Changes in the Industry like no other
It can be argued that no other profession has been so affected by the internet as Real Estate. I count myself lucky to have been in the industry right when it “crossed over” into the Internet age. When I got into Real Estate the agents were the true gatekeepers of information. Every two weeks, a book of listings within your county was published, and every Realtor received one. Buyers were primarily reliant upon their agent to communicate new listings to them in a timely and efficient manner. The only other source of Real Estate information was the circular in the local newspaper, published once a week.
Enter the internet, which enabled forward-thinking brokers to start placing listings online. As early as 1996, buyers were using the internet to find homes, especially if they were relocating to new areas. The advent of the internet was amazing, as it transformed the industry in a few short years. I saw amazing results from advertising properties online, and it didn’t take much for me to make the decision to pursue a career in online marketing rather than Real Estate. Stagnation?
Unfortunately, while the accessibility of property listings has increased, the level of knowledge and online marketing has not grown with the times. In fact, from shopping for homes the past few months, I am convinced that the learning curve for online marketing among many Realtors has stagnated. When Realtor.com came on the scene in 1997, they sold to Realtors, using ploys such as: “the average listing on Realtor.com receives “x” views.” I felt like the lone ranger trying to explain to my fellow Realtors that a lot of the sales lines were bad data improperly applied. It showed me a lot about the lack of understanding of technology in that industry. Some have only recently accepted that the Internet is here to stay.
Here is my recent experience from the past few months of searching for a home. They say that doctors are the worst patients. It may also be true that former Realtors who are now online marketing veterans may be the worst sellers or buyers.
Bad Photos – are you kidding me?
In this day and age of inexpensive, high quality digital cameras, you post low resolution photos that are pixilated and hard to see? Worse yet, you show laziness buy simply uploading everything you took a picture of?
If I had my house on the market, I would be going ballistic on my Realtor, as there are no excuses for :
Low res, pixilated photos
Blurry pictures
Pictures of toilets and mirrors
Less than 3 pictures uploaded for any listing
Cameras held at an angle, making everything look like it’s on a slope
pictures of beds, which I am not buying
No pictures of the items listed in the description. If there is a workshop – take a picture!
Each one of these things is something that can easily turn off a buyer. Not taking the extra time to take a good picture, not considering presentation, and not labeling photos will negatively affect the buyer’s decision as they shop online. Not enough information is one of the worst problems an online listing can have.
Realtors and Responsibility
Pictures are meant to present the sellers home in the best light. Can a little thought be made about the selection and the quality of pictures that are used? The responsibility of the listing Realtor is to represent the seller. This includes the responsibility of the online listing. EVERY part of that online listing should be attractive, explanatory, and sensible. Anything less is a disservice to the seller, who pays your commission. I am very surprised that more sellers do not get online to check their listings. I think more Realtors would be fired if sellers checked their listings.
Expectations
If the listing description highlights certain areas of the home, such as an in-law suite, over-sized garage, pond or other feature that can be a potential selling point – please, add a picture. There are so many homes that had excellent descriptions, but then no photos of any if the items described in the listing. The description is the first area we read, and it sets up the expectations, but then the lack of pictures is more than disappointing, it lessens the property.
When there are an almost unlimited number of pictures that can be uploaded, only loading two to three outdoor shots is inexcusable. If there is an in-ground pool, please add the picture. Someone may want to see it. If you have green or lavender bathroom toilets, you may want to go ahead and add it as well, just to keep expectations in line.
Anything less than 10 photos is a crime against the seller. For newer homes with more than 2000 square feet, 20 photos. Three or less is negligence. Negligence not only towards your seller, but to any buyer who is comparing properties.
Real Estate 2.0? When?
I am waiting for more social aspects of marketing to be implemented. While real estate was one of the earliest adopters of the internet (not without resistance) it has not grown out of a 90’s mentality of online marketing. The only things I can do are email the realtor, email the listing to a friend, or make a printable brochure. Some sites allow me to create lists of the properties I like with registration, which I liked, but I was still disappointed with the lack of flexibility in ranking, saving, excluding, and comparing properties.
I for one am waiting for the ability to add comments to listings. I would love nothing more than adding what I liked or didn’t like about homes, and I am sure that it would help to make some homes more attractive. I am also sure that the comments would also shock some sellers into reality when buyers can be directly honest about the home and the outrageous prices that some are asking for what they are offering.
Some comments I would have left:
The house photo is at a weird angle because of the mobile homes and cars on blocks in the neighbor’s yard.
This home advertises 2 full baths. The second bath is in the basement and has no walls.
