Kristin Colier

I just came back from a local Meetup and felt like I needed to take a shower afterward.

The topic was Social Media Marketing in Georgia. Up my alley, right?

I’m not trying to be a snob here, but the presenter vaguely broached the subject of whom to “friend” on Facebook and why, then opened the floor up to audience members who ranged in age from 25 – 75, and there was a lot of “who the heck cares if I’m eating a turkey sandwich?” and “why would my prospects want to see pictures of me in third grade?” There was no comparison of different Social Networks (LinkedIn, Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace) or what level of intimacy was appropriate on any. There is clearly resistance in adopting this (and most) technology and skepticism of this new way of interacting.

I suddenly felt I was not in a seminar, or even a networking group but in a large group therapy session which ended with the therapist (presenter) saying, “you’ve been great today everybody, I think we’ve made real progress… buy my book and you’ll really be on your way.”

Which leads to unconscious SoMed users like these in How To Suck At Facebook. (What a timely link I received today. Thanks @urbanreporter)

But, that’s not even the part that made me feel dirty. Many of the people I met there’s sole purpose for being there was to use social media to make money. I don’t have any problem with people wanting to make money. I don’t have any problem with people leveraging social media tools to propel their businesses. That’s what I do. That’s what I help others do. But the majority (ok, most vocal) of participants seemed to be adopting a technology against their instincts which inevitably leads to abuse.

The difference: I help small businesses take their products, their ideas and their passions online so they can genuinely connect with the people that want them.

The internet (and the recession) has opened new doors for individuals to connect with people who share their interests and even make a business around it.
It has also created a slew of people that see dollar signs when they look at the potential of the internet and exploit every aspect of it in order to make easy money.

It reminds me of the old “Make Money While Working from Home” scams. You send $15 to them and they tell you how to mail out thousands of “Make Money while Working at Home” letters. No substance. No Authenticity. Just cluttering it up for the rest of us while we attempt to sincerely bridge societies through common interests, they are forging false pathways for personal gain. I met someone who dynamically creates blogs, aggregates content from other blogs and then automatically pushes and auto-promotes them. He thought it was genius, I thought it was a little… auto-erotic for lack of a better term. I guess this is just another lesson in learning to separate the players from the good guys.

So I may be an idealist. OK, I am an idealist. But please understand the difference between an internet opportunity and an internet opportunist and know into which camp you or your mentors fall.

This presentation may help drive my point home.
One of the key phrases: Social Media is NOT just a New Messaging Channel.

So – headed off to SoCon this weekend where I hope/expect to find the more enlightened and curious Social Networkers rather than the “I smell money” crowd. This is my third year attending and my, how things (me mostly) have changed. After SoCon08 I joined Facebook. After SoCon09 I started using Twitter. I can’t wait to see what new social technology will change my life next.

Namasté
-Kristin

I recently had another fabulous connection made possible only by Social Networking – namely Facebook. A friend and I decided to use her soon-to-expire frequent flier miles on a spontaneous trip to Santa Fe, NM. I sent a message to an old high school friend that lives there now and asked about places to stay, things to do and so on. He offered to let us stay at his place, and he and his girlfriend ended up being the most fabulous hosts we could have hoped for. Despite the cold (I had never heard of a “high desert” before, OK, I’m from NY), we ate, drank and were merry. We met some really fascinating people, including the Drepung Losling Tibetan monks, soaked in hot springs and absorbed the great art and culture that is Santa Fe.
In my opinion, a successful trip and more evidence of the upside of social networking making good things happen.

However, outside my Atlanta Social Media Scene bubble, as in Santa Fe, I often meet folks that find Facebook “creeps them out” a little. Especially in non tech-related fields. Is it just that artists and chefs and contractors are late-adopters and they’ll eventually get on board – exposing themselves like the rest of us? Or, do they anticipate a Big Brother future, where all privacy is lost?

