Category: Mobile Marketing

Top 5 Facebook Business Page Mistakes

26 May 16 by Chris Jenkin

There’s no doubt that Facebook plays a huge importance for businesses trying to reach their customers. Considering there is 1.65 billion monthly active users on Facebook, it pays to make use of this social media tool to help a business promote itself. Because of this, there are individuals who are tasked to handle the social media accounts of the company to ensure that they get their message across properly.

However, it is unfortunate to know that not everyone does it right. There are still a number of individuals who are not properly utilizing Facebook to help their brand prosper. The fact of the matter is that everybody thinks they can handle social media easily. But as soon as they start doing so, they realize that there’s actually a big difference between handling your personal Facebook account and a page for a brand.

Experts believe that there’s actually a science and art to posting on Facebook. By eliminating the common mistakes people do on Facebook, you can start understanding the beauty behind this social media site. If you work as a social media manager and you want to avoid making the common mistakes people do on Facebook, make sure that you know these things:

No. 5 Facebook Business Page Mistake: Posting too much text

Let’s get one thing clear, a Facebook post is not meant for long paragraphs of text. It is not a blog post or an entire news article. Some of your followers could get turned off upon seeing a bulk of text that they have to scroll through to go to the next post. And when this happens, they’ll end up skipping whatever it is you’re saying and totally missing out the reason for the post. In some cases, these followers could even unfollow your page just so they don’t have to encounter the same type of post.

Whenever you post on Facebook, you have to remember to include small bite-size pieces of information they can easily digest from the post. Your followers want to know the gist of your post right away. And if they’re interested, they can just click on a link to get more details. A good practice is to follow Twitter’s 140-character limit even when you’re posting on Facebook.

No. 4 Facebook Business Page Mistake: Promoting your business or product too much

The main reason why your business is on Facebook in the first place is so you could promote it along with your products. However, this does not mean you should bombard your followers with posts that only talk about this. Although this strategy could work for a while, it does not mean that it will work every single time. Your followers could end up getting annoyed that they will unfollow your page.

The thing is, it’s okay to post about your business and products through your posts. However, the trick here is to do it in a way that you’re being creative, and ditch the pitch. Instead of directly talking about a product you are trying to sell, it would be better if you offer valuable information to them or you entertain them. You’ll find that this is more effective compared to directly promoting your products.

No. 3 Facebook Business Page Mistake: Posting at the wrong time and insufficiently

Another important trick to know about posting on a Facebook page is the right time to post. The good news is that there are now tools you can use to schedule posts in advance so you no longer have to do it in real time. At the same time, you have to make sure that these posts are time accurate and not too late. Otherwise, you’re posting something that’s no longer relevant to your followers.

In the same sense, it can be quite disappointing to find a Facebook page that has no activity for the past year. No matter how legitimate your business is, you still need to find time to let your customers know that your business is still ongoing. The best way you can do this is to come up with a content strategy and to be sure to post at least once a day. Remember that if you’re not posting, no one gets to find your company on social media.

No. 2 Facebook Business Page Mistake: Focusing on getting likes too much

In hindsight, having a lot of likes on your Facebook allows you to reach more people at once. But that’s it. Sure, there are days they get entertained by one or two posts you’ve made and they’d click on the like or share button. But when it comes to the business side of things, they’re actually too far away from it. In fact, your followers may even be on the other side of the planet. Even though you have a lot of likes on your page, it doesn’t mean that each one will convert into business for you.

This is why it is important that you avoid asking people to like and share your page. As a business, it will make you sound like you are begging for interest and this will turn off a lot of people. Instead of focusing your attention on getting likes on your page, find more ways you can share engaging posts. This is a better way you can generate genuine interest in your business.

No. 1 Facebook Business Page Mistake: Responding unprofessionally to negative feedback

Always remember that Facebook is an interactive platform where people can exchange ideas. Whenever you publish a post, you are giving people an opportunity to comment on it, positively and negatively. If you happen to receive a complaint on your page, the best thing to do is to keep calm and respond in a courteous manner. Always be thoughtful when you are responding but do so with a personal tone.

