LinkedIn Brings Business Connections to Twitter

Back in November 2009, LinkedIn released a new feature that allowed you to update your LinkedIn status via Twitter. Now, LinkedIn has decided to further build out this integration.

By installing the Tweets application, LinkedIn users will be able to find and manage their LinkedIn connections on Twitter through LinkedIn. The application has several distinct features but there there are two that are distinctly valuable.

First, the application allows you to see which of the people you are connected to on LinkedIn have Twitter accounts listed in their profiles.  What's especially helpful is that the application doesn't just show you a list of names; it actually allows you to follow (or unfollow) people right through the Tweets application. This step removes any n eed to go back and forth between Twitter and LinkedIn.

Next, with the click of a button, you can take all of your LinkedIn connections and turn them into a private Twitter list. LinkedIn will keep this list current by updating it based upon your connections.

Marketing Takeaway

Why is this important though? By further integrating with Twitter, Linkedin is allowing their users to take their connections on Linkedin and bring them to new social media sites.  This adds more value to your LinkedIn connections. Also, many of us already have "business" related lists on Twitter, or wish we had one but don't have the time to manually create one. By doing the work for us, they're also creating feelings of goodwill - one less thing I have to do and it's all thanks to LinkedIn. 

But why is this important to marketers or business owners? By following people who matter to you in a business setting, you can more easily get the word out about your c ompany as well as find influencers that you should be following.

What do you think of this new feature? 

Webinar: Twitter for Marketing and PR

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Wanna Be a Rap Superstar? "Just HubSpot It" [Episode 2]

You checkin' out this blog lookin' for a good read? How 'bout a video to blow your mind and Twitter feed?

When watchin' you might think we're from the movie 8 Mile. Check out our HubSpot stars. They have rhythm and style!  

Want more videos? Tune in every Tuesday on our blog, or subscribe to our YouTube page.

Episode #2: Rap Battle

Producer and Director: @WoodyTondorf
Starring: @jalicedev, @jwmarcus, @rickburnes, @repcor

Freestyle Rap Lyrics
by Woody Tondorf

It’s Maureen, the dream, IT’s freestyle queen
Here to serve this intern like he’s soft ice cream
Look at little Danny with his tie off kilter
I’m about to crush this b**** like he’s spam in my filter!

Yo don’t waste my time while you thinkin’ you hot
You know Maureen doesn’t even get a parking spot?
I’m Danny the intern with a flow so cool
Maureen’s an office drone, just a glorified tool!

So your clip-on tie makes you think you got clout?
Just sit your a** down before I knock you straight out.
I manage email, the network, the wifi, the irony!
I even see your failures all over eHarmony!
That’s right. I went there. Is the little intern crying?
Bad news, tie boy, I’m not even trying.
You can’t leave now because your mom drives you home
This little b**** can’t even spell S-E-O!

So what are your thoughts? Did you watch it three times? Extra credit if you leave a comment that rhymes.

Video: How To Monitor Your Social Media Presence In 10 Minutes A Day

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3 Secrets to Addictive Digital Platforms

TechCrunch Disrupt, a conference that gathers web innovators in social media, mobile devices, and smart applications, hosted a compelling panel about the shift from traditional print to online media.

The panelists included prominent figures from the media world:

• Andrey Ternovskiy, CEO, Chatroulette
• Brian Pokorny, CEO, DailyBooth
• Chris topher Poole, Founder, 4chan
• Judy Hu, Global Executive Director, GE

The grounds of the discussion revolved around the transformation from conventional methods of reaching consumers to modern platforms that actually interact with users. Gone are the days where static media effectively delivered messages to consumers. Social media sites have dominated the playing field, where consumers choose what they want to view and who they want to engage with.

Here are 3 key secrets revealed about addictive digital platforms:

1. Users define content creation and content consumption. Digital platforms such as YouTube and DailyBooth make it super-easy to upload videos and pictures and share them with friends. These can soon become addictive and viral as people consume content and pass it along further. Businesses c an take advantage of this by opening up content creation to users, such as GE's crowd-sourcing effort.

2. Visual content is universal.

Brian Pokorny explains that "...you can talk in different ways through just visual imagery. Text is less of the focus now with both videos and photos, which can transcend languages, borders, and cultures." Three of the panelists founded sites where visual imagery was dominant, and demonstrated the effectiveness of such sites in reducing boundaries in today's global marketplace.

3. Digital platforms cultivate brand building.

GE has always been known as one of the traditional marketing giants that garners the use of customary marketing techniques. However, Judy Hu, GE's Global E xecutive Director for Advertising and Branding, explains that using social media can help "extend the brand and make it iconic. [GE] wants to build their brand and get their key message across to everyone." Digital platforms can help small and large businesses alike expand their company to different demographics and distinguish their corporate image.

Video: How to Use Social Media to Manage Your Company Brand Online

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Website Optimization Request: Rescue Mission Ministries Needs Your Help

Imagine that you are an IT Manager for a 400-bed rescue mission.  Imagine that you are trying desperately to bring in volunteers and donors to help fund this important regional volunteer organization.  Imagine that you know the website is your main means of communication and you need to improve it dramatically.