Since I began exploring Social Media several years ago, I wondered… are we individually becoming more vulnerable or are we collectively becoming more open minded, more accepting of personalities in their entirety, not just the persona one takes on in various situations, but the whole package. As we become more personally-branded and less connected with a corporation, what is the long and short-term risk of “putting ourselves out there?”

First of all, I don’t buy into the “if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear” crap. The people that say that always have something to hide. In the immortal words of John Lennon “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except For Me and My Monkey.” I’m just adopting a more “take me as I am” attitude, I think.

(I’ll take any excuse to insert a Beatles Clip)

On the other hand, new technology has also provided a new level of anonymity. It allows people to be rude via tools such as Backnoise. It allows you to search for information you would never dare to ask a reference librarian (how to cure toe-fungus), or people (high school sweetheart) without leaving a wake of questions. It also lets people push their own agenda anonymously and consequence-free on many forums.
There are a lot of “lurkers” too – who read blog posts and join Facebook, but don’t comment or contribute… what is the long term impact of that I wonder?

I don’t really have any conclusions here, just more questions.

Do the benefits of “being connected” outweigh the consequences of “being exposed”? Where are we headed in 2010, and is it the right direction?

Happy New Year.
Tweet Me @KColier

Hi all –

I’ve been making websites for a long time. Before that I was making “user-friendly” software applications. The kind we used to buy off the shelf, in a box at CompUSA or Software, Etc. They came with several disks and a big user-manual.

I translated my human factors and usability expertise into web design. As in: it is not a very useful website – if it is frustrating or users can’t find what they are looking for.

Now, I have a new challenge. It doesn’t matter how good-looking, how user-friendly and how well-designed your website is if no one ever finds it.

So the last couple of years, I became an expert in SEO – helping my web clients be found on the internet by both optimizing their on-screen site content for search engines and build off-screen factors by encouraging them to become good “net citizens” by sharing their expertise on the internet (via blogs or contributing to forums).

This is an investment of time and resources – but the ROI is usually well worth the effort.

I’ve recently started managing paid search engine marketing campaigns (Google AdWords) for local small businesses by targeting just the area around their business. That is, where their customers live – and will most likely be searching from. (ie. most people don’t drive more than 5-10 miles for a hairdresser, gym, auto-mechanic, pizza, picture framer, etc.)

Full disclosure – among the other web technology things I get paid for (creating websites, graphic design, copywriting, SEO, etc.), I also manage online ad campaigns through AdzZoo. However, I won’t recommend this product if it’s not right for you. So, is PAYING to be found on Google right for your business?

Local online Search Engine Marketing (SEM) WILL bring more business to the following:

1. Do you have a storefront? One or more physical locations? Is your primary goal – to get people to walk into your store? Almost all consumers today look for new services online. No more yellow pages. You will definitely benefit from a Local Search Ad. Try this: Go to Google and search for your primary service. (Not your business name.) For example, “florist.” If your competitors are showing up under “Sponsored Links” and you are not, you are losing business… and Local SEM is right for you.
Examples:
Doctors
Medical Specialists
Opticians
Dentists
Hair Salons
Restaurants
Florists
Gift Shop
Nail Salon
Cleaners
Tailors
Yoga Studios
Athletic Clubs
Chiropractors
Spas/ Massage
Specialty Stores (Model Trains, Custom Embroidery, Sports Memorabilia, Comic Books)

2. Do you have a target service area? Even if you don’t have a store-front, many small local businesses, such as party-planners, insurance agents, house-cleaners, painters, plumbers and landscapers have a targeted geographical area. For example, within 20 miles of Metro Atlanta. Local targeted ads are great for you too. In fact, since Google knows the location of the “searcher,” local businesses are more relevant than big chains with no geo-targeting.
Examples:
Accountants / Financial Advisors
Insurance Agents
Caterers
Home improvement contractors (landscapers, painters, concrete, etc.)
Home repair (plumbing, roofing, HVAC)
In-home care (nursing, pet-sitting, massage)
Photographers
Event-planners
Event-performers (magicians, clowns, musicians)
Cleaning services
Suppliers

When Not to use Local Ads:

1. Do you have an online only business? – which sells software, services, gifts, etc. only over the internet, local targeted ads will not bring your best ROI. I’m not saying local ads won’t work for you – but an investment in strategic Search Engine Optimization and link-building may work better for you. Google AdWords campaigns will drive traffic to your site – but you are now paying to appear on all searches, not just locally – so expect to budget accordingly.

