PTE on Social Fresh East 2013

 

By: Tiffany Whitaker

Communications Ally

In April our Grand Poobah, Samantha Scott, APR, gave us (me and Alex Fernandez, our Internet Marketing Strategist) the incredible opportunity to attend the 2013 Social Fresh East conference in Tampa, Florida. The event included numerous guest speakers presenting a wide range companies.  From JetBlue to ESPN to author and marketer, Chris Brogan, we were inundated with insights, thought provoking concepts and marketing advice from top strategists in the industry.  Here of a few highlights from segments and that inspired me:

Don’t worry about content, worry about “Youtility”

In Jay Baer’s segment, Youtility: Why Smart Companies are Helping, not Selling, he talked about a kind of marketing that was so useful, people would pay for it. In a world where everyone is on social (your Mom, your sister, your grandparents, your best friend… and your favorite hang-out), companies are competing for attention.  Mr. Baer, a best-selling author, asked, “Are you more interesting than my wife?” That’s the level your content needs to be at!

So, what is “Youtility”? In summary, it’s content that educates, informs, helps the customer… it answers the consumer’s questions. Did you know B2B customers contact a sales representative after more than 70% of the purchase decision is already made? He offered up a great example executed by Hilton Hotels and their activity on Twitter. A customer of Magnolia Hotel, a competitor, on Twitter asked where there were some good local restaurants in the area. Hilton Hotels responded with helpful suggestions. Do you think the chance of that customer checking for a room a Hilton Hotel will increase on their next visit? Most likely.

Remember, Youtility is not a project; it is a process that never ends.

If Content is King, Connection is Queen

Ted Rubin, a leading social media strategist, provided insight into content creation, building relationships, and connecting. In his segment, Content Creation is the Ultimate Fan Advocacy, Mr. Rubin pointed out a common question we (social media advocates) hear from potential clients all the time, “What is the ROI of social? He went on to explain that the answer is… actually another question.

What is the ROI of Trust? Loyalty? Social media is a means of building relationships with your customers and to do that we must provide emotionally connected content! So, how do you connect with people in a way that builds a relationship? Build trust. With interaction as a foundation, a company must be true to their word, authentic, genuine and consistent. He referenced Saks and how they hug their customers instead of just handing them a bag after a purchase.  On social media, look to embrace your customers, hear them, and aim for ongoing engagement. “Relationships are the new currency… honor them, invest in them, start measuring your ROR.”

Remember, social is not the relationship itself and just “being on social” is not enough to build relationships.

Don’t be Data Rich and Insight Poor

The Campbell Company’s leader of social media and digital marketing, Adam Kmiec stresses, “Don’t measure data if you’re not going to do something with it!” And you should be doing something with it. Mr. Kmiec’s segment, Building an Insights Driven Social Organization, focused on insights, not data. We must turn data into insights and insights into action or it’s useless.

So, how do you accomplish this? He advises finding the right platform to measure (and we know there are so many that is a feat in itself) is the first step. Decide what you want from the model/platform (part of the planning process we’ve stressed so many times before).  Then, choose the one that will get you the right data so that you are capable of gathering the insights you need. Leverage those insights by turning them into action. Simply, capitalize on strengths and improve where weak. Identify missed opportunities and take advantage of them moving forward.

Remember, having the numbers isn’t enough. That’s just the start. Use them to determine what’s working (and what isn’t) and then implement plans to enhance your efforts moving forward.

Hungry for more?

For more insights and advice on maximizing your social media efforts, visit our NEW website , follow us on Facebook, or give us a call at (239) 221-2858.

PTE Brings Home the Bling

 

 

By: Samantha Scott, APR

Grand Poobah / Owner

WOOT! Oh, sorry… that was our excitement sneaking out. I am so pleased to share with you the news from the recent Florida Public Relations Association Southwest Florida Chapter 2013 Image Awards… We won four Awards of Distinction and a Judges’ Award!