When someone leaves a negative comment on your page, think of it as a way to improve on that aspect of your business. At the same time, this helps give your followers an idea that their opinion matters and that there is more to your business than just sales.

Facebook is very useful to market your business online. How you use it, however, plays a crucial part in your success.

AllMobile Marketing

Email Etiquette

22 Apr 16 by Chris Jenkin

Let’s get back to the basics. In a world where keyboards have replaced the mighty pen, there’s still a place for email etiquette. Before you shoot off thousands of emails to your contacts or subscriber list, make sure you’re respecting their time, while representing your company with class.

Choose Your Subject Carefully to Avoid the Trash Pile

The subject of your email will make or break it, and determine whether or not someone will even open it, or discard it. Make your subject purposeful and relevant to the content you’re sharing and avoid clever marketing ploys, which will only irritate your reader. Avoid using all caps, all lowercase, and poor grammar. Your subject line makes the first impression.

Practice Professionalism in Your Correspondence

Work emails are supposed to be professional. Avoid sending offensive jokes or irrelevant emails to your colleagues. If you’re using business owned equipment, keep it mind your employer will frown upon the misuse of company time and supplies. Internal emails are a serious issue. If you want to be treated with respect from your coworkers, you must practice professionalism on the job whenever you correspond.

Addressing the Recipient

How do you address an individual you just met? While many people quickly assume a first name is suitable, it’s proper etiquette to wait until your new contact requests a first name basis, for example he might state “You can call me Joe.” In the beginning of all correspondence, email etiquette includes using a formal salutation.

Avoid Misspelling Names

It takes just a second to check your recipient’s name and spelling.

Use the Blind Copy Option When Necessary

If you’re sending a bulk email to recipients who do not know each other, it is common email etiquette to use the blind copy option in the address fields, so that you’re not sharing their name and private email addresses to the rest of your contacts.

Avoid Reply All

Have you ever been caught in a texting chain of messages, none of which matter to you? Reply all is the same thing. Unless you want everyone to read your message, be sure to carefully select the appropriate reply option and don’t send to everyone unless necessary.

Get to the Point

Successful email marketing is targeted and gets right down to business. Don’t waste your reader’s valuable time by beating around the bush to say what needs to be said. Short sentences and short paragraphs are easier to read, and much faster too. The less time a reader has to invest his time reading, the more time he can use making an important buying decision.

Don’t Over-punctuate

Over-punctuating your sentences makes them cumbersome to read. Although you may hope that your reader feels your excitement through multiple exclamation marks, if you choose the proper words and format your sentences correctly, very little punctuation is necessary.

Add Links

The main purpose of your email correspondence might be to gain more business and make a sale. Don’t forget the importance of adding links within the body of your email message. At the end of your message you should provide that call to action and also close your email with the necessary contact information.

Why Email Etiquette Matters

Email etiquette matters because people’s time is valuable. In addition, it can be difficult to allow your humor or intent to correctly flow through words alone. Establishing a set of email etiquette rules for yourself will help guide you in the process of communicating with your partners and colleagues in a positive manner that encourages loyalty.

From the beginning to the end of your email message, proper email etiquette ensures your work ethic and professionalism shine.

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7 Habits that Social Media Marketers Should Break

23 Mar 16 by Chris Jenkin

The following 7 habits that social media marketers should break have deemed themselves ineffective. Whether you’re the voice behind the brand or the owner of a brand new startup, the way you approach and interact with your social media audience can make or break your company’s reputation. Here’s the lowdown on which habits you should kick for good.