2. Is your business model based primarily on your content? If your website provides recipes, home improvement tips, business strategy, personal coaching… anything that is mostly there for the reading – at least before the buying happens, I strongly recommend you invest in a Search Engine Optimization/ Search Engine Marketing strategy. If you don’t have time to do it, hire a professional company. (Here’s one: http://prominentplacement.com)

OK – so that’s my quick and easy should you or shouldn’t you pay for Local Search Engine Marketing strategy.
I’d love your feedback.
If I left your business of the list – let me know…

Cheers!
-Kristin Colier
Technology Troubadour

You’ve all heard that good news travels fast and that bad news travels faster – or in marketing circles, one negative experience gets ten times more word-of-mouth than one positive one.

Here, I’d like to illustrate the impact of one negative experience, magnified over time…

I had the ‘pleasure’ of helping my mother shop for a new car this weekend. This is pretty big-ticket item and I bet the car industry would like to know what went through Mom’s head for the decision making process.
Mom had several simple criterion. Budget: around $15K, more leg room in the backseat than her current car and that it NOT be purchased from a Curry Auto dealership.

About 25 years ago, my mother was in the market for a car – after looking around, and considering several at the Curry dealer, the salesman said to her: “I know you probably want to go home and discuss it with your husband first.”

DOH! Not the right thing to say to a liberated, well-educated, recently-divorced woman. It pissed her off, she never went back and she bought her car elsewhere.

Fast forward to this past weekend…it appears Curry has taken over just about every car dealership in the Yorktown, Peekskill and Cortland area.

“Why, again, do we need to buy a car three towns over?” I asked her.

She said: Once when I was at the Curry dealer shopping for a car, the salesman said: “Hey, Little Lady, why don’t you come back when you’ve got your man with you and we’ll talk.”

When she tells this story, you hear the smarmy voice, smell the hair grease and imagine the too-tight plaid jacket. This cracked me up. Not only had she been re-telling this story for years until it evolved into something out of a movie (I’m picturing Danny DeVito here.) The single incident had played over in her head so many times that it seemed like it was Curry’s ongoing policy hire slimy, sexist jerks. Why would anyone want to buy a car there?

I suspect that Curry’s (real or imagined) misogynistic, old-school, good-ol’-boy sales force has since retired and been replaced with more progressive thinkers. Unbeknown to them, however, they are competing with stereotypes or misconceptions they probably didn’t even know existed among sixty-something year-old women that still have a bad taste in their mouth from years before. How much business do they lose? I don’t know, but as empty as the dealerships have been lately, every bit counts.

For most people, parting with $15,000 needs to satisfy an emotional component, not just a logical one… so we drove to another car dealership several towns over and bought Mom’s new car there.

Our marketing lesson of the day?

Well, you tell me…

There’s no question that Facebook has changed my life. I have reconnected with old friends and stayed in touch with people I probably never would have seen again. Plus, I’ve made lots of new friends.

Here’s a story I just have to share with you. If you are from Atlanta, or a fan of Top Chef (or both) you know Richard Blais – a finalist in Top Chef Season 4 and local Atlanta Celebrity. So – I “friended” Richard on Facebook. And he was kind enough to accept. He recently opened a new restaurant here in Atlanta called FLIP! Burger Boutique.

A couple weeks ago – my husband and I planned to meet some friends in town for dinner – and I suggested we go to FLIP! I sent a message to Richard telling him we were going on Saturday – would he be there? I would love to get a picture with him.

We get there on Saturday, after 9pm and there was still a 2+ hour wait for the table. As our party of six and stood in the parking lot contemplating (me wanting to wait, them wanting to eat sooner) out walked Richard Blais through the back door on his way home.

