Insight To Marketing

The 200 lb. Panda in the room….

Kristin Rocha — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:47:44 +0000

Have you noticed a decline in your search engine rankings? Panda 2.3 may be to blame. In July 2011, Google unleashed their latest algorithmic changes to the Panda filter. The goal of this filter is to return high-quality sites to Google searchers by weeding through spammers and content farmers. According to SearchEngineLand.com, a Google spokesperson added “This most recent update is one of the roughly 500 changes we make to our ranking algorithms each year.”

With 500 changes a year to search engine algorithms, how can you ensure your website’s ranking stability? If you properly optimize your site from the beginning, these changes should not have a devastating impact on your rankings. With a few minor tweaks, you will be able to regain your status. Listed below are 3 ways to properly optimize your site to ensure stability in the ever-changing realm of search engines.

Proper Page Development- When designing your site, it is imperative to have a clear path for robots and crawlers to navigate the site. Pay attention to the order in which your pages are placed by topic and content. The easier it is to navigate the site, the easier it is to obtain information from your site.
Content is KING- Writing quality content for your site will always be relevant, no matter how the algorithms change throughout the year. The Panda filter was designed to under-rank sites that have simply copy and pasted content from other sites. Therefore, take the time to write your own unique copy!
Link Building- In recent years, search engines have begun placing more weight on the number of outside links pointing back to your site than any other algorithm feature. This does not include the vast array of directories. While claiming directory listings is beneficial, it is the quality of links that the search engines are looking for. The higher the quality and relevance of the outside site, the higher the score your site will receive.

Branded For Life.

Kristin Rocha — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 19:39:13 +0000

In essence, the Brand of a company is its personality. Consumers either relate to it or they do not in terms of does it mesh with their personal views, lifestyle, opinions and so forth. The goal of developing a Brand is to attract other like-minded individuals to bond with your Brand personality in such a way that they become a part of the Brand itself. They become spokespeople for the Brand to friends and family and become so committed to a Brand that they will not consider purchasing from another company whether it be a product or service.

Apple Computers is a perfect example of a strong Brand. Apple consumers are so strongly associated with the Apple persona they have become Brand zealots. They can’t wait for the next big thing from Apple to hit the market. they will wait in line to get their new iPhone in the malls until midnight and they will not even consider another similar product because it does not carry the Apple logo, even if the product is less expensive or better. These followers of the Brand are dedicated to promoting and purchasing the Apple product line because they have bought into the Brand personality that Apple has so meticulously crafted.

Our goal is to help our clients define who they are and what their Brand personality is. Once defined, we need to distill this Brand into a Brand Positioning statement. This will become the guiding force for all forms of communication to all that come in contact with the Brand. This includes the design of all marketing materials, packaging, point of purchase, web site, social media touch-point and so forth. It does not stop at just the visual aspect of a Brand however, as the messaging from a company is also critical. What is the “voice” of this personality? Is it soft, harsh, endearing or just fun? It becomes the way a Brand “speaks” to its audience and how the consumer relates to this message.

Giving Facebook A Face Lift

Kristin Rocha — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:09:51 +0000

Facebook has quickly established itself as the dominant player in the social media realm by continuing to develop and introduce new applications and functions. At Zelen Communications, we encourage our clients to partake in this ever-evolving marketing medium to reach out to consumers on a much more personal level. One way of doing this is by developing a Fan page. These pages were developed as unique public profiles established to promote a business, an organization, a musical artist, a brand or just about anything else. By setting up a Fan page, your friends (and those you are not friends with) are able to ‘Like’ and follow your page without having direct access to your personal Facebook profile. It is also a great way to engage in conversation with your target audience, where fans can leave feedback on your ‘wall’ and you can, in turn, respond to them in real time.

