Moore Than SEO’s “Game of Thrones” Map to Social Media Marketing Gold

Moore Than SEO’s “Game of Thrones” Map to Social Media Marketing Gold

Posted by in Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Social Media

When Game of Thrones began airing on HBO back in 2011, it wasn’t the fantasy drama series it is today. It started out with a respectable number of viewers but didn’t have the glowing reviews or amazing ratings…yet. But now in 2019, as we head into the 8th and final season, social media marketing gives this most awarded series in Emmy history the ability to win even more fans.

A loyal fan base didn’t miss any of the 67 previous episodes and binge watched wherever they could stream to keep up with the intertwined plots. For any viewer not familiar with the George R.R. Martin’s books, the A Song of Ice and Fire novels that form the basis of GoT, the intrigue comes from the fact that any character could die at any moment.

The Red Wedding episode in the Season 3 Finale marked the turning point for the series, transforming it from a beloved cult show designed for diehard fantasy fans into a detailed production that mesmerized a broader audience. Fans took to social media to discuss their predictions of upcoming plot twists.

The show’s popularity grew exponentially to an average of over 32 million viewers per episode. Even as we head into the final season, consistent marketing efforts continue to hold new and loyal viewers spellbound. Product tie-ins reign victorious in the never-ending quest to reach new fans while retaining early viewers.

“HBO is really careful with the licensing, and not sticker-slapping or putting a ‘Game of Thrones’ logo on every style of T-shirt,” explains Melissa DiBartolo, editor-in-chief of The Pop Insider.

The Medieval adult-only themes of the GoT plots are reflected in the licensing of products aimed to satisfy discerning adult tastes. Products go beyond the tame sensibilities of “The Lord of the Rings”, with HBO determined to cater to the edgy tastes of their fan base.

Well-crafted alliances forged by HBO, and its parent company, WarnerMedia, are designed to profit off the hit series now and well into the future.

Shows the Iron Throne in the background with title, "Get In On The Social Hype of Game of Thrones."

Read examples of how today’s fans can live the lifestyle of Game of Thrones culture:

1. The characters transform easily into product licensing while fans identify themselves with particular Houses. From nobles to warriors, characters dress to impress. The 18-piece line of chic Game of Throne handbags and accessories, designed by Danielle Nicole. Pouches, backpacks, wristlets, coin purses, and crossbody bags are emblazoned with details heralding The Kingsroad: silvery faux fur for the Stark backpack and metallic gold appliqué for the Lannister Wristlet Pouch.

2. Chic looks are fit for a queen when the GoT Urban Decay limited edition cosmetic collections hit the market on April 14th, the premier date for the final season. Shades are inspired by women of Westeros and across the Seven Kingdoms. With the Mother of Dragons Highlight Palette (modeled by stars Maisie Williams and Nathalie Emmanuel at a Radio City Hall premiere), any woman can look like a power player.

3. It’s the fast and furious that inspired the Adidas limited-edition Ultraboost sneakers, sold only through the Adidas Store and HBO Shop. They feature sigils on the tongue, mottos on the heel, and GoT color themes echoing the color themes of each creature or family depicted in the series.

4. Even luxury menswear entered into the act, with the John Varvatos brand’s launch of an 11-piece collection that includes a Winterfell leather jacket valued at over $2000, bearing an image of the Iron Throne on the inside of the jacket. Exclusive t-shirts, priced at nearly $100 a piece, come in choices that display the family houses and the Iron Throne.

5. Adult beverages abound in GoT licensing. As people gather for watch parties and to toast the end of the run of GoT, several spirits are designed to complement the show. Ommegang Brewery beer released 14 official Game of Thrones beers since 2015, and they’ve created a new one just in time for the finale, brewed with champagne yeast. Beer is perfect for both common folk and knights, but for those that love the characters of Tyrion and Cersei that always appear holding a glass of wine, only special wine releases will do. A choice assortment of fruits of the vineyard are available only in the Game of Thrones wine shop.

6. If spirits inspire you, Diageo’s limited collection of eight single malt Scotch whiskies are each paired with the GoT’s Great Houses. And for a most amazing collector’s item, White Walker by Johnnie Walker has a special “Winter is Here” message etched in thermochromic ink that magically appears when the bottle is frozen. The Johnny Walker site also lists Game of Throne themed recipes created by Miami spiritmaster Gabe Orta.

7. Hungry? Actor Ben Hawkey, who played the character Hot Pie, offers up baked bread shaped like direwolves…for real, and for sale. These whole-wheat cornbreads, seasoned with orange zest and served with dollops of butter, are only available for shipping in the UK. These limited delights will be in stock again, just in time for the final episodes.

Licensing doesn’t stop with products. Fans stepped into the world of GoT with the Bleed for the Throne war camp experience at this year’s South by Southwest. They actually bled by donating blood to the American Red Cross.

Let’s use this brief case history of the Game of Thrones series and their licensing efforts to step up your company’s marketing prowess.

How can you get in on the social media marketing hype of Game of Thrones?