OMG! Yes, I was star struck – no one can use liquid Nitrogen like Chef Blais… So anyway – I said “Hi Richard – I sent you a message..” – he said “Hi, yes I remember from Facebook” – he asked if we were eating at FLIP! tonight and my friend Paul said the wait was too long. Then Richard said “Let me see what I can do…” He went back in and pushed us up the wait list. Told us to talk to Mike the Chef and so on…

What a great experience. Of course, Richard was extremely nice too… Which illustrates another good point about Social Media Networking: A small group of loyal followers will bring you closer to success than shotgun marketing to the marginally-interested.
Cheers! -Kristin

What is Search Engine Optimization and how does one do it effectively?

The goal of search engines is to match the “Searcher” (he who types a phrase in a search engine) with content (those most relevant websites to the search phrase.)

As soon as this concept was realized, there have been attempts to “trick” the search engines. Starting with white-on-white text, stuffing keywords and duplicating content – all in the name of higher rankings. These “Black hat” approaches are usually thwarted in the next Google or Yahoo search algorithm – and don’t make for a good net citizen regardless. So, if you don’t actually give away “free beer” – don’t put it in your meta tags – at the least it just pisses people off and at worst could get you blacklisted from Google.

So anyway – what are good, “White Hat” SEO practices?

1. First do your keyword research and find out what terms related to your product or service people are looking for. Be creative. I have one client that sells Gourmet Butter. This butter makes delicious sauces really easily for anyone that can melt butter. But – do people search for Gourmet Butter? No, more often they look for “easy recipes.” In fact, according to Google, over 1 million people searched for “easy recipes” in February and only 8,100 searched for gourmet butter. Another factor to consider is competition, of course – which leads to your KEI or Keyword Effectiveness Index. This also needs to be considered when selecting keywords, but I’ll get into that more another time. Let’s just assume for now you’ve picked your best keyword phrases to optimize on.

2. Put your keywords in your Meta Tags: these are your page title, page keywords, and page description. It is best to use separate meta tags for each page if you have significantly different content on each page.

3. Put your keywords in your H1 and H2 tags. Rather than have an H1 tag called “About Our Products” – instead use “Butter Ingredients” or “Recipes using our Butter” – this gives the spiders (search engine bots) some idea of what content is to follow and whether it’s relevant to the search query.

4. Put alt tags on your images with – you guessed it, keywords. Now might be a good time to get into the nature of spiders. They are blind. When they index your site (yet another term to be defined later) they crawl without seeing table structure, or images, or flash, or cool graphics… they just look for text. So put alt tags on your images that say something other than “foodpicture5.jpg.” Try “Balsamic and Shallot butter is great on steak, fish and pasta.” That way even a blind person (or spider) can read what you are trying to illustrate.

5. Use a CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) based web design. Back in the old days, everyone put their style formatting right there with the content. Try reading this: TABLE: BOLD:LARGE:FONT=TIMES:MY BUTTER IS BETTER:END LARGE:END FONT:END BOLD:END TABLE.
Where’s the Beef? (as anyone my age might appreciate). It’s hiding between the buns. So – the beauty of CSS, is that it moves all the styling away from the content. Not only does this make it W3C compliant (the web standard), more accessible for mobile and specialty devices (blind readers), easier to update your look and feel (see csszengarden.com) but also more spiderable based on actual content not style text. More Beef, Less Bun.

6. Use meaningful keywords in your links. Stop with the “For More Info Click here…” That is a wasted opportunity. Try “More Simple Sauce Recipes.” Use keywords in the link, linking to more relevant information for the user.

7. Use keywords in your content.

Change: Our products are really good. You should try them. They are delicious and so easy to use. Even you can impress even the most judgmental of in-laws.

To: These Gourmet Butters are terrific and enhance any recipe. Try the Wasabi-Soy on Mahi Mahi, Steak, Pasta or Chicken. Break out your “Kiss the Cook” apron and impress your mother-in-law with these simple recipes.