With a Fan page, you also have the ability to create customizable tabs. The typical Facebook page provides generic tabs in which to fill in your name, address, phone number, website, and a general description. However, with the help of the FBML application, users can write their own html code to create custom tabs displaying anything from a ‘special offer’ to a newsletter sign up form, to just an overall Welcome tab. The possibilities are truly endless. Although, unless you dabble in the computer programming world in your free time, this task is not as easy as it sounds for the average person. That’s where we, at Zelen Communications, come in!

Visit the Zelen Communications Fan page for examples of customizable tabs.:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zelen-Communications/73282533883

Social Media Moguls

Kristin Rocha — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:13:32 +0000

At Tampa advertising agency, Zelen Communications, we encourage our clients to utilize current, proven trends; one of which includes Social Media Marketing. Social Media is designed to initiate conversations with consumers by creating content that attracts attention that will, in turn, motivate consumers to pass along to other social networks. Consumers are more likely to trust a third-party source, such as their peers, as opposed to a message delivered by the brand or company itself. A March 2009 study by Knowledge Networks stated that between 10% and 24% of US social media users turned to social networks when making purchase decisions about various categories of products and services. (eMarketer)

“Social Media” has become a buzz-term in the business world, blogs, whitepapers and articles all over the world. In laymen’s terms, Social Media Marketing is exemplified in such sites as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. This new arena of business communications has created a more personal side of marketing by creating a one-to-one conversation directly between companies and their consumers.

The social media phenomenon has opened the doors for both large and small companies to get to know their clientele on a personal level, previously not available via traditional advertising. Personal relationships are the foundation of Social Media Marketing. Through the development of these viral communication paths, new customers can easily find out about you, your products and services, and how you can potentially help them in their business and personal lives.

We encourage our clients to participate in Social Media Marketing only if we feel the communication channel makes economic sense. Through social networking sites, such as Facebook, our clients have the opportunity to reach potential customers on both a local and worldwide level at the same cost. The other added benefit is that these new relationships are now one-on-one as opposed to one-to-many. This type of communication allows our clients to receive direct feedback from their customers in a way never before possible. We help our clients tailor a program specifically to fit their business and brand.

If you’re ready to get started in the Social Marketing realm, let us be your guide.

PPC, What’s in It for Me?

Kristin Rocha — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 19:03:02 +0000

Pay-Per-Click advertising has become a major focus for many companies due to a number of important factors. One is that this relatively new marketing avenue creates nearly instant visibility for your company, product or service. By placing ads through the purchase of specified keywords, your ad appears in the most visible areas of the search engine results pages. In the case of Google, ads are posted in the top left side of the page in positions one, two and three. There are also another eight potential ads running in a narrow column in the top right of the same page. These positions are the most highly visible placements and capture more eyes than the remaining page which is reserved for “organic”results. These results are achieved through traditional search engine optimization, or SEO.

PPC works by first developing a broad list of potential keywords and phrases based on your company’s business. We then create a series of text ads that incorporate these keywords that will be posted on the search engines. Once this process is completed, we help you determine a budget for a set time frame, such as $500.00 per week or $2,000.00 per month. This can be adjusted upward or downward in near real–time, as needed. The final step is to then place “bids” on each keyword in our campaign with the search engines. If our bid is chosen, our ad will run when that one keyword is used in a search.

We don’t want to get into too much detail, but the highest bidder does not necessarily win the ad placement. The search engines go beyond just bids when considering which ads should be run. They also consider which ad is most likely to be clicked.

PPC is very easily trackable through stats software supplied by the search engines. So, we can readily identify which keywords are being used by consumers to search for your business offerings, as well as which ones they choose to click on to go to your web site. This kind of intelligence is extremely useful in the development and maintenance of a paid search campaign. It allows us to quickly adjust to visible trends by consumers and allows us to add or remove specific keywords from your campaign in order to increase your
click-through rates.