1. Get your company in on the conversation with hashtags. Download the Moore Than SEO #Hashtag Guide for free. Fans looking for Game of Throne conversations will find yours with strategically placed #GameofThrones hashtags. Hashtag your favorite characters and plotlines, too, for more specific conversations.

2. Enter the arena with a product or service that that could go viral with Game of Throne fans. Your products don’t need to be licensed by HBO to attract fans—Spread the word where fans roam about your themed offerings: an upcoming GoT dinner menu item named for a character, butcher service items named after wars between Houses, A Red Wedding Cake for themed parties, or paint and sip parties where participants paint GoT Medieval artwork. Spread the word to your local loyal customers, and entice them to introduce fans of the series to your special, limited GoT offerings.

3. Learn lessons from the master HBO marketers. Spread the word on a combination  of media platforms to inform and entertain your audience about your products and services. Video marketing is hot: learn how to add video to your marketing mix. Don’t just upload your latest videos to YouTube—Post them to your blog and natively on all social media avenues where your customers roam.

4. Follow HBO’s lead and zero in your marketing efforts to the correct demographics. You won’t see toy action figures licensed by HBO, unless they are upscale collectibles not meant for children’s playtime. HBO knows the GoT audience is composed of discerning adults that don’t wilt in the face of violence and intrigue. Are you marketing to your target customers, or are you wasting time trying to reach a vast general audience that may not be interested in your offerings?

To connect with your niche customers, start with a SWOT Assessment, read our Beginner’s Guide to Competitive Intelligence, and target to your prospects. Integrate your marketing message both online and offline for colossal results: take your products on the road with tradeshow marketing. Think outside the box to draw interest to your brand. For more ideas to get you to the Iron Throne by annihilating your competition, contact the strategic marketing and SEO experts here at Moore Than SEO. Call 559-978-4096.

Digital Marketing Goal Planning for the New Year and Beyond

Digital Marketing Goal Planning for the New Year and Beyond

Posted by in Digital Marketing, Industrial Marketing, Social Media

Social media platforms are the billboards to drive traffic to your website and to your brand. Like all advertising and promotion, you simply cannot rely on the same info that you’ve posted last year, last month, and last week to continue to attract customers to your brand. Your competitors are on to you, and they’ll respond in kind with their newest campaigns to promote their products and services. They’ll blow you out of the water if you sit back on your laurels.

Social media is not static. It’s dynamic. Examine the timeline on any social platform—your post will stay there for a short time and then eventually fall off the page. Sure, it will remain on your business profile page, but customers wont see that post unless they are visiting your business profile. What can you do to keep your brand alive on social media feeds?

Which brings us to the subject of your website. Have nothing new to add? Think it’s good as-is? Think again—Your competition has visited your website and is on to you, working behind the scenes to make their website stand above yours in the Google rankings. All it takes is adding fresh content—blog articles, new product descriptions, white papers, how-to videos, and press releases.

So with the New Year, it’s time to spruce up your online image. We aren’t necessarily advocating a complete overhaul, just some tweaks to keep you competitive in the digital marketplace.

Refresh your brand message. Create a digital marketing goal plan that contains these elements:

1. Start with Your Website. With a well organized website, you help search engines drive your target audience to your content. Potential customers are seeking your products and services—You just need to make your information easily visible to search engines so that you can close the sale. Update content on your web pages using the most current relevant SEO (optimizing each page with new META information, keywords, and relevant content). Add and check internal links to where other relevant content can be found within your website. Add external links to social media business profiles, reviews, and business partners. All of these actions combine to up your website’s domain authority (the likelihood of your website to rank in the search engines).

2. Be a Goal-Setter. According to Hubspot’s State of Inbound Report, businesses that calculate their return on investment (ROI) for their marketing strategies are 72% more likely to believe that their company’s marketing strategy is effective. Set marketing goals that are measurable. For instance, to increase your social media followers and page likes by X percent, to increase your blog click-through rate to other content, and to increase email open rate by X percent. Are these goals to be attained weekly, monthly, or yearly? Determine how success in each KPI (key performance indicator) contributes to improving your bottom line to set ROI benchmarks.

3. Create a Budget and Stick to It. Hubspot’s State of Inbound Report also confirms a strong correlation between digital marketing effectiveness and budget. We’re talking about the time devoted to creating, posting, and analyzing your digital marketing plan. How much time will you devote to managing social network profiles? How much content do you want to create for your blog? Do you need to invest in graphics and stock images? How much CPM (cost per thousand) or CPC (cost per click) impressions do you need to create an ROI on your advertising?  Regardless of your business sector, WordStream Blog suggests that as much as 20% of the gross revenue for new companies should be allocated to marketing, which established companies could get away with spending some 12% of their gross revenue (of course, a new company needs to build an audience from scratch). The good news is that a healthy return on your investment can be yours with a minimum investment, because social media management costs far less than other traditional forms of marketing.

4. Cement Your Online Reputation by Deploying Stealth Social Media Profiles. Zero in on the best social media platforms for your business success, concentrating on where your target audience is most likely to hang out:

• Facebook is the most popular social media network, which makes it invaluable for most businesses. Besides posting photos and company updates, a business profile puts powerful tools for advertising and analysis at your fingertips. Your business profile functions as your Facebook storefront, because you can customize it to go far and beyond a simple bio and contact information. Promote your business using Google maps, hours of operation, products, shopping carts, videos, and much more. Apps from other websites seamlessly integrate with Facebook, allowing you to post discounts, coupons, and business events on other sites for them to instantly appear on Facebook.