From L to R: Matt Mernin, Alex Fernandez, Tiffany Whitaker, Samantha Scott, APR and FPRA SWFL Chapter President, Jessica Clark, APR (photo courtesy of Full Circle Productions)

This is the sixth year in a row that our firm has been honored for outstanding communications campaigns bringing the award tally to twenty-four. We won  Awards of Distinction for the following programs: West Marine’s Fort Myers Flagship store grand opening, Blue Ridge Harley-Davidson’s Grand Reopening in Hickory, North Carolina, international publicity efforts on behalf of Specialists in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery and the company’s second annual food drive benefiting Community Cooperative Ministries, Inc. (CCMI), the CAN IT! Campaign. The Judges’ Award was also given in recognition of the CAN IT! Campaign.

An Award of Distinction highlights an outstanding public relations program while a Judges’ Award signifies maximum client exposure was achieved through the public relations program for the least amount of money.

The Florida Public Relations Association is a statewide organization designed to promote professional and ethical public relations through professional development and community involvement. For more information about the local chapter, please visit fpraswfl.org.

Congrats to all the entrants and all the winners! We were among great company and so proud of all of our fellow chapter members, entrants and winners.

The NEW GetPushing.com

We are excited to announce our company has a new home on the web! Pushing the Envelope, Inc. officially launched our new website last week.

The address is the same – getpushing.com – but the look and content has completely changed. With enhanced services information, free eBooks, and more, the website was produced in-house by two folks you may kn0w… our Interactive Web Developer Matt Mernin and Internet Marketing Strategist Alex Fernandez.

You can view examples of recent work, peruse our client list (impressive if we may say so ourselves, blushing) and learn more about the people that make up Pushing the Envelope, Inc.

It’s been a long time coming and we’re looking forward to adding even more features to it in the future, so if you have suggestions – send them over!

Four Quadrants of Time Management

 

 

By: Alex Fernandez

Internet Marketing Strategist

A couple weeks ago, we started a Productivity Series based on an awesome seminar that Matt Mernin and I attended for PTE. The seminar was on “Managing Multiple Priorities, Projects and Deadlines with Larry Singer from Fred Pryor Seminars. Hopefully you’ve gotten a chance to read part 1 of the Productivity Series, “5 Tips for Managing Your Email Inbox.”

This week, we’re sharing more from what we learned, on the topic of prioritizing! We have 168 hours in every week. That’s a lot of hours, but it can be wasted if we don’t do the right things, in the right order. Have you ever worked all day long – only to wrap up and think “I’ve gotten nothing done!”? Prioritizing is the process of designating in what specific order tasks should be handled. This is a rewarding process that ends with the satisfaction you feel, knowing that your most urgent and most important tasks are off your plate, leaving you with a manageable schedule.

One of the key takeaways from the seminar was the “Four Quadrants of Time Management,” adapted from the book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Steven R. Covey. The idea is that every task falls into one of four “quadrants”:

• Crisis: Urgent / Important
• Productivity: Not Urgent / Important
• Distraction: Urgent / Not Important
• Waste: Not Urgent / Not Important

The Four Quadrants of Time Management

• Waste: Covey recommends keeping these activities at a minimum – but be realistic. Everyone needs a sanity break from time to time. The idea is to keep these activities in check, but still partake every now and then.
• Distraction: These are all of the little distractions throughout your day. From people walking in to your office with questions, to phone calls and emails. Beware of forfeiting too much of your time here. You have a job to do!
• Productivity: This is obviously where we want to be. Planning for future success, being prepared, preventing problems before they happen, making new connections and broadening our horizons. This should take the most time out of your week.
• Crisis: Unavoidable at times, but this is NOT where you want to be. If things get pushed back to the last minute, and work is fast and frantic, mistakes will happen; valuable time will be lost. Sometimes there will be crisis, and it has to be handled before anything else – but the idea is to minimize it.

