While marketers aren’t sure yet exactly how Google+ is going to change the online advertising and social media promotion game, it’s certain that Google+ is a big game changer. Google+ business accounts have only recently become available, but there are a couple of reasons you need to incorporate this new phenomenon into your SEO strategy as soon as possible.

For one thing, Google+ is from Google, and it’s always a good idea to stay on top of what Google is doing right from the start. Right now, Google is the main authority for page rankings, so you can be sure that Google+ is going to have a big impact in the future. Plus, unlike Facebook and Twitter, links within your Google+ account are Follow links, which means that they have an actual impact on your site’s page rank (as opposed to Facebook and Twitter’s NoFollow links, which do not!). If you want to start incorporating Google+ into your SEO strategy, here are three ways to get started:

1. Use Backlinks in your posts

As noted above, links through Google+ are Follow links, so they are valuable backlinks to your main page. They act like links from a blog or website, which a spider sees and assumes that you have higher value because other sites like you.

On your Google+ page, you can link to your company in a couple of ways. In the About Me section, you can put a permanent link to your blog in. This backlink will have a lot of staying power because it will be there from one day to the next. You can also link to your site through individual posts in Google+. Because you’re running these links on a news feed, they won’t be as valuable over the long term, but they can help boost short-term rankings and get you some visitors right away.

2. Create Some Social Buzz

Like Facebook and Twitter, Google+ marketing is all about social buzz. Getting people added to your circle of followers is the most important part of Google+ right now. Get out there and talk about your business, and post relevant content that potential followers will find interesting. You can create more of a buzz on your Google+ page in a few ways. Here are couple of options:

• End posts in a question, which will invite discussion on your page, drawing more visitors to jump in.
• Use your company network to build followers by having your employees get personal Google+ accounts and join your business’s circle.
• Promote your Google+ account on Facebook, your company website, your blog, and Twitter so that you’ll get even more people to check it out.

3. Create Compelling Content

Of course, keeping people in your circle on Google+ is all about having good content. Repost your blogs here, and post interesting related blogs from other websites or industry experts, too. Add in videos, which are some of the best marketing tools at the moment. As you’re creating good content, make sure you optimize it for SEO so that it’s helping boost your SEO ratings as its drawing in new visitors to your Google+ circle.

If you aren’t sure how to start a Google+ page or get it going, it might be worth hiring a freelance or part-time marketing expert to get it started for you. It will cost money to start, but in the long run, it can help build your business, since Google+ is the next “it” thing in social media marketing.

If you don’t currently have the funds to hire someone to run your Google+ campaign, consider a credit card or traditional bank loan to pay for the costs. Ashyia Hill from CreditDonkey says, if you’re using your small business credit card responsibly, it can be easier than getting a small business loan, and you can get business credit card rewards that you can also use to further your business.

Follow Key Theory on Google +

Being a non-profit organization, practically everything they need for advertisement – from logos to ad graphics to their web site to t-shirt graphics – needs to be donated. Sometimes they get lucky and get some very talented artists and sometimes they get very passionate people with good intentions. I was lucky to find Key Theory’s own Klara Isabel Felipe Cu to design the t-shirts.  She did an amazing job and several styles of the t-shirts were so popular they are sold out!

To assist with the social media efforts, I worked on their Facebook page Bands Against Breast Cancer, Inc.,  and their Twitter @Boobsapalooza. I focused on connecting and cross-promoting the event with sponsors, the bands playing the event, the locations, and everyone involved. I also created content to engage people and encourage them to share. This is actually a very difficult task, given that Boobsapalooza is intended to be a fun event, it’s Hank’s (and BABC’s) intention to not lose sight of the reason and  the people we’re there for.  Her intent is to focus on a demographic that normally isn’t reached by traditional breast cancer awareness campaigns.  Utilizing Twitter, I made live Tweets during several events, posting pictures and mentioning everyone involved.

The Pink Pub Crawl was an event that actually started as an idea over a year ago.  Hank, some fabulous volunteers and I managed to pull it off in record time with great results. We crawled from Lynch’s Irish Pub to Bukket’s, to Fionn MacCool’s, to Snapper’s, Paco’s then back to Lynch’s. There were also ticket sales events at several local restaurants like Cyclone’s, Copper Top, and Cliff’s. Even after Boobsapalooza, there were additional fundraising events for Breast Cancer Awareness month at Whisky River, BlackFinn & Suite.  October was an amazing month indeed!

Overall I have to say it was 110% worth every second. I learned a lot, met some amazing people and have told Hank that I would be honored to continue working with Bands Against Breast Cancer in the years to come.

Special thanks to all of the bands and BABC volunteers for their support!