The separate 3 car garage and workshop makes this house well worth the asking price.
The pool and the outdoor chimney are amazing, but the yard was too small for us.
URL Addresses
At my previous company, we went to extraordinary lengths to create search friendly URL’s in order to have the database of homes spidered by the search engines. Ultimately, each property had its own short, unique URL, based on the MLS number. We celebrated. Simply searching by using the MLS code in Google would result in the property page showing up in the rankings. Unfortunately, the client had no idea how great an accomplishment this was, nor the implications. Now, the average URL that I cut and past from real estate websites are well over 50 characters . . . Check this out (if you can):
These tend to break. I send these URLs by email, Instant Messaging, and SMS. My wife and I share URL’s incessantly, as it seems we change criteria every week. Sometimes, our friends help out, but rarely does anyone use the “Send to a Friend” option. Could it be that they are not visible or too cumbersome? My opinion is that people do not use these forms because the policy is not clear about using email addresses gleaned from the website. Every send to a friend form that I viewed had no clear policy or explanation of how the emails would be kept, used, or maintained.
Final Thoughts
Having been in the real estate industry and cutting my teeth on real estate websites in the 90’, it frustrated me beyond belief to see the lackluster attempts at online marketing. I would dare say that the majority of buyers are looking online before they ever contact a Realtor. How a Realtor sells a property, the pictures they use, and the description they provide, are all keys to how well they will do their job. It’s a business card. It’s an opportunity for the Realtor and their seller to shine, yet most do not seem to take the time to learn the tools or create effective presentations.
Sellers Need to Demand More
Maybe it’s the area where I live, that many Realtors seem to uncomfortable with a digital camera and creating well-crafted, marketable property descriptions. I am sure that there are Realtors out there who take the time to build an amazing online profile of the houses they list. As a seller, I would demand nothing less than a professional listing with clear, hi-res pictures that present my home in the best possible light. Anything less would be unacceptable.
A friend pointed me to a Realtor’s blog where he has created the Bad MLS Photo of the Day. I like his style, and I am sure that he will have a never-ending source of content.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
The New Speed of Mass Communication
The past few conferences and events that I have attended witnessed the party-crashing technology of Twitter. If you are new to Twitter and not sure what it is, or haven’t even heard about it, here is the best way to describe it: imagine seeing all of your friend’s Instant Message conversations with each other and you – and being displayed to the world. It’s a new way of communication that is transforming communications and the speed at which news, articles, happenings and events are passed.
What’s Twitter?
If you donlt know what twitter is, then I strongly suggest that you go through these resources. There are some very practical advice for using Twitter for Journalism, Marketing, PR, and Word-of-Mouth. This article is going to focus on the observations of twitter from a speaker’s perspective.
Jennifer Laycock’s Series on Twitter – One of the best for understanding the technology and the applications for “the rest of us”. From Twits to Tweeple, Why I Embraced Twitter and You Should Too
Twittering: A Speaker’s ViewPoint
As a conference speaker, I use the non-verbal communication of the crowd to determine if people are with me or not. Good amounts of my presentations are ad-lib and can go in vastly different directions depending upon how responsive the classroom or crowd is to me. Using that feedback is very valuable. In the past few presentations, people have been using Twitter via their laptop, cell phone, or iPhone. What is happening is that people are responding real-time to a speaker or presenter as a session is happening.
The Twitterbyte
My personal response is divided. While I enjoy the feedback and can go and review the “tweets” that happened during the session, it was very eye-opening to see what information gets twittered by session attendees. This made my realized that no longer can I focus simply on providing sound-bites for bloggers; I have to review my presentation to find the “twitterable” content.
Interestingly, the twitters by attendees fell into a few different categories. By order of my observation:
1. Off-handed and ad-libbed comments
2. Answers to questions posed during the session
3. Bullet points from the slides
4. Things that happened – (my Madden-style drawing stylus burned up in a session)
Speaker/Presenter Concerns
Interestingly many quotes from my presentation were put out on Twitter, but what was concerning is that the attribution I made to another author or blogger did not get published. The quote was published on twitter because I said it, but I was quoting someone else.
This happened at the Small Business Unleashed Conference this week, when I quoted Avinash Kaushik’s blog post about Analytics being 90% the person and 10% the software. What was twittered was, “Matt says analytics is 90% the person and 10% the program.” That type of attribution makes me shudder, as I quote people often, and I always try to include attribution in my PowerPoint slides or verbally. Neither the verbal nor the PowerPoint attribution didn’t make it into Twitter – maybe because of the character limitation.