We have modified Covey’s model slightly, to reflect the 80/20 principle. The purpose of the Four Quadrants model is to maximize time spent on high importance / low urgency tasks. We have added recommended percentages next to each item to reflect the 80/20 rule.

• 80% of time = important tasks / 20% of time = not important tasks
• 80% of time = not urgent tasks / 20% of time = urgent tasks

• Example:
  • In the “Not Urgent” column, 75% productivity + 5% waste = 80%
  • In the “Important” row, 75% productivity + 5% crisis = 80%

Make sense?

TIP:

When you have multiple tasks of the same HIGH importance (welcome to the agency life), order them a few different ways to find the best one to start with:

• From least time consuming to most time consuming
• From most visible/impactful to least visible/impactful
• From items you can’t easily delegate to items you can easily delegate.

Now, try and think of your workweek so far…

Where has most of your time gone? Which quadrant would that time fall into? If you’re like I was before this seminar – you’re probably spending too much time dealing with unimportant tasks, which leads to crisis later on (as important tasks are left unaddressed today).

Hopefully, you’ll find use of the Four Quadrants of Time Management in your job. We only have so many hours in a week, and those hours need to be spent on the IMPORTANT tasks in our jobs. Keep checking back for more on the Productivity Series! Until then!

Note from the author: When you first start using this process, it may be difficult to adapt right off the bat. It may take a few days or even weeks depending on what has piled up for you in past months. There IS, however, a great reward once you reach your ideal productivity level. That reward is less stress. You won’t be constantly rushing, and you’ll be getting just as much (if not MORE) done, because you’ll be productive. So hang in there!

5 Tips for Managing Your Email Inbox

By: Alex Fernandez

Internet Marketing Strategist

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a seminar on productivity and managing multiple priorities in the workplace. It was an all-day seminar, called “Managing Multiple Priorities, Projects and Deadlines,” with Larry Singer from Fred Pryor Seminars. Throughout the day, it seemed to touch on a little of everything – from prioritizing, to delegating, to effective communications, and specific tips on topics like scheduling, time management and productivity. I would highly recommend any one in need of a productivity boost attend this seminar.

Since much of these concepts apply to ANY business, and most or our readers are business professionals, why not share the love? So, over the next few weeks, you’ll see a few blog entries on the subject of productivity – starting with this one: “5 Tips for Managing Your Email”.  Let’s begin!

5 Tips for Managing Your Email Inbox

#1: Schedule blocks of time for checking and managing your emails.

Your job title probably isn’t “Professional Email Checker,” so don’t let it take over your day. Working in an agency environment, much of my daily communication occurs via email. It’s fast, effective, documented, searchable… ideal really. However, it comes with some pitfalls. Sometimes, we receive SO much email, that it’s easy to lose track of time and waste hours of the day answering emails, rather than handling important, high-impact tasks.

Don’t… respond to emails immediately, in real time. It’s a surefire way to kill productivity. This is something that we have also learned from our friend Charly Caldwell II’s Internet Success Academy and Brendon Burchard’s High Performance Academy. One can only deduce that if multiple expert sources give the same exact advice, then the advice is indeed worth listening to.

Do… schedule blocks of time throughout your day to check and respond to emails.  Typically, I limit this time to 15-20 minutes, at the beginning of the day and after lunch. Sometimes I’ll check once before I go home. By limiting these email checks to 2-3 times per day, 30-60 minutes total, we can guarantee ourselves the remainder of the day is dedicated to doing our actual jobs! Novel idea.

#2: Check your inbox from the most recent to the least recent.

This is the EASIEST tip on this list to adopt. However, many of us mistakenly check emails by the order in which they were received. This is a mistake, because there might be a chain of emails that have already been taken care of before we get to it. By checking the most recent emails first, you are certain what the current status of the email conversation is before investing time into responding.

Tip: In many email programs, you can set up your inbox or any email folder to “group by conversation” making it easy to see if there is an email thread and quick to locate the emails within that thread.

#3: Keep your inbox clean.