• Twitter is perfect for spreading the word in quick, brief statements (using 240 characters or less) containing relevant content. Use these short blurbs to create a meaningful dialogue with customers and potential customers—Answer questions, share praise, retweet reviews, share videos, images, and links. Build your brand with the savvy placement of hashtags (#). Include hashtags in your business profile, and change them up from time to time to keep your brand in the forefront of your customer’s minds to readily fulfill their needs.

• LinkedIn is known as the social networking hub for professional networking. For B2B companies that are particularly centered around tech and manufacturing, take advantage of LinkedIn’s offerings. Make connections with colleagues at companies that utilize your products and services to build lasting impressions, create customer loyalty, and increase your bottom line over the long term. LinkedIn profiles are akin to business resumes, and by joining specific LinkedIn Groups relevant to your industry, you’ll paint yourself as a business authority and industry expert in your field of concentration. Post information about your latest awards, white papers, product innovations, and blog articles to drive your industry’s movers and shakers to your website.

• YouTube is the standard for video sharing, where a business profile becomes a virtual TV channel that can house your business “commercials”. Capture fascinating stories about your company on a video cam is fair game: product demos, exclusive interviews with the CEO, behind-the-scenes tours of your warehouse, conference and expo action, panel discussions, and off-the-wall entertainment (for instance, trivia and polls about your products) are all fair game. Cross-promote with easy-to-post URLs and html codes to deliver on-demand video content on your web pages. Plus, the videos are all searchable through Google, as YouTube offers the ability to tag videos with META descriptions and keywords.

• Instagram is the visual platform based entirely on video and photo posts. But what makes it unique from other platforms that encourage the sharing of visual content is that Instagram is mobile—You cannot post directly to Instagram from a desktop computer. When your target audience performs most of their shopping and communicating on-the-go, Instagram can be a boon. Your Instagram Stories are designed for immediate content dissemination, since the photos and videos disappear 24 hours after posting. Create a direct dialogue using polls, questions, and sliding bars. To allow connections to continue to see your posts, use Instagram Highlights, the story reels that remain on your profile until you decide to delete them. Upload content live, as it happens, and remember to use hashtags (Instagram allows as many as 30 hashtags per post).

• Pinterest allows users to save visual content and display it by “pinning” it to their own categorized, digital bulletin boards, which they share with many connections. Pinterest is not just for fashion, food, and home decorating. Companies that sell products and parts for construction and DIY projects excel on Pinterest by posting how-to-build, step-by-step images that attract interest in their products. Get creative with a Pinterest profile, which gives you the power to align all your posts with your brand using clever descriptions of your boards. Use your keywords!

These are, by no means, all of the social media platforms to consider for your business. Depending upon your industry and where your customers roam, you may choose to consider others. Check out the current social media demographics to determine where to concentrate. Focusing on just a handful of platforms is most productive, because you’ll be able to devote time to building a consistent voice.

5. Choose Your Plan of Attack. Map out your strategy for how frequently to post on each social channel. Determine the focus of your posts and create a schedule. Examples of posts contain info about your latest blog articles, new product releases, educational content for your customers, industry reports, appearances at expos, and more, but they must all link back to the specific info on your website.

Utilize direct messaging to establish a direct rapport with customers. Facebook and Yelp even give you the option of placing a call-to-action button on your business profile. Besides posting the best content for each social media platform on a consistent basis, respond to direct messages to drive customers through your sales funnel.

6. Employ The Secret to Successful, Moneymaking Digital Marketing. Customization is the secret sauce that brings customers to you instead of your competitors. Digital marketing is not a one-size-fits-all. Many factors come into play to make an unmistakable, winning impression on your target audience. Start with content development for your website, social media profiles, blog articles, and social media posts. Add graphic design to make your company’s story, products, and services sizzle. Strategize for the ultimate search engine optimization (SEO) for content creation that gets you ranked in Google and beyond. With Google Analytics in place, you’ll be able to adjust your social reach campaigns to increase your ROI.

But don’t rely on accomplishing all of these tasks all in-house. Call on seasoned experts at 559-978-4096 to see your digital marketing goal planning come to full fruition this year and beyond. Get started with a free website assessment and a thorough analysis of your online competition.

Moore Than SEO De-Mystifies Social Media Marketing at “Bites & Boos”

Posted by in Digital Marketing, Event Marketing, Social Media

By Anne Roos, Content Development

We’re conjuring up an event that promises to be wickedly fun!

You’ll have a chance to savor boo-tiful catered goodies from The Painted Table while showing off your spirit for networking.

The Halloween-themed puns should be a dead giveaway—It’s time for this year’s October Clovis Chamber of Commerce Mixer! Moore Than SEO is teaming up with one of our social media marketing clients, The Painted Table, to cast a memorable spell on the evening.

