So, Google comes up with this fancy “Plus” thing. Everybody rushed to take a look-see, only to be locked out as the big G slammed the doors on the masses to slow the flood to a trickle. The first week was like a Black Friday rush on sales. For the first time, iPhone users frowned at their fancy gadgets and longed for an Android just so they could use the brand spankin’ new Google + app (Apple, by the way, allowed the iGoogle app to go through Tuesday). G+ invites were being sold on eBay for a paltry $25 – $100 (depending on the seller), guaranteed immediate delivery*.
In a day and age when companies are fighting fervently for each and every consumer dollar, it should come as no surprise that branding is more important than ever. Whether it is the AFLAC Duck, the Pep Boys’ bobble heads or the GEICO caveman, companies want you to remember them for one simple reason – branding.
When a person becomes successful, it seems like suddenly they’re too busy dealing with the higher echelons to take time out for the “little people”. It’s something that’s always bugged us. It was all fine and dandy for you to respond to comments and whatnot when you were a little guy, but now that you’re big…
Level 343 is not only excited, but proud to present the final list of 2012 Top SEO Women. We had such a 
It’s easy to get stuck in the mental mud hole of names. For example, we market ourselves as copywriting and SEO specialists. With that in mind, you might look at our blog categories and think, “Well, it makes sense that SEOs would share information about optimization. – But, what would they know about branding?”
Your web presence is up and running smoothly, the visitors are swarming, and even buying your products or services. The next step is to start a related blog. Your blog might be a place for your customers to ask questions, to talk to other customers, or to find more detailed information about your company, services and products. Whatever the purpose and intended goal for your blog, there are a few generally accepted rules, which apply to all company or business blogs, that will keep visitors coming back.
After an intense week of social networking that ended with a conference, (Distilled in New Orleans) I think I finally have a better understanding of what I should be doing. It’s taken a long path to get me here; I thought I’d share it with you, our readers, in the hopes that you’ll gain some usefulness. Sometimes, I think about hiring someone else to do my social networking – some social media guru who can turn each tweet into gold. According to the analytics, according to the numbers, I’m doing it wrong.
Branding isn’t a new concept; it isn’t even a centennial concept. In fact, branding started back in the ancient days of Babylon, Greece and Rome, when men wore dresses (sure, they called them togas) and the term “Spartan” was coined. Potters carved their initials, symbol or recognizable mark in their handiwork. Gold and silversmiths marked their work; papermakers left watermarks. Cattle and other livestock have worn literal brands since 2000 BC, if not before.
I’ve been asked by several companies to speak to their PR department about their respective social media presences. As much as I’d love to take them up on the offers, though, I thought I’d at least take the time to figure out the problems they’re having.
Life isn’t perfect or fair in any way, especially if you’re competing for your online market share. SEO isn’t a perfect science, only available to an exclusive set of business owners. To be perfectly blunt, I get tired of reading about the “perfect SEO solution”, how “perfect” life is and the plethora of positivity quotes flung around on social networks.