Mr. Singer described email as “the modern-day paperwork.” Having an inbox full of unsorted or unread emails is just like having a giant pile of papers sitting on your desk. The problem with letting emails build up in your inbox is that you don’t really know what is on your plate (or what should be on your plate) – And when you finally get around to it, you waste valuable time figuring out what to address first.

By keeping your inbox clean, you can better prioritize your tasks. Prioritizing involves dealing with the most important, most urgent tasks first, and then moving on to the least important, least urgent tasks. By keeping a clean inbox, we can ensure that we have all the most current information on our projects, and we can plan our schedules around the tasks that have the highest priority. There are a number strategies we can use to keep a clean inbox two of which are my #4 and #5 tips for email productivity, below.

#4: Use advanced search terms.

When you first commit to cleaning your inbox (if you haven’t already), you will likely have a backlog of emails that need to be sorted into folders. To speed up the process of sorting your emails into folders, I highly recommend using advanced search terms. These are special terms you can enter in the search field in programs like Microsoft Outlook, Mac Mail, etc. The key is to use search queries along with Boolean operators in order to refine search results. Explanation of what that gibberish I just spewed out actually means below:

A query is a type of advanced search that sorts emails based on a certain criteria. Common queries include “FROM:”, “TO:”, “SUBJECT:”, and “CONTENT”:

• Example: “FROM:person@domain.com” or “FROM:name”
  
  • Function: display any emails that are from a certain email address
• Example: “TO:person@domain.com” or “TO:name”
  
  • Function: display any emails that are to a certain email address
• Example: “SUBJECT:keywords from subject line”
  • Function: display any emails with matching keywords in the subject line
• Example: “CONTENT:keywords from entire message”
  • Function: display any emails with matching keywords in the entire message

You can also use “Boolean Operators” to combine multiple queries using logic. For example, if you want to see all emails sent by person A, to person B, with a subject line that contains a certain keyword, you could use Boolean Operators. A couple common ones are “AND” and “OR”:

• Example: “AND”
  • Function: display any emails that match criteria of query 1 AND also match the criteria of query 2
• Example: “OR”
  • Function: display any emails that match criteria of query 1 OR match the criteria of query 2, but do not have to match both queries

Now, we can combine our search queries with Boolean operators, thus taking advantage of advanced search terms! For example:

• To combine the “FROM:” query with the “TO:” query,
  • Use this search term:
  • FROM:person1@domain.com AND TO:person2@domain.com

By using advanced search terms, you can efficiently get your backlog of emails sorted into the folders you need.

#5: Create smart mailboxes.

Most mail programs, like the ones previously mentioned, have a feature called “Smart Mailboxes”. These are mailboxes that search your inbox all of your other folders for messages that match a certain criteria, and fill themselves! These are a great tool for email productivity, because they are automatic.

Let’s say you have a person that you frequently communicate relating to one specific topic, you can create a smart mailbox that automatically populates with messages that are from that person or are sent to that person. In addition, you can setup these smart mailboxes with virtually any combination or search queries and Boolean operators listed above. So the better you get at using advanced search terms, the more accurate your smart mailbox will be at automatically sorting your email.

There ARE two minor drawbacks to smart mailboxes that you should keep in mind.

1. They are automatic, so what the smart mailbox displays is only as accurate as the logic of your search queries and Boolean operators. Since these are purely logic-based, they’re not for everyone and can be difficult to setup for some.
2. They do not clean your inbox! They display all messages from anywhere that match the criteria, which is a great convenience – HOWEVER, you should still take the time needed to actually clean your inbox. And don’t worry, when you sort your emails into folders, the smart mailboxes will still work just fine.

BONUS Tip: Ask yourself, “Is email the “RIGHT” format to get this particular message across?”