Join us for “Bites & Boos” on Wednesday, October 17th, from 5-7 pm, at The Painted Table’s Tower District venue, 1211 N. Wishon Ave., in Fresno.

Come as you are, and you’ll really scare off your colleagues. This is the evening to disguise your 9 to 5 self, get a hair-raising makeover, and dress as the Halloween spirit moves you. We’re having a costume contest with prizes!

Expect The Painted Table’s private venue to be transformed to welcome the undead (that’s you!). Their themed appetizers paired with beer, sangria, and other refreshments will satisfy even the most devilish appetites. Of course, our SEO team will be on hand to de-mystify social media marketing for you.

We’re here to reveal the tricks and treats of social media management—Our fascinating writing attracts customers to your company and your website without a lot of bubble-bubble-toil-and-trouble. Here at Moore Than SEO, we follow the up-to-date guidelines for search engine optimization so that we don’t spook customers who are looking to buy from you. We deliver social media management done right.

Get on your broomstick, rev up your bat-mobile, or slither on over to the “Bites & Boos” Chamber Mixer on October 17th. We look forward to seeing you materialize there!

If you can’t wait for the October mixer to dig up more info about our social media services, drag your bones over to the phone and give us a call at 559-978-4096.

Back to the crypt for this writer—She’d rather eat brains than create another Halloween pun!

 

How to Keep Your Brand Alive in Social Media News Feeds

How to Keep Your Brand Alive in Social Media News Feeds

Posted by in Digital Marketing, Social Media

By Anne RoosShows a man browsing through Facebook on smart phone with headline "How To Keep Your Brand Alive In Social Media News Feeds."

In light of recent data breaches with Equifax, the My Fitness Pal App, and most notably, Facebook, users are questioning their privacy and online security ever more closely. Are they choosing to accept the new terms of service or ditch social media? And are they electing to unsubscribe from websites and apps that collect their personal information?

The Internet forced consumers and advertisers, alike, into dependency on technology.

Your customer’s data exposure—their browsing history, preferences, likes, and actions—helps you to deliver information about products and services that they need and want. But how much data exposure is too much, in the eyes of your customers?

No one has the answers, as the hearings between the U.S. Senate and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg so painfully revealed. Every individual is left to determine whether to stay the course, unplug completely, or navigate a middle ground of selecting only those social media they trust.

How does this shifting social media landscape affect your ability to reach out to new customers and sustain online connections with loyal customers?

Facebook acknowledged in its most recent terms of service update that it shares user data with other platforms it owns, including Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Occulus. Facebook also describes what it does with people’s data, including information on features like Marketplace, 360 and Live video. They also explain which personal info they choose to retain and why. The newest incarnation of the Facebook user agreement states how they address harmful behavior, such as suspicious activity and harassment.

These Facebook updates reinforce their commitment to Friends and Family prioritizing News Feeds based on whether the content is shared on Messenger, whether the content is commented on or Liked, whether content receives more than one reply, and whether interactions are “active” and “meaningful”.

Simply put, your posts must now jump more hurdles to be seen in your customer’s News Feed. Facebook is moving away from allowing advertisers to succeed by using their platform as a free broadcast channel. Facebook is moving towards a model where advertisers must supplement their organic reach through paid advertising.

To keep your brand front-and-center with your clients:

 

  1. Put time and effort into focusing on digital assets that you own.No one knows the future of Facebook, or any social media platform, for that matter. Drive your social media fans to locations on the web where you control the message. Focus on updating your blog posts and website with meaningful content, including videos, e-books, case studies, and white papers. Sharing this information continues to be considered “meaningful” by social media, and regular updates to your blog and website increase your brand’s ranking in search engine results.

 

  1. Entice fans to visit your website and blog by sharing engaging videos, broadcasting on Facebook Live, and carefully curating your posts.Encourage fans to interact by asking them to “like and share” at the end of posts. Educate fans to update their notification settings on your business page so they will continue to see your posts in their pages feed.

 

  1. Consider paid advertising once you establish a tribe of loyal fans.By doing so, you can target specific posts to reach specific buyer personas. Facebook’s advertising tools and features—Conversion Tracking, Custom Audience, Lookalike Audiences, Audience Insights, and more—exist to increase your Facebook Page reach.

 

Facebook removed “Purchasing Behaviors” from advertising filter selections since the Senate hearing, and more changes abound. Their algorithm, along with the algorithm of all major social media platforms, is in constant flux. How can you keep up with these changes to enable your messages to continue to reach your target customers?

Here at Moore Than SEO, we recognize that you have better things to do than to wade through terms of service agreements to make sense of their latest nuances. Our team of social media management experts keeps abreast of the newest changes so that you don’t have to. We’ll custom-craft a strategy to connect with your customers where they hang out, curating content to encourage interactions and keep your brand alive in their news feeds.

In this changing landscape of privacy agreements, it’s time to hire an external marketing team to keep up with it all. Contact us at 559-978-4096 to continue your social media fan reach uninterrupted.

