or service is important. If you help them understand that without resorting to a hard sell, they’ll respect you and be interested. Be an adviser, a purveyor of useful info, not a sales person.

Let’s say you sell fire extinguishers - the need for one in the home or office is obvious. What folks should also know is how to prevent fires or when to abandon that nice extinguisher and head for the door. Talk about advances in alarms and new fire-retardant fabrics. Do stories on new government regulations that might impact how they do their business, or force them to replace things to meet new fire safety codes. If you love your business, you’ll have much information to pass along in a video.

While you might be good at “winging it,” script what you want to say. Don’t get flowery or try to be profound, tell them what they should know simply and pleasantly. Put a computer monitor directly under the camera’s lens and put your script in PowerPoint. Use only the top third of the screen for your PowerPoint and have someone change the slides for you. Be sure to stand back about fifteen feet so that your script reading is less noticeable. If you’re close they’ll see your eyes looking under the lens, but standing back farther reduces that effect. Keep your shot from the waist up because close-ups can be dangerous unless you’re Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie.

Who should be on camera? You might be a great talent on video, or you might be bad, but at least give it a shot. If someone says, “Gee, you really ought to think about getting some help with that,” take it graciously. Not everyone is suited for doing video. Park your ego at the door because the last thing you want is a poor delivery distracting people from the message. The same goes for your family - just because little Sally or Johnny are really cute and smart, that doesn’t mean they or any other family member should be on the video. The main thing is to get folks to take you seriously and listen to the message, not be distracted by the person delivering it.

Keep the message to three minutes or less. Just about anyone will watch a three-minute video IF it’s interesting. If you can say it in two minutes, all the better. Add a short intro with your logo and a little music; at the end put contact info, your website and so on. Buy some royalty-free music online because using a popular song will get you a call from a lawyer and maybe more than that. You can buy nice music for as little as $5 for a song to use as your theme music; maybe less. Use the music at the open and close of the video.

This is barely the tip of the iceberg. Remember that the purpose is to let folks know you know what you’re doing, and to build rapport with them.  In part II of this series, we’ll talk about how to let folks know you have something for them to watch. I’ve put a link to one of the videos I’ve done so that you can see what I’m talking about. These were done in a small space with a decent camera and a couple of lights - very inexpensive, but still effective enough that Capella University picked it up for their online marketing classes. Cheers!

Positioning: A Core Element of Your Brand  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VmCx8Ic7qw&list=UUxvxQU1n03Fh301TbAzgxRQ&index=16&feature=plcp

Please subscribe to this blog - it’s easy. Scroll down the left side of the page, at the bottom of the lists, there’s a box titled, “Meta.” Click where it says, “Entries,” and it’ll open a window to choose how you want to receive notices (email, etc.). Thanks!!!!!

Or, how about some Facebook – please Like my page: Frank Communications Lexington

Also, there are videos on my YouTube channel, Franky Gee Lex, or at Business Lexington’s Channel, Smiley Pete TV, where I’ve got about 35 or so videos, many with folks I’ve interviewed.

Oh, yes, there’s my LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and Quora. There are more, but that’s enough. Thanks!!

Posted in YouTube, Video, Sales, Video Production, Google, Social Media, Advertising, Public relations, business, relationships, Marketing | Print | No Comments »