In James Borg’s Body Language: 7 Easy Lessons to Master the Silent Language, Borg states:

• 93% of communication has nothing to do with the message itself.
• 55% of communication is body language
• 38% of communication has to with our volume, tone of voice, or how we express ourselves
• 7% of communication is the message itself (what an email message would contain)

Before you invest time into composing an email message – if there is anything at all that could be taken the wrong way or misunderstood, reconsider email as the format. Perhaps make a phone call so the person can hear your tone of voice. Perhaps schedule an in-person meeting or Skype meeting so the person can see your body language. We’re human beings, and as efficient as email can SEEM it can sometimes be counter-productive if it’s not the best way to get our points across.

Thanks for checking out this week’s entry in our Productivity Series. Look out for more helpful entries in upcoming weeks that share what we learned in the seminar. We’re all about helping other businesses and business people succeed, and productivity is a big part of that!

You’re Only As Good As…

By: Samantha Scott, APR

Grand Poobah / Owner

In this week’s blog I’m going to focus on some internal things we can all do to better our chances of customer/client satisfaction and positive interactions with media – i.e. PR or public relations. In the end, we (businesses and business owners) are only as good as our teams or staff, and that’s in more ways than one.

“You’re only as strong as your weakest link.” – unknown

Internal Communication & Teamwork

Your staff, or team as we call it, is made up of individuals, each unique in his or her strengths and each playing a vital role in the success of your business. If you have great people then you probably provide excellent service or products for your customers (hopefully), but what are the internal communications like? Are the individuals talking to each other and forming a unit or working independently without knowledge of the others’ efforts?

Internal communication is often overlooked, but is equally important as external communications, or publicity/PR efforts. If your team isn’t on the same page, the message you communicate outwardly most certainly won’t be cohesive either.

Media Relations / Training

Scott Fischer, President & CEO of Scott Fischer Enterprises doing interviews with media at one of his stores, Rocket Harley-Davidson.

Maybe your staff is working together and your internal communications are strong. That’s great! Are they ready to speak about the business before media or other audiences? Media training is important for the spokespeople for the business (CEO, President, board, Executive Director, etc.), but also for staff.

We love  journalists, but also know they like to pop up unexpectedly or sometimes go by a business to do an interview without notice. If your staff haven’t been trained on how to answer questions or who to defer media representatives to, you could run into a problem.

Alternatively, who’s responsible for your media relations? Is there a designated person within the company who handle media inquiries, distributing news/news releases, etc.? If not, establish that now (or consider bringing in an outside resource, such as a PR firm) so you’re prepared before something newsworthy comes up or media relations is needed.

Customer Service

An example of positive customer feedback on Thunderbird Harley-Davidson’s Facebook page, one of Scott Fischer’s other stores.

Customer service is critical to a business’ success and can set it apart (positively or negatively) from competition. Is your staff living up to your expectations? Do you even know? Even if you’re not in the retail business, don’t assume your staff is adhering to high quality customer service. Know for a fact.

There are many ways to monitor this and to enhance it (even if you are on the ball). Consider doing secret shops, adding customer service surveys to the check out or post service process, ask for feedback and/or reviews. If your staff is doing an great job, reward them and try to develop new goals with incentives for reaching them (i.e. half day off paid if you receive 5 positive comments within a month, etc.). The positive impact outstanding customer service will offer could lead to positive word-of-mouth and possibly new business, so be sure to keep an eye on this and reward those employees who are excelling.

Reputation & Reputation Management

You’ve got a great team, they’re talking to each other and collaborating, they’re ready for media AND they’re providing outstanding customer service. Great job! Now, are you tracking that and your business’ reputation online? Monitoring customer feedback goes beyond asking a customer about their experience or reviewing a comment card. People are sharing their opinions online. If you’re not listening or paying attention to those opinions, you could end up paying for it in the long run.

There are many review sites such as Yelp, Yahoo! Local, Google Places and more that are general, covering all industries, and even more for specific, niche industries such as travel (TripAdvisor) or health (RateMyMD.com). Make sure to claim or set up your business on these sites and monitor what’s being said about your business. Respond to both the positive and negative comments. Learn from them, reward staff based on them, and grow from them. Better yet, get your team involved in asking for reviews on these sites and engage them in the process too.