I attribute as much as possible, as many times someone has said it better and simpler than I ever could. As a speaker it bothers me that many quotes and information can now be taken out of context on twitter, when they were properly attributed in the session.
Planning Twitterbytes
Now I feel the need to “Twitter-fy” my presentations and prepare for the inevitable Twittering of my sessions by planning “Twitterbytes”, along with the ‘sound bites’ for bloggers and note-takers. That means keeping more control of my ad-lib comments, knowing they could easily be twittered. Also, questions asked during a presentation get people’s attention, which makes it twitterable; and many times the person who asks the question will Twitter the answer. You may be surprised at what people latch onto and tell others. Be ready to give an answer or potential explanation for what was twittered. However, when the session is over, so are the tweets - as a speakers, you only get to see the feedback afterwards.
Other observations
One of the first ways that I saw Twitter coming of age was from the SWSX conference. During an interview of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg, Twitter came alive with people criticizing the interviewer, who was becoming the focus of the interview. The crowd turned on the interviewer and I was able to view a live status report from hundreds of “tweeters” attending the interview at SWSX.
Mack Collier provided some additional observations from SWSX. One session moderator twittered during the session asking if there was content that was not being covered in the session that attendees would like to hear. She was able to take the twitter responses and shape the questions to the presenters in order to follow the request of the crowd.
Twitterbyte
It’s the dawning of a new age, where information is condensed into the 140 character Twitterbyte and transmitted to hundreds, maybe thousands of people in seconds. And the sound bite, which was known for its stunning lack of context and depth, which transformed the video age (most recognized in the realm of politics) is now looking surprisingly detailed.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
I recently came back from an extended trip to England, where my wife and I spent some time in Northern England with Mike Grehan. Mike is incredibly passionate about living in Newcastle, and should be knighted as an evangelist for Northeastern England. Visiting Mike’s pub was probably the most enjoyable experience I had. Not in the least of which was the glorious fish ‘n chips and sticky pudding. It was one of the best meals I had that week.
The people are very proud of their city and their way of life, of which I admit a profound jealousy. I think we let life get to busy for us here in America, and we typically feel out of control. We lose touch with those that live across the street, or on our block, and we long for simpler lives, but can’t find the time to make it happen.
The English pub is nothing as it is imagined in the States. Many of my observations about the pub were remarkably similar to the concept of Social Media. Of course, this could just be the nerd in me, contrasting every “real” experience with online behavior.
1. No TV’s, no juke boxes.
The typical distractions are removed. I loved that there were no barstools. As Mike explained, “in the US, I have to get my drink over some guy’s head.”
Observation: You can hear the conversation without the pounding of music or the distraction of sports on the television. It’s focused on developing a relaxed atmosphere for conversation.
2. Focus on conversation
Areas of chairs and table were scattered about, depending on what type of visit you were making (drinking, drinking+ eating, or sitting). However, I immediately noticed that there were no barstools. We got the large over-stuffed chairs next to the fire. We intended to stay for a while and have some great conversation. Later we moved to a larger table for dinner, but the conversation kept going.
Observation: There is more emphasis on leaving the bar and sitting with people. You can still get drunk if you want, but you’ll be having fun with everyone else while you do it.
3. Sense of Ownership
Mike kept saying, “my pub.” Mike’s son, Joe, explained the three priorities in life: “football, the pub, the wife. In that order.” The pub is a local meeting house and is located near your home. Everyone who lives near it calls it “their pub.” What’s interesting is we also passed by his brother’s pub and his mother’s pub. Everyone knows where THEIR pub is.
Observation: Ownership is vital to a sense of community. Unless you feel a sense of pride in what is being built and a sense of participation in the success, then you don’t have a true investment in the community.
4. Sense of Belonging
You belong because you live nearby. Everyone knows each other, and you can meet your neighbors at the pub. Because it’s the pub from your area, you care about it and want to be a part of the success.
Observation: Similar to the sense of ownership, the sense of belonging. It is a vital part of the community and everyone is welcome. Even is you choose to site near the fire and read the newspaper, you still belong. You are still part of the conversation.
5. Sense of Priority
See #3. Even though football is higher than the pub in priority, very few pubs offered televisions. I was surprised that the local football team was in a very important match that night, but they did not have it on television, there were no televisions available. I know it drove Joe nuts, but his friend kept texting him the score.
Observation: Even the priority of football in Newcastle didn’t supersede the priority of the pub. It didn’t replace the conversation of the community pub, even though it was of vital importance. There was a place to go if you wanted to watch the match, but it wasn’t being watched at the pub.