How to Make Video the Hottest Tool in your Marketing Mix

How to Make Video the Hottest Tool in your Marketing Mix

Posted by in Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Social Media

By Anne Roos, Content Development

There’s no question about it—The business world has gone gaga over reaching consumers through video marketing. It’s easy to see why:

 

U.S. Internet video will account for over 80% of all U.S. Internet traffic within the next two years.

Native videos—videos created or uploaded on social networks to appear in feeds—are seeing even faster growth. (Source: Recode.net)

Native videos, available on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and now Pinterest, make it easier for business to target specific customers on different platforms.

For instance, the majority of videos used on Facebook are native videos, and 90% of profiles and business pages utilize Facebook native videos (Source: Quintly.com)

What was only found on YouTube is now available across most social media platforms.

Video generates more shares than any other type of post on Facebook, tweets containing videos generate 9 times more engagement than text-only tweets, and video ads on Snapchat outperform video ads on all other social media platforms. Video content is also on the rise on Instagram, and Pinterest is jumping on the bandwagon to offer in-stream auto-play video ads. (Source: SocialMediaToday.com)

Consumers click the video “Play” button far more than they click on image ads.

Furthermore, they tend to watch more than 2/3rds of the video, on average. (Source: Dynamic Logic Data)

Over 70% of businesses confirm that videos produce more conversions than any other content marketing format.

Most experienced improved ROI on their video marketing expenditures. (Source: Demand Metric)

The average Internet user spends 88% more time on websites with video than without.

Some 64% of customers are more likely to buy a product after watching a video about it. (Source: codefuel.com).

Besides boosting sales and conversions, videos are great for improved SEO.

Here’s another fabulous statistic: Your company is 53 times more likely to show up at the top of Google search engine results when you have a video embedded on your website (Source: Forrester).

Despite all of these statistics, only 24% of brands currently use online videos to market to customers—A surprising fact given that 65% of Internet users are visual learners. (Source: Forbes)

Videos grab the attention of even the laziest buyers, and they encourage social media sharing. So besides making profits, your videos enhance your brand’s online recognition and reputation. You can easily measure the success of each video, or test run multiple videos on different platforms, to determine which message is most attractive to customers.

This is the obvious opportunity to target your ads to specific demographics, personalizing them for maximum engagement. Entice viewers with interactive content—videos are not just for watching, they are for participating.

Shows photo of lady creating video marketing content by talking in front of professional video camera

How can you ensure that your videos will strike a bond with potential and loyal customers?

Ensure that they touch viewers on an emotional level to set your company apart from your competitors. Here’s how:

  • Show a preview of products and services yet to be released—Reveal them slowly, letting viewers in on the big secret over a series of videos. Invite viewers to subscribe to learn more about what’s next on the horizon for your company.
  • Let viewers in on the behind-the-scenes action at your company—Show how products are made, introduce viewers to your staff, and take customers on a tour of your facility. Open the doors to your company on a virtual level.
  • Demonstrate how products work, right from the box—How-to tutorials display the easy of using your products, helping those who’ve recently purchased and those who are thinking of making a purchase. You’ll be viewed as an expert, in comparison to your competitors.
  • Capture clients singing your praises—Filming reviews and testimonials from satisfied customers is a powerful way to attract buyers away from your competition. According to Inc.com, testimonials are more meaningful when viewers can see people delivering them, rather than just reading text reviews.
  • Respond to customer questions—Record your detailed answers to questions received via social media. What better way to demonstrate your commitment to prompt customer service?
  • Reveal industry news and upcoming trends—Educate your viewers on what’s hot and what’s not. Show them how your company is riding the wave of the newest developments. Customers will choose to buy from you because your company considers the newest innovations in your products and services.
  • Amaze your viewers—Have fun, and your viewers will enjoy your videos. Keep this in mind, and you’ll increase the likelihood that your videos will be shared across the social networks. Show something surprising that only your company does. Take your viewers on a trip to your next expo, giving them a peek at what happens in your exhibit booth. Film an employee on a delivery run adventure. Give your video a cliffhanger ending, leaving viewers to wonder, “What’s next?” Demo novel uses for your products that most buyers might not consider.

For your videos to be effective, your video content strategy cannot be separate from you marketing goals. And the video must be professional, or else your company may be viewed as “amateurish.”

This is where Moore Than SEO comes in. Our video marketing service includes a full analysis of your online presence, including a snapshot of how your company fares against your competitors. We’ll assist in developing your video content with a preferred partner for video production with a consistent marketing focus. Finally, we’ll utilize the videos to your advantage, posting them on the social media platforms where your target customers hang out. We aren’t done once the videos are posted—We analyze the performance of your videos, tweaking your customized video marketing strategy to improve results.

Take advantage of this hot social video trend. It only takes one call to our experts at 559-978-4096 to get started. We look forward to helping your company stand out online with video branding.

How to Remove the Cobwebs from your Website: Use the Best SEO and Social Media Marketing Practices

Posted by in Digital Marketing, SEO: Search Engine Optimization, Social Media

Shows cobweb with note on how to remove the cobwebs from your website

 

By Anne Roos, Director of Content Development

Google is all over the Internet—Their robots scan websites like modern-day body snatchers. Google’s search engine can send your website ranking to the grave with penalties, or it can have the power to resurrect your website from an untimely death.