The 7 Habits that Social Media Marketers Should Break

1. Inconsistency- It’s hard to imagine but it’s true, there are thousands of companies who just don’t follow a consistent plan when it comes to managing and scheduling social media. While you don’t have to have posts necessarily pegged down to the exact hour, every single day, you should make great efforts to post several times per week at the minimum. To find a business and then search its social pages only to see next to nothing, doesn’t look very good. Potential visitors want to know that business is alive and kicking. Where ya at?
2. It’s All About You- Posting on social allows us the freedom to express our opinions, beliefs, and our feelings. But how much of that should you really be sharing with your audience? The whole point of building a social profile is so that you can interact and engage with your followers. If nobody is talking, and your posts are basically all about your business, your accomplishments, and your agenda, you’ll bore people. Make sure your posts are there to entertain and engage your audience, and if that’s not working you need to try something else.
3. Tagging- While tagging people on Facebook has its perks, it can be confusing to your followers, who are often left to wonder why there is any tagging to begin with. Should they click the tagged person? Should they start following them? What’s really the point of the tag, and why does your audience need to see it? If you’re tagging personal connections in your company posts, you’re no longer focusing on the relationship with your general visitor base. That can turn off visitors who don’t feel compelled to “get to know” your personal life or interests.
4. You’re Offending Your Audience- Always think of your reader. If you’re using social media marketing to also share your opinion on politics and religion, well then, get ready for the tomatoes. Keep your audience happy and keep the posts light. Avoid unnecessary controversial topics, and promptly remove any visitor posts from your page that can be interpreted as offensive to other readers.
5. You Ignore People- Social media is great if you don’t really crave the one on one human interaction of the “real world”, however, people still expect you to answer questions, reply to posts, and generally appear interested in them. Marketers need to use social media to get to know their target audience better, and then adapt the brand, product, or campaign to follow suit. Pay attention to your visitors and make them feel wanted. The more you understand your audience, the better chance you can capture them.
6. You’re Hashtag #Happy- While the #hashtag has its place, some people use the hashtag as a precursor to a funny joke they want to tell, using multiple pound symbols to convey varied opinions and thoughts. #Itgetstiring. #Peopleareoverit.
7. You Don’t Have a Social Media Presence- Perhaps the greatest marketing mistake you can make is not having a social presence of any sort. While it can be a bit overwhelming to decide where to place your efforts, it’s essential that you start somewhere and begin building the social platform on which your business will stand. Facebook, Twitter and even Pinterest or LinkedIn are simple enough for nearly anyone to begin using.

Seek Digital Marketing Help

Do you need help creating a digital marketing plan? Don’t venture off into the unknown without a little guidance. Effective social media marketing isn’t an exact science. What works for one type of business, might provide zero results for another. It takes patience, research, and analytics to begin devising a successful approach. Since time is money and you want your investment to drive results, you need to first identify your audience.

Contact the professionals at gotcha! Mobile Solutions today, and begin your journey into the world of digital marketing. Here you will learn how to capture, engage and interact with your customers, and then of course, how to retain them. We will quickly assess your website and your social issues, and get to work on fixing them. Your efforts deserve to be noticed. Don’t waste another day partaking in any of these 7 habits that social media marketers should break.
Your visitors will thank you.

Mobile Marketing

5 Facts About Digital Marketing That You Never Knew

18 Mar 16 by Chris Jenkin

5 Facts About Digital Marketing That You Never Knew

One of the biggest misconceptions people have about social media marketing is that it’s very simple and easy work. These individuals believe that just because they know how to use Facebook or Twitter, they can already become a digital marketer. They think that it only requires being able to post some stuff on these social networks and it’s easy money.

Unfortunately, there’s more to digital marketing that meets the eye. If you want to be in the business, you also need to provide the right practice so that it will lead to a successful campaign. Whether you are the business owner or someone who is practicing digital marketing, it truly pays to be knowledgeable of the right tools to use in your line of work. Otherwise, it could be very costly for you; especially if you are not doing things right.

So before you get started on your attempt to be successful at digital marketing, there are some things you need to know. Here are 5 facts about digital marketing that you never knew but should:

#5: Some small differences in implementation could lead you to a big difference in results!