6. Sense of Community
Conversation with your friends is to be valued. If everyone knows who you are, then you are accountable. You have to be friendly. Mike pointed out the history of the pub as coming from the concept of Public Houses, where homes were opened up to the community for socializing. They grew into the pub, where the concept of community and socializing is lived out today.
Observation: If you want to get something out of the community, you have to contribute. Those that contribute the most are rewarded the most.
7. Old stuff is Cool
Sometimes, you don’t need technology. The best times are with people, and technology only keeps us unsatisfied. Taking time away to invest with people, rather than pursuing “what’s next” is very rewarding and fulfilling to one’s soul. We went to the Durham Cathedral, completed in 1096. It’s old. I haven’t felt a sense of awe like that for a very long time… I think we get so caught up in the “new” that we forget that there is still quality to be found in the “old”.
Observation: I was struck that conversation with people is what lasts. Friends that I made on forums ten years ago are still friends today. The forum helped to develop conversations both on a public and private level. Meeting people afterwards in “real life” simply cemented those friendships. You don’t build relationships like that by gaming Digg.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
As a search engine addict, and a search engine marketer, I’ve been fascinated with the evolution of the search engine ever since I started marketing online, well over a decade ago. One search engine always attracts my attention, especially over the past two years, with great innovation and features. And no, it isn’t Google. It’s Ask.com.
Multimedia is Content
Ask got people talking early last year with its breakthrough 3-D interface. I was able to enjoy this interface to the fullest a few weeks ago when my child was doing a school report on Glenn Miller. From the Ask search results, we
were able to listen to his recordings, view video, read his biography and see pictures. We didn’t even click on any of the search results for the first 10 minutes!
The 3-D interface is one of the best innovations in search since the spider. It recognizes that images, video, and audio are content as well, and they have integrated multimedia into the search results. Maybe you’ve seen the latest commercials, which I have to say are a drastic improvement over past Ask ads. (Chicks with Swords, anyone?)
The results page now allows searchers to get information handily and preview other sites before they even click on the result. It is the first interface that truly recognizes the needs of the human searcher. We are not always looking for text, and the internet contains a multitude of good information just waiting to be found. Ask makes it easier to uncover that information.
Mobile Speech Interface
The latest Ask innovation made me stand up and take notice. Ask has gone beyond the browser boundaries with the newest search feature. Typically, mobile browsing has been a stripped-down version of the web interface, usually a simple list of links.
Last month, Ask unveiled a voice-activated feature for mobile directions. This feature allows you to speak the address when searching for directions. Within seconds, you receive your directions. Even better, you can choose driving or walking directions as a list or turn-by turn.
I can’t tell you how many times I have attempted to type in directions to a mapping program or the search interface (not while I’m driving, of course), or have been in a city and just needed to know where something was.
Ask has driven the human-computer interface deeper by allowing a more immersive experience, first with the search interface, and now with the Star Trek inspired speech interface. I am very eager to see what the Ask.com team will unleash next.
One for the Privacy Advocates: Search History
Oh, and by the way, Ask not only deletes your search history after 18 months, but allows you to step up your privacy with Ask Eraser. Your search activity is deleted within hours. Now this isn’t the search history on your browser, it’s the search history that EVERY search engine keeps on you in their database. Remember when AOL accidentally released user search histories? Other search engines haven’t been as honest about your search history, and how long they keep it.
take a look at the innovation over the past year at the Ask.com Blog. I am sure that you’ll be impressed with the dedication to the user experience.
If you haven’t used Ask.com lately, I challenge you to take a test drive for a week and use Ask as your primary search engine. Try the customization features and explore. It may not be for everyone, but it may be just right for you.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
Being intimately familiar with WebKinz World, I have been fascinated with the development of this network, mainly for the standpoint of the marketing. My familiarity? Our household is directly in the target market and I searched everywhere for a pink pony WebKinz for Christmas.
In all of the hoopla that surrounds social media marketing, the virtual world of Webkinz has quietly slipped into being the fastest growing social network online. The reason why it’s been so quiet? The target audience is 7-12 year olds. Ask most parents, and they are probably familiar with the virtual pet phenomenon, at least they will be familiar with being asked to buy the Webkinz.
In the past year, visitors to Webkinz have increased by 342% to more than six million unique visitors in November 2007 (ComScore). eMarketer estimates that 20 million children will be members of a virtual world by 2011, up from 8.2 million in 2007.
Social Network Marketing
Other social networks targeted at adults have been formed mainly out of hobbies and shared interests. Social networks are formed with the intent of gathering people; Marketing in these networks is an afterthought until the drive for a buy-out creates the need for monetization.