SEO, the Yellow Pages of Today

Kristin Rocha — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 20:23:09 +0000

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, has become a hot topic among our clients and the business world in general. Simply put, a successful SEO campaign results in a high page ranking on search engine sites, such as, Google, Bing and Yahoo!. Think of it this way, SEO is the yellow pages of today. “Nearly two-thirds of consumers (61%) use search engines to help them in their product research decisions leading up to purchase.” (eConsultancy)

Due to the overwhelming demand for this technical service, we have endeavored to educate and train our team thoroughly in the strategic practice of Search Engine Optimization for our clients. We understand their desire to drive more customers to their web sites and, in turn, convert sales. Unfortunately, many companies have not quickly realized that they cannot fight this battle themselves, or win it overnight. The search engines have become much more sophisticated today and the practice of SEO has become a highly specialized service provided by forward-thinking marketing firms.

At Zelen Communications we have developed our own successful search engine optimization strategy to help you achieve a high page ranking. Our methodology has allowed us to put our clients’ web sites at the forefront of their competition. Our process is comprised of the following: keyword analysis, development of rich copy content, page-by-page optimization, site analysis, strategic link building, and monthly reporting to ensure the continued progress of your web site. Our strategy is based upon the fact that the search engines look for these specific elements when determining your web site’s relevancy. Did you realize that Google primarily dictates the SEO process, it is because they control close to 80% of the search engine market.

We want the best for our clients and know that obtaining the highest position possible in search engine page ranking, or SERP, is key to their success. We use only proven, “white hat”, clean strategies that, over time, build the visibility of our clients’ sites. We inform our clients that this process takes time and patience, sometimes up to 3-6 months to see the results of our endeavors.

It’s a team, not a staff

Fulton Smith-Sykes — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:26:18 +0000

So did anyone miss the whole David Letterman fiasco? Of course not, but did you miss what I wrote about last calling your team….STAFF. David Letterman in the many interviews continued to refer to his people, his team, the very people that make it possible for him to be a Successful entertainer, as his STAFF. It was terrible and it truly sounded demeaning. Of course we can’t forget the other degrading part of his actions, but the rest of you can make your own judgments about those actions. In closing……Never, Ever refer to your team as STAFF. And that is all I have to say about that today.

Dress For Success!

Fulton Smith-Sykes — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:44:34 +0000

What is your restaurant team wearing……. Front and Back of the House? Is your team proud of what they are wearing? If you represent a large chain, you are likely to think about the associated costs, but smaller companies can really have fun with their attire. You should seriously think about your staff’s attire as “Wardrobe” because every time they hit the floor it is a performance. You want them standing tall, looking good and ready to rock n’ roll.

Have you ever seen restaurant employees that have “Staff” printed on their backs? OMG it screams you are just an employee. You are saying you are not really important and that I can always replace you with the next person that applies for a job. Never ever do the “Staff” thing! Also, black and white have become so overused and standard these days. I encourage you to think color! Offer a selection of colors so your team can pick something that expresses their individuality as well as representing your “Brand” in a positive light. People tend to be more focused on the front of the house, but don’t forget the back of the house! They are part of your team and your success, make sure you reinforce that to them. Everyone contributes and let them know that they are as important as anyone within your four walls. Go and see what your competitors are doing and you may have an “AHA” moment. Make sure your team’s “Wardrobe” sets you apart and clearly gives you a Point of Difference.

The restaurant business is hard work, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help to improve their jobs and their work environment. Once again, make it fun and enjoyable for everyone you employ and they will reflect that happiness and warmth to your customers.

I hope you have a smile on your face!!!

Is Your Restaurant Staff Really Happy?

Fulton Smith-Sykes — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 16:52:01 +0000

I never really intended to discuss the wait staff as much as I am, but it appears there is a real need to revisit this topic.

Have you ever walked into an office or a meeting and the atmosphere was thick and unpleasant and you just wanted to leave? Make sure that doesn’t happen in your restaurant! If the staff is tense and not happy for whatever reason, your customers will feel it and it will become a part of their experience and that doesn’t help you get them back into your restaurant. No one likes “negative energy”. Yes, there are times when you have to give the staff, of any organization, a very direct and sometimes uncomfortable conversation about your business and what is happening within your four walls. Just make sure your timing is correct and not before your team hits the floor to take care of your most prized possession…Your Customer.

