growing my business

October 27, 2014 By Kelly Kirkendoll Haffner

How to Select a Good SEO Company and Avoid Bad SEO that Could Get You Banned by Google

Recently, a trade association we work with learned that its members were affected by some underhanded, deceptive search engine optimization (SEO) techniques by a shady SEO provider. The SEO provider, hired by a non-member company in their industry, littered YouTube with multiple copies of the same video, tagging members’ company names, in order to deceptively drive web search engine traffic their own way.

SEO is important to most businesses these days, and there are a lot of SEO companies out there that can help (or harm) a business as it tries to increase its search rankings. But how do you spot a bad SEO company? How do you select a good one?

In general, good SEO companies will use techniques that are ethical and involve no deception. This can take time and money, but the results can make it worth it. Bad SEO companies, on the other hand, often employ deceptive practices that are not approved by search engines, which can result in a site eventually being banned, de-indexed or penalized through lower rankings. Any short-term gain received by bad, deceptive SEO practices is NOT worth this kind of risk.

Bad SEO (or what some call black hat SEO) techniques include keyword stuffing, doorway and cloaked pages, link farming, hidden texts and links, and blog comment spamming. Good SEO (or what some call white hat SEO) techniques include research, analysis, re-writing meta tags to be more relevant, content improvement and web redesign.

Below are several tips and red flags to help you recognize a bad SEO company and avoid getting scammed:

1. They Offer Free Trial Services…and Want Access to Your Website.

Companies using this tactic may make you an offer to try their services free for 30 days, if you’ll just give them access to your site. This is a red flag. Don’t do it. Never give your website login info to anyone offering you a free trial or to anyone else you do not know and trust.

2. You Were Made Aware of the Company Only through Email.

Unsolicited SEO offers via email or a cold call should give you pause. Spammers often use spiders to crawl for a list of URLs and email addresses, so when you get an unsolicited offer via email from someone who claims to have visited your site, be wary and realize that may not be entirely true. Do your research before hiring any SEO company.

3. Their Services are Under Priced or Overpriced.

Beware of really inexpensive SEO service offers from sites like Fiverr and Elance. Good SEO takes time, expertise and working within the rules. Be leery of someone offering services at a significantly low (or high) price.

4. They Make Promises and Guarantees About First Page (or First Rank) Positions on Google or Other Search Engines.

Good, effective SEO cannot be done quickly, unless it is done using bad practices. It takes time, research and likely some rework on your website to do it well. Do not do business with anyone that promises a particular page rank or page ranking in a short time frame. Ranking is done periodically by Google, not on a daily basis, and nothing you can do will speed up the process. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months for a page to get ranked, and your ranking is also impacted by other sites’ rankings.

5. You Are Promised Hundreds (or Thousands) of Links to Your Site.

Lahle Wolfe, CEO of LA Wolfe Marketing says: “Any links you get from such claims are more likely to hurt your site than to help it. Building links too fast to the wrong sites is considered black hat SEO and could damage the credibility of your website in search engines. If Google catches you building links with black hat strategies, your site will be penalized or blacklisted.” Instead, she recommends spending time building your own quality in-bound links by offering meaningful content and suggests avoiding reciprocal linking (an old SEO tactic that is no longer a good idea). “Robots are smart and know when you are trying to cheat the system,” she advises.

6. Companies That Are Not Easy to Reach and/or Will Not Answer Your Questions.

Ask questions (and lots of them). If you get the runaround or get told the answer is a “trade secret technique,” look elsewhere. You are hiring experience, not trade secrets when you work with an SEO company. You should also be able to easily find the SEO company – online, via phone (and not just a cell phone) or meet with them in person. You should also know who is going to do the majority of the work. Will it be done in-house or will it be outsourced to people in another country? Will they answer these questions?

7. The Company Does Not Easily Refer You to Past Clients.

Ask for referrals. If the company refuses, is hesitant or only gives you a couple references, it may be best to look elsewhere for SEO help. It may be that the SEO company is to blame for the deceptive videos pumped out on YouTube that affected our client’s members, but the company they did the SEO work for will be the one reported and harmed. It’s important to choose carefully and to have a clear understanding of what the SEO company will be doing for you and their techniques.

Note: This article was adapted from an article we originally wrote for the North Texas Roofing Contractors Association.

August 25, 2014 By Kelly Kirkendoll Haffner

Don’t Waste a Conference Experience: 6 Lessons Learned

I attended a business conference earlier this month, and I had to drag myself there, kicking and screaming. Why? Oh, I was busy…I had too much work to do…I had family members who needed me… The excuses went on. Luckily, I hate to waste money, and I knew this about myself when I committed and paid for the conference 6 months ago.

So I had to go…and I’m glad I did.