However, when it comes to the younger audiences, the social network and virtual worlds are created by brilliant marketers as a way to further the passion for the product. The primary purpose is marketing, which is concerning to me, as a parent and a marketer.
How Webkinz Works
Webkinz plays to the idea of an exclusive club – only those who purchase the plush toy will be granted access. In fact, it is called an “adoption” rather than a purchase. Webkinz is sort of like the old cabbage patch doll phenomenon. When you bought the doll you received a birth certificate for the doll, which initiated you into a club (so to speak).
Webkinz operates on a similar principle, but the code on the Webkinz, is also the code that allows you to adopt your pet online and have access into the virtual world. Once a child has that access, they are now responsible to care for their animal that has “come to life” in this virtual world. This caters to and develops the nurturing play of children.
Interestingly, you simply cannot wander Webkinz World, you eventually have to purchase a house and furnish it for your Webkinz pet. You do this by playing games and earning money. With the money you earn, you can buy more items for your Webkinz, such a bigger house, a pool, a bed, furniture, TV, etc.
KinzChat
Social interaction in WebKinz World is limited, thank God. When my daughter told me that she made a friend and was chatting with them online – I freaked. This is what got me into learning more about Webkinz. Chatting in Webkinz World is a series of pre-programmed statements. Children choose which statement their pet will say to the other pet, and they can choose to friend each other from there. They can also choose to share recipes, such as a waffle, strawberry, and spicy pizza combination called “mizzleberry jacks.” There is no direct one-to one interaction at this point. Children feel as though they actually have real conversations and talks about them as if they were real and these new friends are real. As a parent – I like that, but it does make me wonder about the new definition of the word “friend”.
There is an additional paid service that will allow direct chat in Webkinz World, but parents have to pay for the service and choose to permit the direct chat, called KinzChat Plus. Even in the KinsChat Plus, the chat is limited, as the words must match a restricted dictionary. This prevents addresses, phone numbers, and words from entering the conversations.
Webkinz Marketing
Every marketer (and parent) knows that a child begging for a toy is one of the most powerful persuasive tactics to sell a product. Thus, the key to successfully targeting children to be your product evangelist. They have very few filters when it comes to toys, cereals, and speaking their mind. That’s a powerful combination for a marketer who would like to get their product into a household. Webkinz has been able to grab a hold of this market and reinforce itself in the process.
The interface is very easy for children to access and understand. Preschoolers are able to use Webkinz, especially if they have older siblings that can teach them. What is most concerning; however, is the advertising that is proliferates the site. Advertisements for movies and toys are constant throughout the website, and many marketers are licking their chops for the exposure to this young audience.
Webkinz has revolutionized the offline-online interaction and measurement gap and created a safe virtual playground for children. It allows them to socialize (albeit, restricted) online and have experiences that adults have never imagined or experienced. They are growing up with a virtual world, whereas most adults have never heard of or even entered Second Life.
While most social networks are looking for ways to merge on-line and off-line marketing, WebKinz took both head-on and has developed an amazing network of plush toys, trading cards, charms, body spritz, bookmarks, lip gloss, clothing, mouse pads, backpacks and purses. All purchases come with valuable codes that provide “gifts” for your adopted pet. For any analyst, the ability to track the online-to-offline purchasing and behavior would be a dream come true.
Virtual Worlds Marketing to Children
Disney is already in full swing, creating multiple virtual worlds for young audiences. Disney’s Club Penguin attracts seven more times the traffic of Second Life (NYTimes.com). Nickelodeon is spending $100 million to develop virtual worlds targeted to children.
I am fascinated, as a marketer, of the creativity that is on display for children. Most children’s sites (PBSKids.org, Noggin.com, and NickJr.com) have offered a wide range of creative, interesting and safe websites. The draw of these games and websites has reached a new, younger generation of children that are more familiar with a computer than a TV.
As both a parent and a marketer, there is a dark side to all of this. I remember growing up and seeing commercials during Saturday morning cartoons. We watched them as the portal to see all that was new and exciting. Now, children have advertising surrounding them, but very little of the rational skills that are necessary for evaluating those messages.
Consider that social networks that adults are involved with have nowhere near the advertising that these worlds have developed for children. Adult social networks are not built for marketing, but children’s social networks are being built for that express purpose.
When Facebook’s Beacon program was found to be too invasive, privacy advocates screamed. Privacy advocates are screaming for children, but not as many want to hear their concerns. Toy companies and marketers are lining up to be part of these networks aimed at kids.