• American Attitude
• Azmyth
• Blistur
• Cupid’s Alley
• Dailiss
• Kickin’ Lassie
• Lucky Stiff
• Out of Hand
• Something Distant
• Split Tone

- Ron Rodriguez

- Nate Holly

- Darren Corlew

Five tips for succeeding on LinkedIn

Get your profile to 100 percent complete.
It’s not hard to do and it doesn’t even have to be done at once. Try doing one step at a time and it will be done in no time.

Connect with others
Connect with your friends, coworkers and contacts. When you meet someone or get a business card look them up and connect with them.

Join groups and participate
There are a lot of groups on LinkedIn under just about any category you can think of. Take a day of the week and check out some topics, comment on them and connect with others.

Update your status
Whether you do it on LinkedIn, Twitter or another outlet, make sure to keep your account fresh and let people know any recent accomplishments, any insight you can provide or a bit more about your personality.

Be real and interact
This is not a numbers game. You don’t need to race to get a lot of contacts. Grow your contacts in time and juries the relationships you have and always remember to be yourself.

Be sure to check out the various apps on linked in that you can add to your account there are a plethora of apps that can add value to your page

LinkedIn as given me many opportunities and I’m sure it can work for you. Setting aside even five minutes in a day can make a difference. Now go get to it!

Feel free to connect with me LinkedIn.com/In/Kennyharper

Follow Key Theory at LinkedIn.com/company/Key-Theory-llc

Now as a busy guy myself I totally get there isn’t enough time in a day to get involved in every social media channel out there and make a thousand updates a day but even spending five minutes in a day can help you expand your reach and build your personal brand.

Three reasons to utilize LinkedIn

Seventy percent of the top fortune 100 companies utilize lined in for recruiting talent.
so if your looking for a job or may in the future don’t you think it might be worth your while to start building your account?

You can easily organize and categorize your contacts
Sure you may be able to organize your contacts elsewhere but LinkedIn can help keep everyone’s information up to date.

You can be introduced to great contacts through your connections
Just like in the real world your contacts ca hook you up with great people but on LinkedIn their contacts are all listed out for you. You can see who your contacts know and easily extend your network and connect with people you’d like to meet.

LinkedIn can build your personal brand.
By making one update a day or every other day via LinkedIn or a connected LinkedIn channel you will start increasing your presence and gaining attention of others. I know this works. People know what I’m up to with out me having to tell them.

LinkedIn has introduced me to great new contacts and brought me new business.

There are many other reasons to participate on LinkedIn so get on it. It’s fun and easy so there’s no need to think of excuses why you can’t do it. ; )

Sign up at LinkedIn.com

Next post I’ll share some tips for those who are already on LinkedIn for making it more successful.

My LinkedIn account is http://linkedin.com/kennyharper feel free to look me up.

1. Websites
2. Virtual Business Cards
3. Videos
4. Google Places Maps
5. Custom Messages (Text / SMS)
6. Auto Phone Number
7. and more…

However if you are using these QR codes you want to be sure that you are using them the most efficient way possible.

• Greet users with a mobile website.
  If you are guiding users to a website that they can’t easily navigate or find information, then you’re not getting the best results from your efforts. QR codes are scanned by mobile devices, so provide a nice experience when they have scanned the device.
• Provide an easy way to connect with your company.
  Ok so if you get them to your mobile site, video or message provide a way to connect them to you or your company. Whether it’s a newletter sign up, a social media connection or a contact form make it easy for them to connect with you and perhaps add an incentive for connecting.
• Track your results.
  If you’re running different ads with QR codes, you can use various QR codes with Google Analytics to track the results from different ads to see which ads or marketing efforts provided better results. By control testing various ads you can figure out with perform better and work towards developing a more effective marketing effort.

Download a QR Code Reader
Download a QR code for your smart phone. They are really easy to use, just turn on the app and focus your your camera lens on the code.

Generate your own QR Codes
This is really easy to do. Select what message, URL or number you are looking to program into the QR code and click Generate. Copy the Generated QR code where you need it.

AAF Jax is the local chapter of AAF, American Advertising Federation, a club dedicated to serving members by  protecting and advancing advertising interests, including the freedom to truthfully advertise legal products.  The Jacksonville chapter is very active, having several large events throughout the year. The annual media auction is an event that fulfills several needs in the Jax media community. Proceeds help fund the scholarship program for local advertising and graphic design students, as well as support the industry’s initiatives throughout the year. It gives businesses in Jax an opportunity to try new media and services. Also, the event advertises the companies who donate.

The event will have a live and a silent auction.

• The live auction offers businesses, non-profits or special events the opportunity to get remarkable deals on new forms of advertising, media, and the like.
• The silent auction is open to the general public and features a wide variety of items such as jewelry, tickets to shows and sporting events, dinners for two, bottles of wine, cruises, spa packages, and more.  In both auctions, anyone can bid and win an incredible deal.

