Posted by randfish

2012 was a year of triumphs and setbacks for marketers seeking the data to best accomplish their goals. Big improvements and additions in products like Google Analytics, GWMT, Bing Webmaster Tools, Mixpanel, KISSMetrics, Raven, and yes, SEOmoz PRO, too (along with dozens of others), helped many of us improve our reporting, auditing, and optimization efforts. But with the good came the bad, and setbacks like Google's expansion of keyword (not provided), the loss of referral data from iOS6, and kerfuffles over AdWords data appearing alongside rankings reared their heads, too.

When it comes to marketing data, I really like the concept behind Google's own mission statement: organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Unfortunately, I think the search giant has been falling short on a lot of the aspects that relate to our world, and thus it's up to third parties to pick up the slack. Moz is obviously part of that group, and we have plenty of self-interest there, but many other companies (and often Google and Bing themselves) are stepping in to help.

To help better understand the information that matters most to professionals in our field, we want to run a short survey focused specifically on data sources:

TAKE THE SURVEY HERE

We hope that this takes less than two minutes to complete, and that by aggregating broad opinions on the importance of data sources, we can better illustrate what matters most to marketers. In the spirit of transparency, we plan to share the results here on the Moz blog (possibly in an update to this post) in the next week or two.

Please help us out by taking the survey and by sharing it with your fellow marketers (or any professional you know who relies on marketing data).

Thanks very much!

*For those who have asked about SEOmoz's own plans regarding rankings vs. AdWords API data – we have removed AdWords search volume from our keyword difficulty tool (it was never part of the formula), and will be working on alternatives, possibly with the folks over at Bing. Like others in the field – Hubspot, Ginza, Conductor, Brightedge, Authority Labs, etc. – we plan to maintain rankings data in our software.

Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don’t have time to hunt down but want to read!

SEOmoz Daily SEO Blog

The Content Marketer’s Shortest Day: Inspirations to Let Content Be Your Light was originally published on BruceClay.com, home of expert search engine optimization tips.

On this Shortest Day of 2012, I am a sad observer watching the aftermath of last week’s tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. The winter solstice also known in the northern hemisphere as the darkest time of the year has special meaning for me. While we celebrate the days that will slowly start getting longer, we must also acknowledge the darkness in the world around us. The solstice is my time to do that.

My social channels are jammed with messages that make it clear:  people are trying to make sense of this dark tragedy by creating and sharing content. We are not new to national tragedy, but we are new to a world where the aftermath and reaction is no longer localized. Social networks and new media tools are now vehicles for anger, sadness, solidarity, insight and more. What happens next is the result of how we participate — through content.

Content with intent is, after all, what we seek to do in the business world. There is much to be learned from the imaginative ways people have responded commemorate those who were lost:

• This Tweet from @MotherNatureNet listed  things anyone upset or grieving can do. 9 of the 14 involve content creation and participation — even content abstinence (online gamers calling for today to be a day of cease fire #osceasefire). The rest involve taking action in solidarity with the victims and their grieving loved ones.
• Arianna Huffington called for action rather than national conversation.
• Many petitions to choose from have been added to Change.org from people wanting our country’s legal and legislative branch to respond.

With these examples of people (ordinary to famous) using content for change, there are elements we can take forward into our content marketing strategies for the New Year:

#1 Question creation. Sometimes the most engaging content is best produced by your customers. In 2008 I was part of a team that launched the Cisco Learning Network, a social learning resource for IT professionals pursuing Cisco certification. People worldwide signed up and their enthusiasm created a community for information and peer-to-peer education. We also seeded the community with original and technical learning content and hand-curated IT career information. But the peer-to-peer element made the site sticky and created brand loyalty. The community is now more than 500,000 members. Can you give your brand enthusiasts a stake in your content creation process?

#2 Human touch. Content is king because of the human touch. Content that you curate and publish should in some way carry your company’s perspective on why the information is important. If you’re a B2B company, make the information an integral resource your customer can use in his workday and you’ll reap the benefits. Brands are becoming publishers in part because customers are looking (and searching too, of course!) for content that helps them make buying decisions or informs. Content is your tool to assist them in the process. It’s no surprise that companies like Coca Cola are publicly declaring a shift from “creative excellence to content excellence.” Help your customers make sense of the industry around them.