Take this how you will . . .
This is where my parental role trumps that of the marketer. It is my responsibility to raise my child, not a website’s. It is ultimately the parents that need to take an active role in knowing what your child is doing online and how it can help or hurt them. Educating children about marketing and how to evaluate marketing messages will be critical as more and more marketers see children as a “gold mine” for marketing-entertainment.
Parents need to ask themselves, who is looking out for the health, welfare and best interest of their children? While virtual worlds can be entertaining and educational, parents need to be aware of the real motivations behind these networks.
“All the stars are aligning for virtual worlds to become a mass-market form of entertainment, especially for kids . . . .”
Paul Yanover, executive vice president and managing director of Disney Online.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
This thought provoking article by Jennifer Laycock (Are Your Social Networking Connections Hurting YOUR Reputation?) brings to mind the saying of my grandmother’s: ” You are known by the company you keep.” While some may dispense with this as old-fashioned advice in the new socially-networked world. I find it to be true now more than ever.
Privacy not invaded, but given away
I’ve done many presentations to parents about social networking and what teens are doing online. Many are frightfully uninformed. The largest danger is the thinking that social profiles are private, when they are just the opposite. Public profiles, for teens and young adults, can be a vast repository of personal information
My favorite story is about a guest speaker that taught a class of high school students about online privacy. When the students entered the room, they were shocked to find papers taped all over the walls of the room, all of which contained their conversations, profiles, pictures, and things that they assumed were private. All of which were found by the speaker online with only a few pieces of information. None of the students realized how public, and how findable, everything they did online really was.
Everyone is a Brand
Related to this is the fact that everyone is becoming a brand. Every person is your brand, and you will have to manage your online reputation just as any company would. Earlier this year, the John Edwards campaign came under fire for hiring two bloggers that made inflammatory remarks in their blogs (NYTimes). Some of those remarks were even contradictory to the views of the Edwards’ campaign. What may have been acceptable on a personal level was not acceptable for the campaign. The two bloggers ultimately kept their new positions, but not without Edwards distancing himself from them and their views, all of which created a large distraction for the campaign.
I believe that more and more people will have their online “cybertrail” taken into account as employers, prospects, recruiters, and possibly even clients start to realize the wealth of information about people at their fingertips. At one time, private investigators were the primary means of finding out this much information about people. Now, it seems, people are very willing to let everyone know their latest escapades.
Much more than tracking someone’s profile online, I realized that most people put more information on their social profiles than employers are legally allowed to ask in an interview. This isn’t just for kids, it’s for anyone that may complain about a boss, a co-worker, or have any problems at work. It’s about your personal life available online for anyone to find and judge. Once it is posted online, it is there for anyone to see. If an employer wants to find out more about a prospective employee, they don’t have far to go.
Managing a company’s reputation takes work; negativity is usually the result of bad products, practices, mistakes, or vocal critics. However, personal reputation may take an even bigger brush to cover, especially with the broad range of social media outlets. I have a funny feeling that personal reputation management will be a lucrative business in the near future.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
There are a some people that I highly respect in this industry, so when a few of them got together and started a company - it got my attention. When they said that they were starting a training company, I got very interested. The combination of John Marshall, Michael Stebbins (both formally of ClickTracks) and Avinash Kaushik (author of Web Analytics an Hour a Day) joined forces because of their passion to teach. Thus, MarketMotive was officially introduced.
In August, I had dinner with John and Michael to discuss their new venture. I was fascinated by the business model and the passion that they had to train businesses to “do it themselves” and to offer help when needed. Needless to say, I jumped when they offered me the opportunity to join their faculty. The interesting thing is that they asked me to be their Social Media expert. As a self-described Social Media Scrooge, I found some humor in this. It’s not that I don;t like social media, it;s that a lot of people do not properly define social media, nor do they approach it properly. I liked this opportunity to be the social media expert with Market Motive, because it gives me a platform to educate businesses on how to approach social media and be a part of the conversation.
Other faculty members of Market Motive include Greg Jarboe and Jamie O’Donnell of SEO-PR covering Online PR and Todd Malicoat of StuntDubl covering SEO. This is a very impressive list of faculty for any training program, and I am humbled to be a part of it and share in the same organization.
If you are a business owner or marketing manager looking for ongoing training covering a variety of subjects, Market Motive is definitely worth the cost. Market motive offers a monthly training program with new content being added each week and direct access to faculty. How else will you be able to get up-to-the minute instruction on the latest news and techniques in online marketing? and from noted experts in each field?