Before your service team begins waiting on your customers, lighten up the mood. Be happy. Give clear direction about what needs to happen during that day part and move to a positive conversation. Make a joke, ask everyone something they are thankful for that has happened to them recently. Tell them you are very thankful to have them represent your company and reinforce the many contributions they make day in and day out. Make everyone laugh, give a high five or slap on the back. One of my doctors has an open-gratitude based practice and when you walk into his office everyone is smiling and laughing and it is genuine. Make the experience real for your wait staff and they will make sure it happens for your customers. Remind people to be genuine, smile, be happy and be their for your customers. Pay attention.

You are responsible for creating a happy environment and it only takes one negative person to taint the entire team. Don’t allow that to happen. Do not allow negative thinking or behavior. Set a positive example and they will follow.

The Restaurant Brand Marketer

Fulton Smith-Sykes — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:42:48 +0000

I’m a restaurant person. I love restaurants, the fun and the experience. The people, the music, you name it…I’m hooked. My profession is Marketing and Advertising. I build and evolve Brands. But over the years, I have become an astute business person and an excellent listener. I think that happened because I spent half of my professional life on the Agency side of the business and the other half as a client.

Now as a “Brand Helper,” I work in the world of “Brand Space” and help people fill it with perspective that can grow their business. I go to every type of restaurant from fast food establishments, to biker bars, to casual dining spots (which are losing their way) to posh eateries.

Going back to the restaurant discussion, don’t do this “Mr. Restaurant, Owner, Manager, Partner, Employee thing! For example, I went to a much anticipated dinner for a special occasion, and since I’m a restaurant geek you should get the message. It was horrible. I can’t tell you how disappointing the entire experience was from start to finish. Even though my ” little restaurant warning bell” was slightly dulled from a few martini’s, it was still ringing. Instead of “Don’t do This” commands, I’m going to put in more directive terms.

Make sure your host or first person of contact with your customer has what it takes….happy smiling faces and treats the customer with the ultimate respect. I guess you forget that point if you are a really “Hot Spot” and have a big following with a lot of repeat customers! But even still, you need to keep growing and expanding your customer base. The first contact person should introduce themselves and welcome them into their home. Are there events going on in the community? If so, that first contact should be aware of those events and inquire about the customer’s evening. “Are you going to the show tonight?” or “Are you just enjoying the evening with us tonight?” You get the idea. You have established their evening’s expectation and, of course, you should know if it is their first visit. The person should then give a code to the wait person that defines new or repeat customer. I don’t care how busy you are at the time, these are the basics that should become second nature to the staff. I don’t care if you have one customer or 150. What happened to being charming? Oh yea, no one goes to charm school anymore.

Not to worry. I’ll give you an example of bad service. Okay you know where I am going with this. No new news with this. Do you think a coach doesn’t make his team do the basic drills everyday? There is a reason that he does- so it becomes second nature and natural. It becomes “How I do business”. I engage my customers. I embrace them and let them know they are special and that I really am happy that they have come to spend their evening and their hard-earned money with me. Like when we are treated like lepers because we aren’t regulars, the wait staff is bad and rushed. The waiter just wants us to order and get a table turn. Great. Thank you very much. Then the unthinkable happens….. piece of wire in my dinner! Can you believe it? The waiter asks if I would like something else. Would I like Something Else? And then he doesnt immediately remove our plates, he leaves them on the table. Wire and all. Unfortunately, we all have a similar story.

Had to share this story so that each restaurant owner shakes everything up. Start over and get your training into gear Be in your restaurant or restaurants and look at everything like your customer is seeing it for the first time. More to come…Our ultimate goal is to give you a different perspective on the restaurant business.