Moving Forward

If you’re interested in setting your team up for success, or just have communications questions, give us a call at (239) 221-2858 or email us at info (at) getpushing.com. We’re happy to help!

The Many Languages of Communication

By: Tiffany Whitaker

Communication Ally, Pushing the Envelope

 As the new Communications Ally and team  member of Pushing the Envelope, I thought it fitting to write about Communications and its many languages.  However, I’m not talking about speaking French, English or sign language; I’m referring to the levels or stages upon which we interact.  I’ve recently found myself reading communications blogs of successful women from different walks of life, all of whom shared an interesting, yet entirely different perspective on communicating.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Body Language

Whether intentional movements  and expressions or natural reactions and projections, we are constantly communicating with our bodies and physical movements.  These behaviors are picked up by the person we are interacting with, and likewise.   Take notice of what you are projecting and interpret what the other person is telling you, communicating to you through their body language and gestures.

Language of Listen

You may recall Samantha’s interpretation of communication on this blog recently, The Passive Act of Communication: Listening.  She expresses the importance of two-way communication, showing the other person that “their input matters.”   Communication involves engaging the person you are interacting with, talking with them instead of at them.  Try asking questions, listen to what the other person has to say and truly hear their message.

Connecting

Beth Comstock, CMO at General Electric, shared a lesson she learned from former GE chairman and CEO Jack Welch after he hung up on her. After spending years in media and network news, she was too abrupt and she had to slow down.  He was asking her to take more time to relate to people she was “communicating” with; get to them, where they are coming from, what is important to them.  Sometimes we get caught up or distracted, are running through a never-ending list of tasks to complete  that we miss out on the “why”  we got into communications; the experiences and relationships.

Empathizing

Empathic listening is a mixture of communication skills and awareness to use when you genuinely want to connect. You can use it to applaud someone’s victory or to help uncover what’s really troubling them. If you allow yourself to empathize you can communicate on a whole new level.  In her book “It’s All A Gift,” Miriam Adahan describes a friend who’s 8 month old baby was hospitalized with cancer.  People kept telling her that everything was going to be okay when what she really needed was so express her feeling and have someone lend an ear and hear what she needed to say.   Their forceful and “optimistic” message was actually hurting her more.  Allow yourself empathize with a person, their situation, their angle or belief will make you communicate better in a situation.

Purpose

Whether you’re new to a team (wink, wink), meeting someone new, making a sale, networking or even interacting with a loved one, remember there is more to communication than speaking.  Taking note of the many levels or languages of communication can positively effect your life on both  professionally and personally.  Thanks for reading and if you need assistance with your communications, give us a call at (239) 221-2858 or visit our website.

5 Tips to Fully Optimize Your LinkedIn Business Page

 

 

 

By: Samantha Scott, APR
Grand Poobah / Owner

By now I assume most of you reading this are familiar with LinkedIn® and the power it offers businesses, but are you familiar with how to fully leverage all of its features? We use LinkedIn® for our business, but also leverage it for our clients. In our newest eBook we offer 5 easy tips to help you fully optimize your LinkedIn business page.

Formerly an “online resume” of sorts, LinkedIn® offers quite a lot to businesses, as well as individuals, now, but you have to know how to leverage it. It starts with creating a business page. If you’re not familiar with this part of LinkedIn®, I encourage you to visit their FAQ page for details.

LinkedIn® can be an excellent resource for businesses as well as the individuals that work for them. You can share company news, make connections and add to your communication network, if done properly. Overall, the concept is simple. Provide content and keep it current. Download our free eBook to learn our 5 tips for optimizing your page and if you have questions after reading it, feel free to contact us. info(at)getpushing.com or (239) 221-2858.

 

 

How are Social Media and SEO Related?

 

 

By: Alex Fernandez
Internet Marketing Strategist

The world turns to a combination of search and social media for information. Boom. Blog complete.