I highly recommend getting your information from some of the best in the businesses. Plus, I know that John, Michael, and Avinash will always strive to deliver a quality product.
Michael Stebbins and I at the SearchBash in San Jose.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
SiteLogic expanding into more training opportunities
This has been an extremely busy summer, and there has been no lack of productivity. In fact, things have really been heating up in a number of areas. SiteLogic’s commitment to training businesses in internet marketing has been significantly enhanced by creating relationships with a number of organizations.
Now You Know Media
Did you know that the average commute time in the US is 23 minutes? Did you also know that millions of hours a year are spent commuting by Americans? We’re busy people, but we seem to spend a lot of time sitting in one place.
This is the focus audience of Now You Know Media, one of the most exciting businesses that I have had the pleasure of meeting. NYKM is focused on delivering life-enhancing teaching materials on CD. Targeted to commuters, each topic is 25 minutes long and provides a capsule of specific information, resulting in a 12-part series for each subject.
I was honored to be asked to provide the search engine optimization program for Now You Know Media. Delivering my sessions in 25-minute chapters in a recording studio was quite a challenge. Speaking in a recording studio made me realize how much I depend on seeing people and I use that as an indicator of where to take the session. After a few tries, I got the hang of it, and the time just flew by.
If you would like to pick up the series, you can order it at NowYouKnowMedia.com, and use the promotion code code: MB101 for a discount.
Now You Know Media is also running a blog which has been an amazing source of financial education and advice. I highly recommend adding it as one of your feeds. Blog.nowyouknowmedia.com
The Direct Marketing Association
Believe it or not, I am having an amazing amount of fun working with The Direct Marketing Association. Getting closer to this organization has been rewarding, and not just in a profitable sense. It has been rewarding from a professional development standpoint. I enjoy the DMA conferences, as I am able to go from my session on Search Marketing and then listen to experts in Direct Mail, List Brokering, Graphic Design, or any other number of marketing-oriented subjects. Some days, it’s very nice to remember that online marketing is still a very small slice of the pie, and very helpful to hear the lessons that other industries have learned.
SEO Certification
I have accepted the position to direct the Search Marketing Certification program for the Direct Marketing Association. Right now, we are working to complete the Level 2 Certification, and then we will be re-addressing some of the sessions in Level 1. The goal of this certification is to provide the most up-to-date, in-depth curriculum for the participants. We also have some great plans for keeping the information fresh and also providing industry-specific search marketing tactics.
Website Marketing Seminars
I will also be working with the DMA to present a series of seminars on website development and marketing. The 2-day seminar will cover the “Big Picture” of website marketing in a clear, understandable format. The sessions are broken up into three parts: Built it, Market it, Measure It. The course is designed for anyone in or overseeing the website process; programmers, marketers, creatives, and mangers.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
Oops!
A few weeks ago a friend of mine told me about an “incident” that happened with his kids and a well-known search engine. The “incident” was brought about by his kids innocently typing words into the search engine, they were young enough that he didn’t think that they would use a search engine, but they did.
I found this out a few years ago; my daughter found the website dolphin.com and was asking questions about it. I asked her how she found it and she said that she typed it into the search engine. She was four.
Enter the parental responsibility mode. I am constantly on a quest to find safe ways for my children to enjoy the internet, but not find all of the crud that is out there. I’ve found resources that have let me feel more confident about their browsing, but nothing is a substitute for parental involvement.
Ask for Kids Ask for Kids
This kid-friendly search engine rates very highly in my book. The interface is bright and simple. They even tell you where Jeeves may be vacationing. There are direct links to some fun games and lots of homework help. The results could use some beefing up, but I attribute that to the filtering process.
Kidzui www.kidzui.com
This pleasant little program takes over the browser (and the computer if you like) and filters all content based on parents and teachers who determine age appropriate sites. For multiple children you can set up multiple accounts, using a picture. (The pictures are not displayed online, only on your computer). Each child will have specific content they can see, based on their age and the appropriateness of the content.
The sites are the typical PBSKids.org, Nick Jr., Disney Kids, etc. but all of the sites are displayed in a crazy interface that allows additional exploration. The interface contains multimedia clips and pictures from cartoons, TV shows (yes, The Wiggles), combined with a lot of science and nature. There are also pictures and movoe clips from actual classroom learning. The site allows children to simply follow whatever they find interesting and supports very in-depth use. I don’t think our kids got boared on that site yet, as there is so mucvh to do, either directly on Kidzui, or though the portal sites.
