4 Ways Google Authorship Magnifies Your Expertise

May 14, 2012Mary KlestLeave a comment

by Mary Klest

If you or someone in your company is a subject matter expert (SME) with an ability to write for an audience, Google Authorship content can bring you one step closer to building trust and authority outside of your current professional network. This is a good reason to join Google+ if you have not already. By displaying author information in search results Google’s intent is to decipher and make available high quality content for search users. They also want to build the Google+ network.

Personalize Search Results

A Google Authorship annotation looks and functions better than regular Google search results. It includes a photo. This tells the searcher it was written by a person, not an organization. The photo shows the person’s gender and approximate age. It personalizes your content before it is even clicked on. The annotation also includes two author links that serve different purposes. Here is what such an annotation looks like for my search term “SEO Training Classes”:

Increase Your Following

Before clicking on the title link hover your cursor over the “by (author name)” link. You are invited to add the author to your Google+ circles. As an author, you can increase your following dramatically this way. If the author is already in one of your circles it will show that. Note the number of circles the author is listed on as well. This indicates how connected the person may be.

Click on “by (author name)” and the content created for the title link appears. Click on the “More by (author name)” link and you see a listing of annotations by that author as in the example below.

I like Google Authorship’s ability to give users a snapshot view of an author’s published work on the Web. It also gives authors the ability to add and share their work as they see fit.

Find Journalists & Share Information

Articles written by journalists with a Google+ profile appear in Google News with their profile added. Lots of reporters writing for Forbes appear in Google News search lists. By clicking on Eric Savitz’s name I learn he is the San Francisco Bureau chief for Forbes magazine. I see his email address and add him to one of my circles.

Look for journalists who cover your topics. Build a relationship by sharing information on your area of expertise. You may be quoted in influential media and generate good publicity for yourself.

Weigh Your Influence With Google Social Reports

Authors need to create high quality content and be mindful of what audience they want to reach. Google recently bought PostRank and is rolling out social reports in Google Analytics. You can analyze traffic, optimize engagement, and make data-driven decisions. In Google+ you can also see what impact the content has had by using Google Ripples. It shows you who shared the content publicly, how it’s doing over time and other statistics.

If you want to get started here’s how to link your content to your Google + profile and get your content annotated in search results. Two different methods can be used depending on whether or not your Google + email address holds the same domain name as the site where your content appears.

These are just a few ways Google Authorship content can magnify your subject matter expertise. Are you ready to share it?

Social Media Lessons from Mom

May 12, 2012Joanne CostinLeave a comment

My Mom’s not on social media yet, but she’s made a lot of friends in real life. She hated growing up as an only child, so she had eight kids and hundreds of friends. Her social graces are second to none. These are the social media lessons I have learned from watching my Mom be SOCIAL.

1. Always carry a smile

My Mom loves to be around people and she always makes people feel welcome with a warm smile. The world is filled with bad news, but she fails to let it ruin her day. My friends always ask, “Has your Mom ever had a bad day?” I am sure has, but she’ll never let the world know. Keep your outlook positive in all your social interactions. Do your social media interactions show a smile?

2. Give to others

When God blesses you with good health, a comfortable life and a wonderful family–or even just one of these things–you have a lot to be thankful for. Giving your time, talents and abundance is the best way to say thank you for what you have. People remember your kindness and they remember you. My Mom’s in her eighties now and still driving people to the doctor, singing in the choir, and bringing communion to home bound parishioners. Now walking with a cane, she still never goes empty-handed anywhere.

3. Write a thank you note

Acknowledging the kindness of others is important. A handwritten note still stands out. Don’t forget to say thank you for comments (both positive and negative) and social media mentions.

4. Get out of the house

Nothing drove my mother crazier than kids moping around the house watching TV. Grab a friend and do something, or head out to a networking event. There’s nothing like meeting people face-to-face to enhance your online networking and your life.

5. Share what you love

My Mom loves dessert and she always shares. That makes me happy. What do you love that you can share? There is value in sharing your work, and the work of others you admire.

6. Take time for friendship

My Mom always makes time for her friends. She has a high school club and a college club and a line dancing group and choir and they all plan regular get-togethers. Somehow she always finds the time. I wish I was better at this. Staying connected takes a little bit of work, but it’s worth it.

I hope you enjoyed these social media lessons I learned from my Mom. Happy Mother’s Day!

The Best Content Writing Positions Your Company as a Solution Provider

May 9, 2012Joanne CostinLeave a comment

“We’re not selling boxes, we’re selling solutions for the food service business,” said a marketing manager for a food service packaging company, I recently met with at the NRA Show.

How you define your business impacts everything about your marketing, including your content. And while a narrowly defined product category helps customers recognize what you do, it can also mean a missed opportunity when customers fail to think of your busines as a solution provider.