Yes, we’re talking in Halloween terms, as Google updates can be scary. Google just announced their newest character in their core algorithm this fall season.

You may have heard of Penguin, which was first launched in 2012, and the newest update is now in real-time. What does this mean for you? If you haven’t resorted to SEO tricks, you’re safe from Google’s wrath. But if you don’t understand search engine optimization, you may be in for a frightful surprise in the way of Google penalties.

This real-time Penguin update means that your search engine rankings can change whenever Google updates info about your site, making any updates quickly noticeable. The trick: Google is now more focused on toxic links on your site. The treat: You can recover from Google penalties faster.

The hair-raising thing about real-time Penguin is that you won’t necessarily receive word that your site is penalized—You’ll only know by a sharp decline in website traffic and a downturn in rankings for your keywords.

If all this talk of Google’s Penguin Algorithm makes you go brain-dead, we’re here to save you from the Google zombies.

You can use the newest Penguin update to your favor:

• Follow organic SEO practices—Quality content that is relevant to your target audience is key in both your website design and your social media marketing strategy. Outgoing links to other pages must add value to your core audience. Incoming links from social networking profiles connect customers to pages embedded within your website, not just your home page. And always avoid duplicating content from other pages within your site or form other sources on the Internet. Visit our primer for avoiding Google penalties for more specifics.

• Incorporate smart website design practices—Consider revamping your page layout to optimize the placement of text, meta titles and descriptions, select great keywords, and develop a graphic and content niche to stand out from your competition. Redesigning your current site? Discover how tweaking your graphic design and text can make a difference. Launching a new website? Read our white paper to get it right the first time.

• Perform regular audits of your entire website—Monitor your ranking positions in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), and track keyword performance for all of your pages, not just your homepage. Audit the backlinks on all of your web pages, too. Learn the importance of Google Analytics to developing a Penguin-proof website.

If casting the cobwebs from your website still puts the fear into your soul, we have the magic potion. Here at Moore than SEO, we offer a complimentary, no-strings-attached website assessment, based on comparison with your online competition. We’ll flag any Google infringements, and we’ll recommend a customized strategy to meet your particular objectives. Contact us today at 559-978-4096 to rid your site of the warts that cause Google’s penguins to put an evil spell on your website.

Creepy artwork highlighting Halloween themes in Mixer and a Movie

Moore Than SEO Presents a Haunted “Mixer & a Movie” Night

Posted by in Digital Marketing, Event Marketing, Social Media

Event marketing is fun, not scary.

That’s what we’re out to prove this month with a Halloween-themed mixer with the Clovis Chamber of Commerce. It’s part of our integrated marketing mix that combines online social media marketing and offline networking. Get into the spirit of building business connections and referrals, and win fantastic door prizes, too!

The festivities unfold at Bitwise Industries South Stadium on Wednesday, October 19th, from 5-7 pm, with appetizers, refreshments, and popcorn ahead of movie night! Sample brews from Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Company. Enjoy some delicious specialty sandwiches from the newest Deli Delicious location in downtown Fresno. And make sure to wear your spookiest costumes to strike your most frightening pose in the photo booth provided by Foto Fabulous Photo Booth Rentals.

We’d also like to give a very special, “Thank you,” to the many local companies that helped us put this mixer together, including:thankyou3


Help us celebrate our official Ribbon Cutting at 6:15. Then stick around—Don’t return to the dark just yet. Settle in to a screening of the classic Alfred Hitchcock movie, “The Birds,” in the new John W. Dodson Theatre. (Please note: Due to the special screening of, “The Birds,” our event will provide extended hours to ensure those who participate may finish the film.)

Photo of John W. Dodson theatre inside Bitwise South Stadium.
Enjoy a luxurious & festive theater experience inside the John W. Dodson Theatre inside Bitwise South Stadium.

Bitwise South Stadium is located at 700 Van Ness Avenue in Fresno. Bitwise is our home office for all our SEO activities and more. We encourage you to attend our Mixer & a Movie, and strike up a conversation with our team while promoting your business and engaging with local professionals. Not only will this be an evening of fun—It’s also an evening to make new business connections.

As with all proven social media strategies, you can’t attract customers when you are invisible as a ghost. Make an appearance and attend our October 19th Mixer & a Movie. We look forward to seeing you, in the flesh!

Searching for more information about our social media management strategies? Find out how to reach your customers wherever they roam—We even provide our own short movie (not scary) to introduce you to what going social is all about. Meet our team of social marketing experts ahead of the mixer. Then give us a call at (559) 765-6651—We take the fear out of attracting new clients to your brand.

Mixer & a Movie flyer

Is Your Company’s Digital Identity Invisible?

Is Your Company’s Digital Identity Invisible?

Posted by in Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Industrial Marketing, SEO: Search Engine Optimization, Social Media

By Anne Roos, Director of Content Development

What is your company’s online footprint? What makes your business stand out on the Internet? This is known as your digital identity, or how your company is perceived in the digital world. In other words, it is your online branding.

Factors that contribute to your online identity can range from your logo, your URL (website address), and even the style of fonts and graphics on your website. Social networking takes the temperature of how your company is perceived online.