This is the world of Monica, IT Manager at the Rescue Mission of Roanoke.  She wanted to attend yesterday's Website Optimization Webinar but had to deal with a down server for most of the afternoon. With a Website Grader Score of 69, Monica knew that she could improve the site.  If she had been able to attend, this is what Kipp and I would have told her to work on to improve her site's SEO visibility:

1. Start a blog - We've said over and over that the value of a blog is incredibly important for generating content.  What makes an organization or a company stand out is the value of new content. A blog makes it easy to post pictures, video, testimonials, appeals, stories, content that a search engine might decide has value.

2. Fix the meta descriptions on all of the pages -  As Kipp says, "Lots of low-hanging fruit here."...this site does not have any meta descriptions on its pages.  Not its home page, not its interior pages.  By highlighting the new stand-alone building with a medical clinic to offer care to the homeless, a drug rehabilitation and recovery program, and a family shelter, this non-profit organization has the ability to create more visibility for itself quickly.

3. They have 95 inbound links and a MOZ Rank of 5 - This gives them a decent level of authority on the Internet.  They have a conversion form on their site to have people sign up for newsletter.  They have a way to donate, and they have a list of things that they could use.  

As of yesterday, 283 men, women, and children found safe shelter and hope at the Rescue Mission.  Last year, they served 317,000 meals at their near-Downtown Roanoke site.

Can you thi nk of any other ways they could optimize their website to help this organization attract more SEO visibility?

Live Website Optimization: Using Website Grader For Marketing Success

Join HubSpot Experts for a live session for website review and optimization, providing tips for getting found online. Date &a mp; Time: Every Tuesday at 1:00pm ET + Thursday at 10:00am ET Submit your site now for optimization by HubSpot Experts! (3-4 will be selected for each webinar)

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How to Hire and Manage an SEO Consultant

We often get asked, "How can I find a good SEO consultant?" as well as "How do I know whether they're doing a good job?" It can be difficult-- no government certifications exist for SEO consultants.  A few of us at HubSpot sat down together and developed a guide and some questions to ask search engine marketing consultants that you are consider hiring.

7 Steps for Hiring a Good SEO Consultant

1. Determine your goal for hiring an SEO consultant - What do you hope to accomplish?  Are you looking for more long tail keyword rankings?  Are you looking to rank better on specific keywords?  If you aren't specific and don't have realistic goals, it's hard to determine whether you're getting anywhere.  It also makes it extremely easy for someone to take your money and run or just keep on asking you for money.  You might also discover that you don't really need a SEO expert to accomplish these goals.
   
2. Learn a little bit about SEO yourself - You're hiring someone else to be the expert but some rudimentary knowledge will serve you well to evaluate and work with a good one.  Read 1 or 2 blog articles and watch a webinar on SEO.  Try to do a little SEO yourself.  You don't have to spend all days on it to start building a good foundation and you can always hire someone-- you'll just be more informed!
   
3. Compare metrics - How many customers have they worked with?  What did they achieve for their customers in improvement in keyword rankings, inbound links, and most importantly, organic traffic?  How long did it take?  The HubSpot Service Marketplace listing of providers for the On-Page SEO service minimally show the number of customers, Customer Happiness Index, and growth in Organic Traffic achieved by providers.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Audit their websites - Are the consultants pitching you SEO services well-optimized themselves?  For a quick check, run their websites through Website Grader.
5. Ask for case studies and referrals -  Run those websites through Website Grader and use free services like Compete to see if their traffic has increased. 
6. Interview - How long have you been in business?  What is your ideal client profile (what industry, company size, B2B/B3C, etc.)?  How frequently do you communicate?  By email, phone, in-person?  Determine whether those answer fit your business and goals and watch out for the 7 Signs You Should Run Screaming From an SEO Consultant.
7. Ask for regular reporting - How do you report your results?  What metrics do you track?  Minimally, it should include growth in keyword rankings, inbound links and organic traffic.

You've Hired, Steps to Manage Your SEO Consultant

1. Provide helpful information to your consultant - Buyers of On-Page SEO service through the HubSpot Service Marketplace receive a 1-page guide on information to provide, best practices and managing the service.  That way, you and your consultant start on the same page.
   
2. Monitor your consultants progress - Do this using the metrics and reporting mentioned above.
   
3. Monitor key metrics yourself - Many clients and consultants still focus on on keyword rankings and inbound links.  You could monitor how both change over time with free and paid tools.  Stitching together the data over time may take some work-- cutting and pasting, exporting and importing.  For inbound links, distinguish between links to your website vs. links to your website that people actually click on.
   
4. Measure the bottom line - Tracking keyword rankings and inbound links can be a lot of work especially if you are stitching together free tools for the data.  Plus, they are less and less effectiv e at indicating SEO success as SEO evolves.  The real reason you care about ranking for keywords and getting links is to grow your organic traffic over time.  For that, you can use free tools like Google Analytics to measure your traffic from organic search.

One final point.  Whether you or someone else does your SEO work, you still have to have great content to optimize.  You may pay someone to increasing rankings with keyword placement and inbound links, but if you don't have the content and conversion opportunities on your website once people land there, then you still fail to generate leads and customers.

Photo Credit: {Guerrilla Futur es | Jason Tester}

Search Engine Optimization Kit

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