Content needs vary based on your definition. Content for companies who manufacture food service packaging might include specifications based on materials and performance. Content for companies that sell packaging solutions to the food service industry could easily be expanded to include a wider variety of topics:

1) Improving brand sales with innovative packaging

2) Sustainable packaging to satisfy environmentally conscious consumers

3) Increasing profitability with creative packaging solutions

Food service operators are interested in saving money, increasing profit and driving sales. They want to keep customers happy. Packaging may not be on the top of an operator’s “to do” list. In fact, they would probably rather not worry about it at all. Who, among your customers, has the time or resources to become experts in food service packaging? Not too many, I would guess. Other companies and products face similar constraints.

Without education or motivation B2B buyers will often look for what appears to be the lowest cost solution, which is often not the best solution or even the most cost-effective.

The best content writing defines your business as a solution provider. It educates, informs and appeals to the motivations of your audience.

Vic Miceli of DesPlaines Office Equipment (DPOE) has figured out that businesses need solutions, not office equipment. He explained in a recent meeting I attended, that business owners often purchase printers without giving a thought to the cost of cartridges or maintenance. By advocating a solutions approach from DPOE, Miceli saves clients a significant amount of money, while freeing up their time to worry about things other than the copiers, cartridges and printers.

Moral of the story: Professional content writing can help define your business. Will you be a solution provider or just another product?

Savoring Content at NRA Show in Chicago

May 7, 2012Mary KlestLeave a comment

Nearly two thousand food service manufacturers, restaurant and hospitality product brands from more than 100 countries are exhibitting under one roof at this year’s National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. Reasons to attend shows like this hold true. See the latest innovations and connect with others in the industry. Marketers, salespeople and product experts shared with us their views on content, industry trends and challenges.

Supporting the live interaction at the Show is content. Marketers tell us they are challenged with trying to create enough quality content through multiple channels. A walk down the aisles here show what “multiple” can mean. Content appears in all shapes and forms – video on flat screen TVs, print brochures, electronic QR codes, apps and real time signage. It is enough to overwhelm or exhilarate the senses. Here, food is a passion and the visual displays are beautifully executed in most booths.

The Show also serves as a kind of Oscars for those in the Restaurant, Food & Beverage and Hospitality industries. Awards were given to operator accomplishments, kitchen and food & beverage product innovations. The Spin Zester won an award in the kitchen product innovation category. Here is a brief interview with the product creator, a baker who found a better way to zest.

The company, Zip Zester, supports and expands the Spin Zester audience through a well designed website, blog and social media.

At the Show, the niche companies demonstrate successful strategies in segmentation and messaging. In this video Grecian Delight Corporate Chef Michael Zeller talks about what he’s serving up for attendees who enjoy authentic Greek and specialty Mediterranean foods. Visitors to the company’s website can search for products and recipes.

Exhibitors and NRA Show organizers are doing a wonderful job of engaging visitors and creating a multi-sensory experience for attendees. Adding to the ambience is content that captures the imagination and savors key messages.

Notable Content Ideas This Week

May 4, 2012Mary KlestLeave a comment

From content innovators across the web this week, here are some notable content ideas to contemplate.

Responsive Design

Mobile use is big and getting bigger. Does your content scale for delivery through smart phones and tablets? This requires content that changes according to how it’s being viewed. The Just Salad website, as explained by its creators at CommandC, is a good example. The project retains one set of files and one site but displays content differently on a wide variety of devices. This is referred to as responsive design. Companies responding to mobile users need for information are making good content decisions.

Photo Opps

As of today, AP Images customers can buy editorial, rights-managed and royalty-free images, including those from Fotolia on APImages.com. They describe themselves as “the industry’s first one-stop-shop for all imagery needs.”

Long Form Journalism on Websites?

Corey Lewis at original9Media interviews Xconomy blogger Curt Woodward about the tech blog’s editorial strategy. They see the big picture, lead rather than follow, and dig deep. Says Woodward, “… there’s an enormous hunger for coverage that is more insightful and takes a minute to reflect on things.” Having worked for years as a journalist Woodward describes the many roles assumed by a blogger including that of publisher: “It’s got to be part of your workflow now. You finish, you publish it yourself and you re-publish it through all the distribution channels so that people can see it.”

How to Build a Website

Here’s a content strategy roadmap for how to build a website from content strategist Kristina Halvorson at Brain Traffic. The slide show presentation covers substance, structure, governance and work flow.

Overused Words

Kevin Cain wrote this post for the Content Marketing Institute: Is Your Content Supporting or Sinking Your Thought Leadership Efforts? He bemoans overused words such as thought leadership, but if you are going to use it, use it in a proper context. Thought leadership, he writes, is bold, takes a stand, is original, credible and able to forecast the future.

NRA Show App Delivers

I must commend the organizers of the National Restaurant Association for creating a very useable app for their international show being held in Chicago this weekend. I was able to find and select exhibitors and education sessions and view my selections on a created schedule very easily. Saves time and makes me thrilled to be attending the show.

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