Here are a few things I learned (or re-learned) that I hope to remember throughout the year:

1) Get outta your comfort zone. Find a way to get out of your comfort zone more often. Go to a conference, speaker event or something that puts you in a different setting and focused on you and/or your business at least once per year (ideally, once per quarter). It forces you to step back, look at things from a different angle, learn new information and approaches, meet new people and grow. For me, if I haven’t done anything dynamic in a long time, I begin to forget that I can. Shaking myself up and forcing myself out of my comfort zone always propels me and my business forward!

2) Take stock of your WHY. It’s easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of our business. We can lose touch with why we started our business in the first place, what we love to do the most and who we love to work with the most. Give yourself time — away from your desk, phone and computer — to re-examine your “why” from time-to-time.

3) Work on yourself first. Oftentimes, it isn’t a lack of skills, knowledge, experience or exposure that is holding us back in our business — it’s us. We can get in our own way and don’t even realize it. So when you want to work on and grow your business, look at yourself first. Are there places where fear is holding you back? Where you aren’t dreaming big enough? Where you need to make an adjustment? Where you can outsource some of the busy-ness off your plate so you have more time to lead, invent, strategize, develop, sell or expand?

4) Don’t sit with the same people. Even though I’m an extravert, I can also be shy sometimes. At a conference, I’m much more comfortable finding one or two people to sit, talk, laugh and compare notes with the entire time. I have several good friends across North America I have made this way. But at this most recent conference, while I did hit it off particularly well with a few women I now call friends, I forced myself to sit next to new people at almost every session and meal. The result? I met a LOT more people and learned much more this way. Beyond the conference and in a broader context, this can be applied to any kind of networking or socializing I do.

5) Follow up…and do it early. When I make new connections, the sooner I follow up and follow through, the better. It’s easy to get caught back up in work, life and my normal routine. The sooner I follow up (or make a plan to do so), the more likely I won’t end up putting this important step off.

6) Take action. It’s great to get fired up, motivated and inspired. But it’s mostly a waste if you don’t translate all of that into ACTION. Make an action item list for yourself (or at least start it) before you even leave the conference or event. Is there an action you can take immediately? I have 10 on my list, and I have already been able to check off several of them!

May 20, 2014 By Kelly Kirkendoll Haffner

Social Media Dos and Don’ts for Your Business

Business owners and nonprofit leaders are busy with an endless supply of tasks, priorities and challenges that they must juggle each day. In the midst of it all, marketing is a key component to growing and sustaining their organizations, but with more communication and marketing channels than ever before, it can all become overwhelming, especially when it comes to social media marketing.

Whether a company manages its social media in-house or works with a PR and communications professional, these 10 social media dos and don’ts are helpful to keep in mind:

Don’t

Ignore social media as part of your marketing/communications mix
Look at social media as separate from your other communication efforts (it should be integrated with all of your PR, marketing and communication efforts)
Put all your marketing eggs in the social media basket (social media is important, but there is no single magic marketing bullet)
Post willy-nilly
Forget to proof your posts. Good grammar and spelling matter – they build trust and credibility.
Assume that the youngest person on your team is automatically the best person to manage your social media
Let someone manage your social media who does not: 1) understand your business, 2) understand your branding, marketing and communications strategy or 3) have good writing and grammar skills
Put your hand in every social media channel all at once to start
Make every post all about promoting your company (it’s called “social” media for a reason – no one wants to talk to the guy at the party who only boasts about himself all night…)
Post images you don’t have the right to publish

Integrate your social media marketing and make it part of your overall marketing communications plan
When starting social media, pick one or two social media channels that make the most sense for your business and target market
Monitor your social media pages; engage and respond appropriately and quickly to those who interact with you
Proof your posts and responses – good grammar and spelling build trust and credibility
Consider investing in social media advertising, especially for your business facebook page
Use a “single voice” that fits your brand when posting and responding, even if several different people are responsible for your social media
Share relevant, helpful and interesting content that appeals to your target market
Post regularly and consistently
Monitor your posts to gauge the type that engage your audience the most
Post photos and branded graphics (photos garner more engagement on Facebook than any other type of post; a photo added to a tweet boosts retweets on Twitter)

January 1, 2014 By Kelly Kirkendoll Haffner

Ten Things I’ve Learned after a Decade in Business, from Kelly Kirkendoll, Owner of Thrive PR

Thrive PR celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2013. As we start the New Year and a new decade of service to clients, I’m reflecting for a moment before I dive deep into the busy first quarter…

First, I want to extend my gratitude to the clients we have worked with through the years. To ALL of you, I say THANK YOU! I take what we do and how we serve our clients very personally, and I am proud to call you my friends, partners and colleagues.