#3 Filtered or curated? Both matter tremendously. In 2010 Gwen Bell predicted that the need for filtering technology would rise in the next 5-10 years. It’s happening even sooner than that. As brands become publishers, they do so in a realm where a Facebook “Like” = consent. Of course, that’s changing.  Like filtering, curation also reduces the overall volume of content but to instead include it in a mix. Both challenge marketers who must often compromise by investing in certain content channels (social networks, for example) and not others. Fresh (recent) content, new perspectives and original thought are the qualities that keep content value high, be it curated or original.

#4 Thought leadership. It’s not just for breakfast anymore. Thought leadership can be built from a compelling mix of original and curated content. More content increases the likelihood of SEO-positive audience engagement. The technologies you need to create your content mix are out there! LinkedIn’s recent launch of its Thought Leaders Program is a great example of a brand starting to publish as a way to engage its 187 million members in 200 countries. Their challenge is a double edged sword of opportunity (content attracts) and challenge (many industries are present in the LinkedIn network).

#5 Create collaboratively. More is in fact, merrier. Positive expression can be contagious. This summer, I participated in a flash mob convened by a local dance studio. The purpose? Just have fun. No marketing fliers or promotional materials, just joy — as much as we could muster for a bustling Saturday farmer’s market. We danced for 5 minutes to choreography and music curated from the instructors. Classes leading up to the event were practice embedded right into the product. In a recent article, David Cooperstein shared some interesting ideas about pushing digital into the physical realm. Does your industry offer an annual tradeshow where people gather in person? Who can you invite to collaborate to craft a memorable experience?

Wishing peace, healing and the return of the light upon those reading, grieving, creating and participating in the human experience as the wheel of the year turns.

Bruce Clay Blog

Bad Science vs. Words that Work: Holiday News for Marketers was originally published on BruceClay.com, home of expert search engine optimization tips.

Let’s take look at some recent headlines focused on the inner workings of the mind, and the need for proper analysis of data. There are some interesting things happening at the intersection of marketing and psychology.

Bad Words, Good Words

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Congress voted to extract the word “lunatic” from federal law books last week.

In the new Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) Asberger Syndrome is being replaced by Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Sensitivities run high, especially around heavily charged words. What words are you using, marketer? Copyblogger’s got the five most powerful words for persuasion listed for us and they are:

1. You
2. Free
3. Because
4. Instantly
5. New

Some great additions in the comments include:

• save
• check
• how
• why
• try
• value
• hurry
• limited

Now, context can’t be overlooked, as Sonia points out. This dovetails nicely into…

Bad Science

There’s an interesting discussion is happening over at TED. It seems the TEDx conferences — those local chapters of the brain-bending preso society — needed a reminder to fact check and vet speakers.

It offers some relief to me that even team TED falls to the trappings of bad science sometimes. The other day I got caught misreading data.

We have a client who conducted a focus group of customers and potential customers. In reviewing the reported values and priorities of participants, low cost solutions was consistently reported most important factor in choosing a provider.

When we told our client we’d be pushing the price point in content, new information was provided that changed the reading of the data. It turns out that low cost / high value was a unique cultural feature of the city; the preference for price didn’t represent the many other cities our client served.

Hammering price can send the wrong message when an audience is more focused on quality of service. Messaging geared for “tightwads” when the bulk of your audience is made of “average spenders” can mis-position your brand. Quick note: there’s lots in that link about conversion optimization through neuromarketing you’ll want to check out.

Right Word, Right Science

One more headline to illustrate what interesting things happen when the mind meets the marketplace. Psychology Today looks at how the senses play into purchase decisions. While many of those ideas don’t easily transfer from brick and mortar to the Web, some have critical applications both offline and on:

Using color and placement to evoke positive feelings and nostalgia takes place offline as well as online.

Holiday music evokes nostalgia. Nostalgia elevates positive moods. People are more likely to convert when they’re feeling positive. Are there ways you can foster feelings of nostalgia for your customers?

The scent of pine sparks feelings of nostalgia. The scent of peppermint creates arousal and sparks engagement. The olfactory sense is overlooked online, but what other ways can you incorporate arousal and engagement in your brand’s online experience?

Retailers place pricier merchandise on the center of displays since that’s where buyer attention goes first. Just to the right of center is where attention goes second. Are you eye-tracking your visitors to optimize the path of attention on your landing pages?

Holidays are a time of heightened emotions. Take advantage of opportunities like this.

Bruce Clay Blog