Okay, I’m not getting off the hook that easy! It’s actually a little more intricate than that. Generally speaking – what I said is 100% true, according to studies by GroupM and comScore in 2011. Online users use both search AND social to find information about businesses and make buying decisions. As such, we advocate a combination of SEO (search engine optimization) and social media strategies to reach targeted audiences online. It doesn’t stop here though.

There are a couple ways you can look at it:
(1) From a Social Media Marketer’s point of view

OR

(2) From a Search Engine Marketer’s point of view

The Social Media Marketer:

“My awesome social media is SEO!”

Social media has always helped SEO, even if unintentionally. Social media is online content that is easily sharable, generating website traffic. Since Google and other major search engines place so much emphasis on relevant inbound links social media is a no-brainer. The concept in social media is to create lots of valuable content for your audience, and be rewarded through user engagement and loyalty long-term.

EXAMPLE:

Let’s say you’re a health care organization, and you want to provide information on preventative health.

• You have your marketing communications firm work up some value-added information on preventative health care, in the form of a blog series, eBook, and YouTube video series.
• Each of those items will attract links from other online users posting about the topic of preventative health.
• Each of those items links to your company website.
• Then, you share all of these items on your social networking websites and online forums.

The result is an influx of links, all revolving around your brand name, and all in the context of “preventative health.” The happy accident is that you’re just a social media guy – and somehow you just SEO’d the company website for a targeted keyword. In this example, the social media content (developed merely as added-value for the social audience) became an SEO effort.

~ Now, from the other point of view ~

The Search Engine Marketer:

“I’m going to use Social Media to enhance my already- awesome SEO strategy!”

Search engines have recently been placing much more emphasis on social media. There have been many studies about the correlation between brand mentions on social media and search traffic driven to the company website. Google and Bing are even paying special attention to social engagement metrics in determining search engine ranking for social content. The more “+1’s,” “retweets,” and “likes” your content gets – the more likely it will rank in search.

EXAMPLE:

Let’s illustrate with another scenario. You’re an SEO marketer for a local attraction company, and you discover in your analytics that a significant number of users found your website with the keyword phrase, “things to do in naples.”

• You decide to build out a new section on the website dedicated to the topic, which includes several suggested activities, linking out to cooperating businesses (that will hopefully link back in appreciation).
• To get the word out, you connect the company with all the cooperating businesses on social media.
• You consistently mention the other brands and use strategic hashtags on Twitter, gaining retweets and followers.
• You commit to a reputation management effort to engage with your past customers on user review websites.
• You mention the new page on travel forums and blogs.

The result is a rising search engine ranking of the page for the desired keyword phrase, as well as increased over all search engine visibility. This is because the target audience won’t just see the landing page you created in the search results page – they’ll also likely see your Twitter mentions, your user reviews on the reputation management sites, comments in the blogosphere with +1’s, etc. In this example, the SEO strategy was accented by social media, rather than being social-centric.

No matter which way you look at it – social media and SEO are so complimentary they should be a part of every healthy online presence. Your customers will certainly look to both before making a decision on whether or not to buy from you. These efforts might be handled by different people, departments, even different companies at times – however they work hand-in-hand – and all businesses need them.

If you’re interested in the best of both worlds (Social AND Search), then give us a call at (239) 221-2858 or email us at info (at) getpushing.com.

Until next time!

And Tiffany Makes Six

We’d like to welcome Tiffany Whitaker as our newest team member! Tiffany joins the PTE team as a Communications Ally. She’ll work with clients on public relations projects, reputation management and media relations and her background is predominately in communications in the Southwest Florida.

Tiffany has administrative skills as well as marketing, social media and public relations experience including front-line customer service, public speaking, training and presentations, responding to press inquiries, networking and building strong relationships with partners and vendors.

You can welcome her to the team by emailing her at Tiffany(at)getpushing.com or by calling 239.221.2858.