When it comes to your digital marketing strategy, you have to keep in mind that sometimes, you need to go beyond the extra mile. For example, if you are a writer, sure you can write well. But the best way you can get results from your writing is to use the tools of influence. The thing about influence is that you will be able to write content that would motivate your readers to do something. Sure, you can be spam about getting your message across to your readers or even hard sell to them. The sad part is, however, that this would end up in them blocking you or getting turned off by your practice.

Knowing what the tools of influence is can be a big help in changing the results you want for your digital marketing strategy. By following this, you can avoid spamming your readers. And again, this simply won’t do you any good.

#4: How you interact and engage with your audience matters

No matter how many followers, fans, or friends you have on the account, it doesn’t mean anything. This is because they are simply people who are keeping up with your posts on your social media accounts. Even if they fit the demographics of your customers, it won’t mean anything if they are simply following you on your social media account.

The problem with this is that most of the time, marketers boast about the number of followers they have on the accounts they are working on. What they fail to remember, however, is that if these followers do not do anything or buy from the company, they are simply followers and that’s all there is to them.

If you want your digital marketing strategy to work, you will have to engage with your followers. You have to show them that there’s actually a human being behind the account and not just a random software that generates content for them to look at. By doing this, your followers will be more open to discussing things about the business and this could lead to a viral messaging campaign and sales for the business. And yes, this is the most important thing to remember when you are engaging with followers in the first place.

#3: Digital marketing work requires extensive skills across a variety of platforms

This truth about digital marketing work contradicts the norm that anyone can do social media work. As mentioned, many people believe they can be a social media manager just because they know how to post on Facebook and Twitter. In reality, however, an individual needs to be equipped with the necessary skills to create a powerful and successful digital marketing campaign.

The usual skills needed in social media include strong writing, marketing background, A/B testing, strong business intelligence, technical web design, graphics design, some coding, online social media management, and CMS background—such as Drupal or WordPress. If an individual does not know these things, he may not be able to successfully do the tasks needed in the field of digital marketing.

#2: Thoroughly understand the digital marketing strategy to be successful with the campaign

There are some individuals who think working in this line of work is easy. They tend to forget that they will have to be thoroughly clear with what it is the campaign is all about. At the same time, they also need to know who the buyer spectrum is.

Some digital marketers believe that the success of a digital campaign depends on the number of followers gained on Facebook or Twitter. But definitely, this is a big misconception that should be stopped. There’s more to social media and digital marketing than just having thousands or millions of followers on the account. These followers need to actually respond so that the campaign can be successful.

#1: You will have to spend money to be successful in your digital marketing campaign

One way you can be successful with your digital marketing campaign is to spend big money. You will really benefit from having a seasoned speaker or personality guest blog on your website. Even though you will have to spend some money on this, the results can be overwhelming.

The trick here is to identify who the right people to invite to guest blog or feature on your social networks. You have to be thoroughly careful about whom you choose so you can get the right results you are looking for in your digital marketing campaign.

Knowing these things are important for the success of your digital marketing campaign. There are plenty of other things that are still good to know when it comes to working on a digital marketing campaign. If you really want to do things right the first time, you can follow these tips so you know how to reach your target audience.

Mobile Marketing

Why Fresh Content Matters

04 Mar 16 by Chris Jenkin

Many web page owners wonder what the purpose of fresh content is. Fresh can mean a few different things, from a new way of thinking, to something just produced. “Fresh content” is really a combination of both. Here’s a look at what creating fresh website content can do to help drive traffic, and why it’s a bigger deal than you think.

How Often You Should Create Content?

Figuring out how frequently you should post on social media or post fresh content is the first step in setting your blogging and social efforts up for success. At bare minimum you should strive to publish a blog once per month, and post on social media several times per week. This will keep your audience updated on your brand happenings and also keep them interested in the future of your company. This helps to build brand loyalty and will hopefully increase your amount of mobile shoppers.

Don’t expect your content marketing strategy to have instant results. If you do, you’re just setting yourself up for failure, because most marketing strategies take a significant amount of time to reap any reward. There really is no such thing as an overnight success with blogging and having a social media presence. If you are diligent and continuous in your efforts and reformulate your posts as necessary you should eventually see a rise in both page views and web prominence, and your site will (as an ultimate goal) be considered an authority on your topic. Google results will favor your website, and your website traffic and lead generation will flow. It’s all about the content and keeping the cycle going.