At the end of each week, I receive a full report of all of the websites that each child has visited, all of the images and movies that they watched and all of the search queries that they made. It gives me a little more comfort to know what they are doing, but like I said – it’s no substitute for just sitting with them or checking in once in a while.
Kidzui is still in Beta, so a lot of parental controls are not available, such as time and website restrictions (I hate Bratz). But I like what they are doing and my kids love the options that are there. there is also the function to lock down Kidzui and not allow access outside of the portal. This would stop a child from simply reducing Kidzui and opening another browser. using this feature, the only way you can shut down the program is to use the master password. This is especially handy if you have an independent child that does not like to be told “no”. However, it does make it difficult when you have an older child that needs to use the computer for homework. So, the Lock-down mode was removed, but the kids still use the program.
This got me started on a quest to find some helpful kids websites and search engines. I published that list over at Search Engine Guide as a resource. Read through the rest of the article and see if there are any that you know about that you can add to the list. Search Engines for Kids - full article.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
Anyone who has flown at all this year this year has probably experienced the unfortunate delays that are consistently plaguing the airline industry. As much as I travel, I expect it, however it has been rare. For some of my friends, their only time flying this year resulted in a frustrating experience. Amazingly, they were delayed twice On the way there, and on the way back.
I understand that the airplanes face tough choices and that schedules are arranged to maximize fuel, occupancy, routing and some sort of profitability. However, customer service has been one of the primary ingredients that have always been a problem with the airlines. No one expects to be treated kindly, so when kindness happens, it is a welcome departure.
Unfortunately, there are very few cases of unexpected kindness. Church of the Customer Blog reported on rogue United Airlines Pilot Capt. Denny Flanagan, who orders McDonald’s hamburgers for his passengers if the flight is delayed or diverted and goes out of his way to be sure that his passengers know him.
Consumer-Generated Complaints
Otherwise, the news is just bad, and the perfect medium for bad news is the internet. I feel the pain of one man who sat on the tarmac for 7 hours, resulting in 10 hours on the plane for a hop from JFK to Dallas-Fort Worth. Between changing crews, changing pilots, new paperwork, and not being at the gate to coordinate all of these changes. I did this for 5 hours in Newark this summer.
Being held hostage by an airline is one thing, but then not allowing people to eat (especially when there are four babies on board) is a crime. Delta refused to feed the passengers, who boarded at 4:00 PM, but did not leave until after 10:00 PM. A long litany of excuses is provided, until Delta ultimately states “that flight is not supposed to have any food.” The plane does not get back to a gate until after 9:00 PM, which is past closing time for restaurants in the airport.
Now this is Consumer Generated Media - the perfect advertisement for frustration:
Over 200,000 views in about 2 months.
It Figures . . .
Considering other airline news, USA Today reported that many airlines would like to re-route flights around New York and Philadelphia, as they are major hubs and the source of most of the delays. Unfortunately, local New York politicians are against the routing, even though it saves on fuel, emissions, time and delays, because it will cause additional noise for residence in their district. Let me guess, those that moved to a house near the airport?
Airline Replies
One situation for delays tried to travel fast in the negative news network, but didn’t seem to get traction. A couple was delayed for three hours, thereby missing a concert they planned to attend. They demanded the cost of the tickets, plus the cost of the concert tickets, and a few other things to be refunded by the airline. The CEO, by mistake, hit “Reply to All” on his email and basically said “So what? They’ll be back when they can save a buck.” While not overly enthused about his response, I can say that I have very little sympathy for about someone missing a flight to a concert. Isn’t that why you schedule a night over – so that you do not miss things like that?
For the airlines, the unfortunate news is that bad news is normal. We don’t see the sweeping word-of-mouth as experienced by rats at the Taco Bell. Delayed and missed flights are an all too-common experience.
Before you attempt to start a word-of-mouth campaign, make sure that what customers think of you or your industry is well documented. Otherwise a big backfire could be in your future. Ask a few questions in advance:
How far does good news carry in your industry?
How often are nice things noticed?
Are difference makers appreciated?
Knowing your market and the customer expectations will do wonders for setting up your campaign.
In a land of unhappiness, any kindness is noticed.
As far as the airlines, the least little act of kindness will not be unnoticed. Especially when considering the many problems coupled with dim customer expectations. This year, I missed a connection on one of my flights with Continental. The ticket agents noticed that I was on my way home after a long trip, and had run the length of the airport only to miss my flight. She was able to get me a food voucher for dinner. She did not have to do that, and it wasn’t her fault, but that simple act (that and getting me on the next plane!) was much appreciated and it makes me an even more loyal customer of Continental.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
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Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