With over 3 billion worldwide Internet users, your goods and services can’t afford to be invisible on the worldwide web. Build a digital presence for your business and you’ll increase sales and have power over your online reputation.

Here are 4 steps to creating your company’s searchable identity:

1. Take over the reigns—When someone performs a Google search for the kinds of products and services you sell, your website and social media profiles must be on display. Get listed as a viable choice against your competition and don’t be invisible in the search results. Establish a powerful website for your business, and utilize best SEO practices to define your company in social media.

2. Use consistent branding across the internet—Develop the logo, graphics, and tag lines to brand your company’s representation on your website and on each social media profile you create. Discover the best keyword phrases that will lead people searching on Google to your company. Single out your company’s niche–Always include tags in your blog posts and META information on your website and blog pages.

3. Mingle, mingle, mingle—Don’t be a wallflower. Discover where your target customers converse online and make those social networking platforms your go-to places to schmooze. Post regularly, and include meaningful, interesting info that attracts readers to your website and blog. Reply to posts immediately to demonstrate that your company cares about the opinions of your customers. Join LinkedIn and Facebook groups that are relevant to your company’s best interests, and chime in on topics that are in your business wheelhouse. Online mingling, or social networking, drives customers to your website and strengthens your branding. It gives you control of what people are saying about your company.

4. Keep the discussion about business—Use social media as an educational forum, sharing information about the newest trends and how-to’s of your industry. Don’t use it as a carnival barker for hard selling your products, and don’t use it for posting what you had for lunch (unless, of course, you are in the food industry). Be professional and always take the high road to help potential customers find what they are looking for.

It takes time to build a successful online digital identity. It takes a delicate balance of website, blog, and social media finesse. The process is never finished—maintaining your digital identity is dynamic and requires constant updating, because the online conversation about products and services is never static.

Rely on the content experts at Moore Than SEO to curate and create the social media posts and profiles, blog articles, and web pages that attract attention and make your company a rock star in your own niche. We’ll help you create and maintain the digital identity that makes you shine against your online competition.

shows paper and pen for writing

The Non-Writer’s Guide to Creating a Digital Identity

Posted by in Content Marketing, Copywriting Tips, Digital Marketing, Industrial Marketing, Social Media

By Anne Roos, Director of Content Development

The Internet world expects business owners to be great writers, even if it isn’t their cup of tea. Rules of grammar, spelling, and punctuation reflect on your business just as much as the information you share. And it gets even more confusing, because some of the standard rules of writing were made to be broken for social media posts, blog entries, and web pages. For creating a digital identity, a unique voice online that attracts clients and customers to your brand, you also need to mind the rules of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

SEO websites will have you believe that there are hard-and-fast formulas to follow to get on the first page of search engine results for your specific keywords. It’s a soft science, and because Google frequently changes its algorithms for ranking, no set formula is going to work.

Follow our 3 standards that apply across-the-board for anything you are writing online:

1. Write for human consumption.

Forget about stuffing keywords into paragraphs and pages—one or two mentions will do. Focus on the information that interests your customers and clients.

2. Never copy content from another source, even if that source is a page on your own website.

Search engines like original content, and they’ll drop your page in rank, or remove you from search engine results altogether, when you duplicate content.

3. Text is more important than graphics.

The major search engines place high importance on content that is relevant to your website visitors. They also pay attention to your website’s layout. Find out Why Content Trumps Design.

How your content looks on the page is important, because most people scan an article with their eyes before delving into its contents.

Follow these 8 standards of formatting to entice your readers:

1. Put the good stuff at the beginning. As of May, 2015, Google announced that more searches are performed on mobile devices (smartphone, tablets, etc.) than on desktops and laptops. Therefore, you need to concentrate the important texts in the first few sentences to avoid scrolling on small-screened devices.

2. Focus on one idea per paragraph, use shorter sentences, and include 6 lines maximum per paragraph. Content is digested in small bites, not big meals. Make it easy for your readers to pick out important points. Embolden key sentences and key phrases within the paragraph.

3. Add lists and bullet points for variety. They are easy to read, easy to write, and everyone loves lists. Try to limit your lists to a manageable number of items—If you have too many items, add subheadings. Speaking of which…

4. Employ subheadings to shift topics. Lengthy blog posts and web pages are ever so much easier to read when each new topic is introduced by a cleaver subheading—Think of them as mini-chapter headings for your article.

5. Always insert links within your content. They stand out from the rest of the text, because they are underlined and highlighted. Use more inbound links (links to your web pages) than outbound links (links to other relevant websites). Use inbound links within your social media posts to send your friends and followers to your blog posts and web pages.

6. Rely on the 7-minute rule for blog posts and web pages. Each blog article or web post should take no longer than about 7-minutes to read out loud. If you’re counting words, they should be no shorter than about 300 words. Each social network has rules for maximum numbers of words or characters—Stay within those rules to avoid truncation of text. Including media with your social network posts reduces the amount of text you can use.

7. Be conversational. Unless your copy is of a highly technical nature, keep to simple sentences. Proof your copy by reading it aloud. If you find yourself stumbling as you read aloud, or each sentence is taking up more than two lines, split up sentences and paragraphs so that your information reads like a friendly chat.

