Google is at it again. Monday, in an effort to continue to increase its presence in the social media sphere, Google launched the next installment of its already successful Google+ project: Google+ Pages. These pages have been in the works for months, and users have been anxiously awaiting their arrival. Google+ Pages will allow business small and large to connect with their existing customers, and potentially create new business.
Google+ Pages are not only a great way to enhance your business’ local and national presence, but they also allow existing Google+ users to connect with brands, companies and organizations. Many brands, news outlets and big name companies have been early adopters of Google+ pages. Below are a few examples:
So you might be asking yourself, “Okay great, I have a business and a Google+ Page, what does it mean? How can I make Google+ work for my Business?”
Below are a few simple steps that can get you on the right track to utilize this new feature effectively:
Start by setting up your actual Google+ page:
- Visit https://plus.google.com/pages/create
- Select which category your business fits into:
- Local Business or Place
- Product or Brand
- Company, Institution or Organization
- Arts, Entertainment or Sports
- Other
Enter the Basic Information into your selected category
- Agree to the terms
- CREATE!
Next, it’s time to customize the page:
- Create a Tagline
- Enter your profile picture
- Enter all of the information customers will want to know about your product.
- PROMOTE!
- Click Finish, and you will be taken to your new Google+ Business Page.
A few things to note:
One main feature of Google+ Page that you do not want to forget is: the badge for your website. Visit the developers guide for gain access to this badge.
https://developers.google.com/+/plugins/badge/config
Also, be sure to add the +1 button on your website to share even more content with the Google world. http://www.google.com/intl/en/webmasters/+1/button/index.html
Have questions about Google+ or want to know more tips and tricks? Check out this helpful resource:https://plus.google.com/100585555255542998765/posts/J4LKQnjj7z1
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Every month at company meetings, a handful of Fathomers are recognized in front of the group for extraordinary manifestations of our four core values ("everyone a leader," "be the consigliere," "make order from chaos," "reward sustainable results"). This space will immortalize their accomplishments for the world to see. I hereby present the 2nd edition of Core Value Stories:
- Everyone a Leader, Kevin Herendeen -- For working tirelessly on securing new benefits for Fathom employees.
- Be the Consigliere, Abby Rossbach -- For helping the writing team with setting priorities, making content recommendations and meeting client expectations.
- Make Order from Chaos, Jay Ketchaver (pictured) -- For saving everyone countless hours by fixing/troubleshooting various computer/Internet issues.
- Reward Sustainable Results, Mike Perla -- For continuing to successfully organize and promote the Fathom Founder's Day Award program (in memory of Bill Fox).
To the victors go the spoils ... huzzah!
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According to Crain's Cleveland Business, Fathom is the 2nd-largest marketing firm in the Cleveland area based on its number of full-time employees (120) as of June 30, 2011.
What strikes me the most about this list—published last month in the November issue of Crain's Cleveland Business—is the fact that 14-year-old Fathom is paired up with several other firms that have more than a decade of age on it. In a couple cases, Fathom has 6 times the number of local full-time employees than that of venerable traditional marketing firms.
The 2nd thing I noticed is that the 3 other agencies on this list that topped 100 employees (pictured above) all have at least 8 years on Fathom, with one company winning the seniority trophy by a full 6 decades.
Taken as a whole, this list says two things to me loud and clear:
- Digital marketing is a boon to Cleveland.
- Fathom is good at attracting and retaining top talent.
Case in point: when I started working here 5 years ago, Fathom had 25 employees, mainly doing SEO. Sure, there was email marketing and paid search on the periphery, but the proportion of employees devoted to either of these activities was very small, certainly under 20%. Internet marketing as a whole wasn't exactly mainstream. Facebook was just starting to get big. Twitter didn't even exist yet.
But yet, through all those years (which might as well be eons in Internet time), Fathom found a way to grow ... quickly yet sustainably. So, thanks, Crain's, for recognizing our size. Based on the recent past, I imagine it won't be the last time.
p.s. We may be #2 in this area for size, but we're first on the whirlyball court.
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I’ve noticed a change in my writing lately. And I blame October.
It was a chaotic month—a lot of detail work here, quick tasks there. The small but mounting assignments made for plenty of time-juggling, multi-tasking and inch-by-inching to accomplish everything on my scattered schedule.
Then I looked at my writing. Like my task management for the month, my writing seemed to jump around a bit more than usual. It was antsy, trying to communicate several messages to several audiences all at once.
My writing was multi-tasking like a master.
It wasn’t until I came across this article in Copyblogger that I realized what the problem was. The article talks about how to write more effective landing pages by taking on a fiction writer's frame of mind. It seemed I needed to
S l o w d o w n a n d s p e l l i t o u t .
Fiction writers typically don’t throw all the plots and subplots at the reader on Page 1. They take their time to develop a solid story, engage their audience and reveal information as it becomes relevant. It’s good advice for landing page writing, as the article points out, but it’s also useful for any type of content task you’re approaching.
I started paying attention to the pacing of my writing and found that whether posting to a blog, developing content for a website, or writing up a news release, taking time to tell a story makes all the difference.
Don’t be afraid your readers will miss something if you don’t cover every single point in the first paragraph. It will only make for hard-to-digest content and bombarded readers. Instead, focus on telling your audience a story through your writing—one that remains centered on a main point and adds details to enhance that point as needed.
And if you’re thinking,
But online writing is different!
Then remember that the way we process what we read is not. Readers still expect organization; structure; and a beginning, middle and end in what they read online. Taking the multi-tasking approach to writing isn’t going to deliver this. But taking your time to clearly develop your points and present them in a logical order will.
How has the storytelling approach to writing worked for you in the past?
Image provided by Speculum Mundi on Flickr.
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You still have time to join me and Rebecca Roebuck for tomorrow's "Infamous Social Fails: What Your Business Can Learn from Celebrity Mistakes" webinar. We'll take a sometimes light-hearted look at the Types of #Fail and what you can do to avoid them.
We'll also acknowledge that none are immune from mistakes, and offer advice for the steps you need to take to recover from social media marketing errors if they do occur.
It is not too late to sign up! I look forward to your questions.
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