At the end of a decade in business, I have learned a few things about owning and running a business. In honor of the last 10 years, here are 10 of those:

1) Always remember the “why” of your business or organization. It’s easy to get distracted, side-tracked or worried as you face challenges and opportunities, but taking a moment to remember WHY you do what you do will keep you centered and focused as you make decisions.

2) Fill your team with people who care about your why! Skills, talent and knowledge are important; equally important are passion, enthusiasm and dedication.

3) Stay focused on your target market. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. It’s o.k. if everyone doesn’t buy from you – you don’t want everyone (really)!

4) Don’t sweat the natural ebbs and flows. Recessions happen. So do recoveries. Don’t allow yourself to get distracted or deterred by negative chatter or temporary setbacks.

5) Take time to work ON your business…not just in it. And make your own business a client: for example, if you own a spa, take time for spa services; if you own a PR/Marketing company, take time to market yourself; if you are a plumber, take time to fix your own pipes. The cobbler would have been more successful if his children had worn shoes!

6) Be consistent – in your service, communication, invoicing, branding, messaging…everything.

7) It’s o.k. to look around at what others are doing, but just long enough to learn. Don’t get distracted by comparisons, and don’t imitate anyone. Learn from others, but be yourself.

8) When it comes to new ventures, new approaches and new ideas, avoid the extremes of 1) analysis paralysis and 2) randomly throwing spaghetti against the wall hoping that something will stick. The sweet spot is in the middle with smart risks, strategic planning, steady progress and consistent efforts.

9) Always say thank you.

10) Have fun! Working hard and having fun are not mutually exclusive as you run and grow your business.

Bonus lesson: always proofread! Good writing, grammar and spelling build trust and credibility.

I also want to thank my team members over the years, specifically: Natalie (my original right-hand person, who relocated to Nashville several years ago) and current team members Coleen, Laura and Jessi. Being part of a PR and Communications business can be unpredictable, fast-paced and full of deadlines. You meet these challenges with good humor, good ideas and a dedication to a job well done that is not easy to find.

Happy New Year and Many Successes to All of You in 2014 and Beyond!

Kelly

December 3, 2013 By Kelly Kirkendoll Haffner

10 Tips for Getting (and Staying) Top of Mind With Customers

We all want more clients, but how do we get them? And then, how do we keep them?

If they don’t know about you, they can’t buy from you, so building awareness is key to gaining clients. If they don’t remember you, they won’t buy from you, so being “top of mind” is equally important (for both new and past or existing customers). And, finally, unless you are top of mind AND they prefer you (TOMP – top of mind preference), they’ll give their business to someone else.

In addition to providing a stellar product or service, here are 10 tips we suggest for getting (and staying!) top of mind with customers and clients:

1) Start with your target market in mind. Who are they? Spend your precious resources (time, money and energy) going after the customers you want to attract (and keep).

2) Assess your brand. Does your branding speak to and appeal to your target market? Does it still resonate with who you are, what you provide and what makes you unique? Are you “competing with yourself” with branding and marketing efforts that are not consistent?

3) Assess your current website. It’s your calling card, your online brochure and a sales tool. Is your website’s branding consistent with your other branded efforts and materials? Is it up to date in terms of look, layout and content? Does it tell your unique story? Is it filled with industry jargon and claims everyone else could make? De-jargon it, tell your story and explain your claims.

4) Do you have newsworthy events or stories you could let the media know about? Are you involved in the community? Let people know what you are doing – via your website, social media channels and, if appropriate, the media.

5) Social media. Don’t ignore social media as a tool to get and stay top of mind with your target market (and those who could refer you). If you haven’t already, start with 1 social media channel…and do it well. Don’t make the mistake of thinking “if I build it they will come.” Stay active. And remember that it’s called SOCIAL media. Be social – engage, participate and respond.

6) More on social media: be where your target market is. If you are a B2B company (a business selling to businesses), LinkedIn is a natural choice. But remember that your customers’ targets may be consumers…so they will be more active where consumers are, such as facebook.

7) Pictures are powerful. Use them – on social media, on your website and in email marketing.

8) Assess your marketing materials, advertising and other marketing efforts. Are your efforts speaking to your target market, in terms of content and images? Could your advertising be refined to more narrowly go after your target market? For example, if your target market is primarily men and you’re doing general radio advertising, could you reach a higher concentration of your target market if you advertised during a sports radio program?

9) Where does your target market go to network for their business? The chamber? A trade association? Get involved where they are – join, sponsor, advertise, volunteer, speak, network.

10) Email marketing. Are you communicating with potential, past and existing customers via email or an eNewsletter? Many companies shy away from email as a tool because they don’t want to bombard their database. And yet others DO bombard people. There’s a nice place in the middle…especially when you provide tips, links to helpful articles and special offers.