Digital Social Media Marketing

Content Director Should Rock Content Marketing
I'm excited that th etalented @Scoop.itteam ( @Guillaume Decugis@Ally Greer@Marc Rougierand many others) are launching a new content curation tool called Content Director. As team Curagami shared in our 7 Reasons You Must Curate Content (http://shar.es/1ohSrO over 5,000 views now) knowing what content is making you money and why is a CSF (Critical Success Factor).

Can't wait for our demo tomorrow PM. Will report back.

Via Martin (Marty) Smith

Marty Note
I like Biznology's 3 Tips to increase engagement so much I added a few:

Biznlogy

1. Ask Questions, Respond to Answers

2. Personalize

3. Test ‘Em

Scenttrail
4. Curate Simple (i.e. not mean) controversy.
5. Curate Social Content.
6. Tap Branded Content (manufacturers or gurus).

7. Polls and Surveys.
8. Guest Posts.
9. Ambassadors.
10. Test for Engagement with new KPIs

Controversy
When Moon-Audio.com ask their customers Fostex or Audese? They got headphone lovers to weigh in on what they like about their favorite brands and why. This kind of simple controversy is great for creating online community since it doesn't destroy the "we are in this together" feeling.

Curate
When site sponsors and owners use THEIR content (User Generated Content) that action says, "We listen" more clearly than words. Follow those who follow you on social media and curate their content into your streams, websites and blogs with permission and attribution to increase engagement. Nothing like using what they've shared in a material way to prove the value you place in sharing.

Tap Branded Content
When you use a Seth Godin riff or TED talk you increase authority and authority helps promote engagement.

Polls & Surveys
When in doubt ASK and publish results. We are bench mark seeking machines we humans so always share results and incorporate results into blog posts and website content to reinforce value you place in those who vote (see #5).

Guest Posts
When you ask someone to help out you prove how much you value others. Your community grows when its open to outside influence. Salesforce increased blog traffic by 1,000% when they asked for guest posts. Guest posts have high built in engagement too since the writer is sure to share with his/her social net.

Ambassadors
We are big believers in ASKING FOR HELP. Inside your traffic 1% wants to share high value UGC, 9% will vote and share that content too so find your 10% Ambassadors and ask for their help.

Testing for Engagement
We need new Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that value UGC, shares, likes and links. If your content is creating engagement double down. If not review these 10 tips and test something new. Make sure your "winner" metrics include KPIs that speak to core content marketing and engagement values such as time on site, shares, comments, likes and links.

Via Thomas Faltin, Martin (Marty) Smith

“Link building” as it is traditionally defined is fraught with risks, gray-hat techniques, and dangerous mistakes. Don’t approach link building in a let’s-build-some-links kind of way.

 

If you do, you’re headed for dangerous waters. Instead, consider link building as a byproduct of being a networker, a content marketer, a local expert, a personal brand, and a social animal.

 Read More: http://www.searchenginejournal.com/link-building-brand-new-website/115075/

Marty Note
When one of our friends shared his use of the disavow tool daily at a recent conference to our shocked and surprise. He went on to explain by alerting Google to spammy links coming into his content he was winning more and more SEO cred and suddenly we got it.

Acting proactively on the knowledge not all inbound links are equal or good can save some SEO PAIN.

Not all links are equal and some may be attempts to HURT your website. Knowing who is linking to you, thanking the good ones and alerting Google to your disdain for the bad ones is becoming an important "new SEO" tactic.

This post shares solid new ways to get good links in the first place and original great content is you best friend on that mission. What it doesn't share is the cost of bad unsolicited links. Treat all links with care and give them with even more care.

We suggest NOT letting the spider follow your links. No Follow links protect you from having the content changed or altered after you link. Even with No Follow Links ONLY link to trusted sources so you may become an authority too.

Via Antonino Militello, Martin (Marty) Smith