This event will be an incredible opportunity to network and mingle with Jacksonville’s finest in the media industry. You can find more information on the event as well as how to get tickets at aafjacksonville.org.

Rock My Facebook is an entity under Key Theory and is a group of professional marketers and graphic designers that focus on creating custom, branded Facebook pages that Rock!

Show some love & support and “Like” the page. : )

The tab also features projects that I have worked on in the past several months as well as some groups and organizations with whom I am associated.

Now that 2011 is here, Key Theory is growing – so stay tuned for more great changes coming soon, including Rock My Facebook a new service offering custom Facebook Designs.

If you are NOT using LinkedIn, you can sign up for a free account at http://www.linkedin.com/; it’s easy and  FREE.

Don’t be left in the dark, times have changed, communication is continuing to evolve.  But as e-mail replaced  “snail mail”, social media is replacing other traditional references.
Take into consideration these benefits of using LinkedIn or other similar professional, business networking sites-

Connections & Credibility:

Imagine two candidates for a job, with similar experience and credentials.
One candidate has a resume and the standard three references.
The other also has a LinkedIn account:

• With hundreds of connections, active in discussions and engaged in their industry
• With recommendations from various jobs and positions
• Is proving they are an expert in their field by participating in industry groups and discussions on LinkedIn, which show up on their LinkedIn profile

Which one do you think has the better chance of getting that job?

Opportunity:

By being engaged and aware of what’s going on in your business industry, you become aware of many new opportunities that are available. Perhaps a company is looking to hire,  or someone is in search of a particular service. Getting your name out there and getting your voice heard will open many opportunities for you.  It’s not only what you know, it’s who you know.

For those of you who ARE on LinkedIn already:

Are you effectively using the channel? You may have created an account and put your info on the site but:

• Are you engaging with people in your industry?
• Are you making new connections?
• Have you joined a group?
• Do you participate in a group?
• Are you promoting yourself, your services or your knowledge?
• Do you recommend people?
• Do you ask for recommendations?
• Have you added any engaging content to your page?
• Do you login semi-frequently?
• Do you promote your channel?

How do you score on professional networking?

Ask yourself the questions above and give yourself a point for each that you can say yes to. It takes some time and effort to work on building your base, but it does not need to be done over night, just with effort and persistence.

Make a plan to advance in your skills.

So make some goals towards getting better at professional networking and set a plan for yourself to complete them. Maybe you do it as a morning ritual or maybe it’s setting aside your own “Networking Tuesdays”?  I recently went from a score of 7 to a 9, and I am working my way to a 10.

Feel free to connect with me at http://www.linkedin.com/in/kennyharper

There is more info on using LinkedIn effectively to come in future posts.

Good luck and keep pushing!

As a former Twitter skeptic, I can say I didn’t really understand what Twitter was about at first myself. It seemed to me that I didn’t really need to know what all my friends were doing at every point and time. Now I see that there are more uses for Twitter. I think it is a valuable tool for any company who wants to boost their on-line presence.

Top misconceptions about Twitter.

• Having to read every tweet
  You don’t need to catch it all. You can’t really. Just scan the Tweets sometime and follow what you’re interested in.
• Needing to care about people’s trivial tweets
  Some people Tweet about random nothingness, others Tweet about information, most Tweeters are in the middle. If you don’t like someone’s Tweet style, un-follow them.
• Needing to spend hours on Twitter
  Spending a few minutes a day can help you keep connected and can be a great way to break into new arenas.

10 Great uses for Twitter

1. Tap into new markets and meet new people.

   You can’t be everywhere at one time but you can connect with people from all over the place on Twitter. You can even connect with people who you’d never get a chance to connect with any other way such as CEOs, business owners and celebrities.

2. Discover new resources and connections.
   

   That is one of the great things that I found out really quickly on Twitter. You can meet new people and find out new tools or web sites that you probably would have never found out on your own.

3. See real feedback on products/brands/services.
   

   Instead of getting information about how great a product is from the company that made it, read what people are saying in Twitter in real-time.

4. Get answers to questions.
   

   Have a question you need an answer to?  Shout it to your Twitter followers and get replies. If your Tweet doesn’t get much response, try connecting with people directly. Example:  Does anyone know a program that would edit pictures for less than $100?  > Pixelator….

5. Get new ideas from others in the Twittersphere.

   There are so many great ideas going on all the time with Twitter. Search a particular topic and see what the buzz on the topic is. Chances are you’ll get some ideas about the topic that you hadn’t thought of before.

6. Create a dialog and connection with your followers / clients.

   See what your followers / clients are up to. You may catch one of their tweets that mentions they’re in need of a service, or are having an event. By following them you’ll be in the loop to what’s going on in their world.

7. Self Promotion.

   If you have a company, blog or personal project that could benefit from people checking it out. You can use Twitter to share your stuff with others. Just don’t abuse Twitter with spam, people don’t like it and won’t follow you.