(Add links on Gourmet Butters and Simple Recipes for bonus points.)

Well – that’s it for now. I haven’t even touched on Link-Building yet. (Maybe next time).
Hint: Posting a link back to your site on every blog, twitter or other Social Media outlet is not the answer.

Until next time.
Cheers.
-Kristin

Oh, and by the way if you want some Delicious Gourmet Butter…

I’ve got two elementary school-aged kids who just came home with report cards. Two very different kids, two very different strategies for navigating through school, and life. Two different parenting messages to convey.

Tip One: Give yourself a break. My 11 year-old daughter was extremely disappointed to have one B among all her A’s. She is a “pleaser” and anything less than perfect can be very upsetting. Call it a first born, Libra or “girl” thing, it doesn’t matter. I wish she would ease up on herself a bit. Mistakes are not a thing to be dreaded, they are to be learned from and then move on.

She is sometimes paralyzed to try new things for fear of not being great at them. She gave up on trying to ride a bike for fear of falling. We all know, the older you get – the harder it hurts when you fall. Both physically and metaphorically. But the best rewards come from trying the most challenging things and living to tell the tale.

In business as in life, only when you are being challenged are headed in the right direction.

Tip Two: Do your best. And then we have my son, second born, Taurus, Year of the Newt, I don’t know what the reason is, but he is the proponent of the philosophy “good enough.” He goes through his homework as fast as he can – often making simple mistakes – and not re-checking his work. “He’s not working up to his potential.” As is the standard teacher line.

But on the other hand, he is not afraid of failure. He’ll try new games, and keep practicing until he’s really good. He learned to ride a bike and then next wanted to learn tricks on it. The falling was one step closer to the success.

So where is the wisdom in this when he is getting C’s and D’s on his report card? He must learn to differentiate between accepting setbacks gracefully as a byproduct of ambition and only striving for mediocre. You might land in the same place – but the neural pathways created by the experience are entirely different.

I don’t require straight A’s from my children. I just want them to do the best they can, accept challenges as part of process and forgive themselves along the journey. The sooner we all figure this out, the more successful we will be.

Cheers.
-Kristin

Hi all -  As the economy “does it’s thing”  (no need to get into that now), I keep hearing it’s a freelancers market out there.   There are definitely pros and cons to the corporate life, but having been there, done that, and thrown out the leftover business cards – I’ve opted for the flexibility and variety that freelancing offers.   So, if you’ve made that decision too, but not sure what to do next, this list is for you.

1. Establish your Personal Brand.
List your talents and attributes and things that make you unique.  Are you a writer? Or are you a sports writer, humorist, community fly-on-wall?  It’s worth taking a little while to get it right, because you then want to incorporate your personal brand onto your website, your business cards and your message.  Consider a personal logo or color scheme.
David Cohen is a colleague and expert on the subject of branding.

2. Get Online
Even if you are an organic soybean farmer, in today’s market – you must have a relevant internet presence.
A simple blog, can be established for free in 10 minutes. www.wordpress.com.  With a little more time and effort you can add a unique look and feel and all sorts of functionality.

3. Follow the Leader
I don’t mean steal someone’s business idea, just learn from the best.  Do research.  Is there someone in your field you admire?  Buy their book, read their blog, take their advice.  Most successful entrepreneurs are happy to mentor and help you learn from their mistakes.  See what works, then differentiate into your own niche.  You soon will have followers of your own.

4. Network.
Join groups on Facebook and LinkedIn, but also get out in person to local Meetups, conferences, business associations and so on.  When I was helping a friend with his gourmet butter business, I discovered there was an official Association for Dressings and Sauces.  There is something for every niche.  If there isn’t, start one.

Let people know what you do, and foster genuine relationships with people.

When I was in Nashville at a songwriting conference I learned a rule about Open Mike etiquette which applies here as well.  In Nashville, there are Open Mike Nights all over the city, and some of the more impatient up-and-comers, sign up for several different shows a night, wait their turn, play their song and leave for the next one.  They don’t stay and listen to the other artists up on stage hoping to get their big break, they don’t mingle in the bar with the audience and other aspiring musicians and songwriters.  This will get you noticed, but not in a good way.