8. Get to the point. Always include a call-to-action: a website to visit, a phone number to call, a product to check out. What’s the point of writing if you don’t create sales?

The entire reason for building a web presence is to increase your bottom line. You can have a gorgeous website that attracts customers, but they need to know what to do once they’ve arrived. Your content wins over customers when it engages them and moves them to buy.

How do you engage customers? Follow our 6 insights of what to say in social media and on your web and blog page and you’ll see a return of investment (ROI) in your website costs:

1. Keep both eyes on your competitors—Building a digital identity is about developing an online and offline brand strategy. See our Beginner’s Guide to Competitive Intelligence for a primer.

2. Publish consistently—Fresh content sends website visitors and social media fans back for more. Plus, Google wants to direct searchers to new, interesting content. Post regularly; at least once a month on blogs, and at least once a week on social media platforms.

3. Establish a goal for each post—Do you want to get website visitors to sign up for your newsletter? Do you want to tell your readers about your company’s next public event? Do you want to introduce customers to your newest product line? Hone in on your goal, and then answer the question, “Why is this important to write?” when you begin writing.

4. Write an irresistible headline—Touch an emotion. Draw the reader into your article, your story, and your post.

5. Activate action verbs—Can you envision what that verb says to do? This is what defines an action verb. You can visualize the words drive, hit, aim, get. You can’t visualize verbs like be, was, and were. Action verbs get readers to move, respond, and buy.

6. Use a different mode of storytelling for each post—Ask a question, tell a tale, reveal secrets, challenge assumptions, offer a different point of view, alleviate fears, disclose a mystery, educate your readers, and more. The path of storytelling is only limited by your imagination.

Is this content writing task overwhelming? Staring at a blank computer screen with no idea where to start on your content writing journey? Too busy getting your business off the ground to focus on writing for the web?

Here’s the answer: Partner with a team of professional, seasoned online marketers, and avoid cheap alternatives. Going outside the U.S. for content and SEO assistance may look like a money-saving idea, but you’ll want to stick with American SEO.

Be careful when hiring content writers. Everything you publish online reflects your business reputation. Why trust the empty promises of SEO websites that don’t take the time to get to know your company, products, and services before creating content? Here at Moore Than SEO, our writers build custom content that attracts your target audience and gives your competition a run for their money.

Contact us for a free assessment of your online content.

Valentines Day cupcake with text How to spread love for your brand through social media

How to Spread Love for Your Brand Through Social Media

Posted by in Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Social Media, Social Media Analytics

By Anne Roos, Director of Content Development

February is the month of love. It’s the perfect time to reach out to your target audience, to get them to fall head over heals for your brand. It’s also the perfect time to solidify customer loyalty to your current clients. Regardless of your specific business industry, use social media as your matchmaker.

Consider these statistics:

• 200 Million Internet Users Employ Ad Blockers—Website visitors aren’t seeing your pop-up ads. But your message will get through to your intended customers through social networking.

• 37% of Online Businesses Increased Customer Retention through Word-of-Mouth Compared to Paid Advertisements—Imagine your cost savings by going social versus paying for print, radio, and TV ads.

• 71% of Consumers are Likely to Buy a Product or Service Based on Referrals in Social Media—Create a buzz in your customers’ favorite social hangouts, and watch the sales pour in.

• 81% of Consumers Receive Advice from Colleagues, Friends and Loved Ones Through Social Networking Sites—When customers fall in love with you, they tell the world about it online.

But how do you get customers to fall in love with you in the first place?

1. Know Your Customer—Ask yourself whether you are fulfilling a need or solving a problem for your target customer. What can you offer that your competition cannot?

2. Keep In Touch—Share new product information, interesting trivia about your company, invitations to events, and exclusive online coupons to your Internet fans. Treat them to more in-depth information in your blog. Give every opportunity for your prospective clients and customers to get to know you.

3. Get Personal—Let your fans and subscribers in on deals they’d never see elsewhere. Give them a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how your company operates, profile key staff members, and let them in on upcoming product launches.

4. Return the Love—Put the “social” into social networking. Build relationships online and bring them beyond the Internet. Send birthday offers and handwritten thank-you cards. Host a “locals” day discount or a customer appreciation day. Provide free tickets to events that you are hosting. Use these tools to get to know your loyal customer base.

5. Bend over backwards—Always offer more than is expected. Quote extra services or products at a discount. Do something entirely unexpected to create faithfulness to your brand while blowing your competition out of the water.

The goal: To get customers to break up with your competition and fall in love with you.

Regardless of your industry, you can get in on the Valentine’s Day love, before, during, and after the holiday. Connect with customers through social media management. Create a strategic plan that rewards your clients on a consistent basis, and they’ll tell their friends. Then, they’ll return that love with purchases.

Here at Moore Than SEO, we know the laws of attraction using Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and other social network platforms. Contact us at 559-978-4096 for a free consultation. We’ll measure your current reach and design a social media blueprint that will produce long-term customer loyalty and measurable results.

* Statistics from Business2Community.com