8. Get breaking news and read interesting articles.

   See what’s going on in the world in regards to various topics. Remember you don’t need to read them all, but you can do a quick scan and catch a lot of things. Following the news, weather, shows, celebrities, blogs and other Tweeters can be fun and interesting.

9. Get feedback from ideas before putting them into action.

   If you have an idea that may take time to execute or money to invest, perhaps you could get a little feedback from some Twitter followers before you take the plunge. Example if you’re creating an ad to run in a magazine maybe you’d want to get several ideas together and then share with your followers. See what get’s the best response, you may be surprised.

10. Share news in little bite-size clusters.

    Creating good blog content takes time and effort. Tweeting takes seconds to do and can get ideas across really easy.

Remember to:

• Have fun
• Be yourself
• Engage with others

There are plenty more reasons to use Twitter but this should be enough to get you going.

Helpful links:

• 60+ Twitter Tools: http://mashable.com/2007/09/29/twitter-toolbox/
• Firefox Twitter Toolbar: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4664
• Tweet Deck: http://tweetdeck.com
• Tweet Deck Video Tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRpZLQhq7ig

Next I’m working on some YouTube videos showcasing some Twitter Techniques, subscribe to http://youtube.com/keytheory or http://facebook.com/keytheory to keep up to date with new posts.

Here is a bit more information about the Custom Facebook pages and the pros and cons about them.

Reasons to have a custom Facebook page:

1. Stick out of the crowd of other Facebook pages.
2. Create a branded experience and establish consumer recognition.
3. Break free from the restrictive layout and design choices of Facebook.
4. Increase the pull to drive traffic to specific destinations by changing site hierarchy.
5. Make your page look fun and interesting.
6. Create the tabs you want, with the names you want.
7. Use Flash to create a unique user experience for people to want to share.
   http://www.facebook.com/target#/target?v=app_4949752878**
8. Your competition will eventually get around to doing it; beat ‘em to it.
9. Make your Facebook experience more engaging.
10. Having an interesting page will help people remember your page from others.

Drawbacks of Static FBML:

Although there are definite advantages of creating a custom Facebook page with Static FBML there are some drawbacks as well.

1. Static pages do not have the same dynamic functionality that core pages do.
   The wall, discussion, photo gallery and a few other tabs have functionality built into them that are easy to use and dynamic.
2. Changing elements on the static page will not be as easy, it would be recommended to create static pages for things that will not change frequently. http://facebook.com/sunkistsoda**
3. You cannot add much actual functionality to the pages as they do not allow connections to scripts, for this you may need to develop an application.
4. Flash elements must be clicked on first to enable. http://facebook.com/artizanmetal
5. Creating links out of Facebook will take users to a warning page before they will go to the new link.
6. Not all elements of the Facebook are customizable; this isn’t MySpace. Look at the examples provided here for an idea of what can be accomplished. http://facebook.com/wenourishhope

Deciding if you want a really custom Facebook Page:

1. Do you have a Facebook page already created?
2. Can you provide admin access to your Facebook page?
3. Do you have a need for a branded page that will be static, for the most part, and not change very often?

Custom Facebook Process:

• The first thing to be done is discuss what the goal of the Facebook tab(s) will be.
• A wireframe (blueprints) will be created to outline the layout and functionality of the page.
• Once the wireframe is approved a design will be created based on the wireframe.
• Once the design has been approved the page will be developed in XHTML and be deployed in Facebook.

How much does a Custom Facebook Page Cost?

Everyone wants to know the cost but it all depends on the scope of the work. Think of it this way, if you asked for construction company how much to build a new house, the answer would depend on what type of a house you’d be looking for. The same goes here. Before giving a price quote the job must be fully spec’d out.

Prices range from $500 and up depending on the goals and requirements of your particular project. This may seem like a lot of money to some people for a custom FB but I have made the decision to only work on projects that I can put enough time into to be proud of and be a success.

Cost Break down:

• Discovery
• Strategic Planning
• Wireframe Design / Content Hierarchy
• Graphic Design
• XHTML / CSS Development
• Facebook Implementation

Price Influences:

• How complicated is the project. (Simple layout text and images vs Complex layout page)
• How many pages / tabs will need to be created?
• Do you have an existing brand (look & feel) or will you need one created.
• There is time allocated for a couple rounds of revisions in the cost of the design but revisions outside the allotted amount may increase the cost of the project.

How long does a Custom Facebook take?

Depending on the current volume of work and the scope of the project a custom Facebook page can take anywhere from a few weeks to two months. Once your project has been fully spec’d out a time estimate can be provided.

If you have decided you are interested in creating a custom Facebook tab feel free to contact me via Rock My Facebook.

** I did not work on the Sunkist Soda or Target Facebook pages used as examples above.