Everyone thinks their own song (story, business plan, idea) is the best.  But the best music that comes out of Nashville usually comes from collaborative talent, established relationships and artists “getting out there.”

When you network, be sure to listen as well as sing.

5. Get Down to Business
This is my least favorite part, which makes it all that much more important to have on the to-do list.
Figure out the billing, invoicing, taxes, cost overhead required and how to stay organized.  Find tools for project management, customer management, payment processing, etc.  Here’s a starting point: 85+ Freelancer Tools

Best of Luck!
-Kristin

1. What is the purpose(s) of the site?
Here are some possibilities.

• Drive Revenue / Reduce Cost.
• Generate leads.
• Sell stuff online.
• Brochure for your Product or Service.
• Provide Customer Support.
• Go-to site for a Special Interest Group.
• Raise your profile

2. Who is your target audience?

• Potential Customers
• Existing Customers
• Only people you invite
• Authorized users only
• Anyone who can find it
• Only prequalified customers

3. What is your budget? Consider cost of both initial design and development and the cost for on-going maintenance. What’s your Return On Investment (ROI) goal?  Be realistic. If you are creating a family reunion website – you probably don’t need to hire a graphic designer to create a template or logo.  If you are growing your own business, you may want to invest in a unique brand and design.  Some costs to consider:

• Branding/ Logo / Unique Design required
• Payment Processing required?  Usually an additional monthly charge.  What kind of volume? What kind of payments (credit card/ paypal, etc).  Refund policy?
• Bandwidth and storage requirements.  Will customers be downloading large video files from your site?   Do you have a growth plan as your site grows? (Most hosting providers have different billing plans based on bandwidth/ storage usage.)
• Site Maintenance.  Who is going to update your site?  Budget for training if necessary or for paying a consultant to make changes when needed.
• Marketing/ Link Building/ Keyword Analysis.  If you want to drive qualified traffic to your site through natural search engine optimization, you will need an expert to help determine the best keywords to use on your site and ensure that your target audience can find you.  This too can be part of an on-going maintenance plan.
• Pay-per-click.  If you have a high sales ratio (ie. percentage of people that get to your site and buy) you’ll want to consider a pay-per-click strategy.  Cost depends on the popularity of the keywords you bid on among other things.
• Custom Development.  Many times businesses have unique requests that require custom development.  The good news is most websites allow open-source add-on solutions.  Be sure to match your expectations of what a web site can do – with what you are willing to spend.  Many big name websites that you see on the internet have huge budgets and large teams working exclusively on them.  As a small organization creating an internet presence – I suggest starting with the basics, and grow as the business grows.

4. What is your domain name?  Do you own it? Who is it registered with? Who has the username and password?  Do you have the .com, .net or .org of the same name or possible misspellings?  These may seem like simple questions – but many times have I seen a website completed, only to have the launch delayed because no one knew who manged the domain names or the domain name was already taken.

5. What is your email plan?  Will you be creating and managing company email through the new domain name – (ie. kristin@kristincolier.com) or keeping another email provider. (kcolier@gmail.com).  Again – simple question, complicated answers may come at launch time.

6. Can I do this myself cheaper?  The answer is – yes.

Just about anyone can create an internet presence practically for free.  There are two problems with this though.

1. There is a learning curve which is usually not cost effective for most entrepreneurs.  It draws your time and effort away from your own core business.  And unless that business is designing websites – it tends to be obsolete knowledge by the next time you try and update/ create a website.
2. Your website is like an employee of your company.  It represents you. It answers questions about your business 24/7.  It is an invaluable tool in making a positive impression on your target audience AND turning those site visitors into customers, subscribers or fans.  A web presence alone cannot do that for you.

A well-designed, well-planned and well-executed website will work harder for you than most any other investment.

Come armed with these answers and your next project will be a success!
Cheers,
Kristin

Welcome to the first post of my new and improved blog.