What Should You Write About?

Finding topics to write about can be a task all in itself. It helps to have an editorial process in place so that you have some basic guidelines to begin your content production. In addition to the area of interest you should first establish the type of content you’ll be writing, and a goal word count for each piece. This will help you figure out how many contributors you might need on board, as well as how you might filter certain topics so that you have enough information to write a relevant piece.

Research on your industry can help you figure out what to write about when you begin blogging. You should also study and look at other websites and see what they are publishing. If there’s something happening going on in your industry, writing a blog is a newsworthy way to approach it. New employees, new products, recognition, awards, events, etc. are all easy topics you can tie into a monthly editorial calendar.

Should You Recycle Content?

Recycling or repurposing content is the practice of sharing and posting content over and over again. If you have an article that is evergreen, meaning not likely to ever change in relevance or importance, recycling your content on social media is an ideal way to increase site traffic, without expending more writing efforts in creating fresh content. Play around to find an ideal balance between evergreen content and topics that are trendy and of the moment. When you mix both timeless and fresh content together you create web content that is valuable, resourceful, and just a little different.

Why Content Matters

Fresh content matters because Google is constantly seeking new content in all of its search updates. It doesn’t matter if it’s Panda or any other Google update, if your website isn’t constantly producing website content there will be nothing new for the search engines to crawl. This means you will eventually lose your place in search result rankings and that will affect your visitors, hence your website traffic. How many pages do you scroll through after searching a topic? Most people click the results that appear on the first page.

Writing web content is essential if you want to keep a place in the vastly, ever-changing digital world.
Do you need help developing a digital marketing or web content strategy? Contact the SEO experts at gotcha! Mobile Solutions today.

AllMobile Marketing

Best Advice for Digital Marketing and Growing a Social Media

19 Feb 16 by Chris Jenkin

Whether you’re wondering how to ensure that consumers can find your business online, or need a few tips to boost your company’s social media presence, the following advice for digital marketing and social media will serve you and your customers well.

Best Advice for Digital Marketing and Social Media

Optimize Your Website

If your business isn’t easily located online, people won’t find you. A website that’s been fully optimized for search results is crucial if you want to attract new andrepeat business. A mobile-friendly website loads faster and displays correctly. If people are turned off by your website after they click, away they go…

Use Correct Metadata

If your website is outdated, your metadata probably needs to be cleaned up as well. Incorrect metadata can influence your ratings and, in turn, affect your search visibility. Go through your tags and descriptions and see if anything needs updating to reflect the content of your page or your business.

Go Local

Customers love to read online business reviews. Attract more locals in your area by optimizing your website with keywords and local happenings in your town. Your geographical location should be part of your site content along with your address so that your business can be discovered through a combination of local search strings and relevant keywords.

Be Social

Once you build your local business you’ll want to be social to stay in touch with your regular customers to encourage their repeat business, and of course, promote all of the events of your company. Social media management is a crucial part of your online marketing strategy and you should go at it with a good plan as to which social media channels you will be active on (Pinterest, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.) and the frequency in which you plan to post content. You’ll want to share the most useful and relevant content for your readers if you want to increase page engagement and shares.

Blog

Creating web content is one of the best ways to drive regular web traffic to your site. If you don’t have a blog, now is the time to re-think that. Posting a weekly or daily blog keeps your ranking fresh in search results. The more stagnant your website, the fewer visitors you reach. If you’re not creating engaging web content you should consider hiring a professional that can turn out blog articles that are informative, interesting, and that centralizes on the keywords and the theme of your industry.

Promote Content

Once you have your blogs you’ll need to promote them. This means you’ll need to publish your web content on social media networks. In addition, you should continue to promote your older, evergreen content as often as possible. As long as your shared content is still useful and beneficial, there’s nothing wrong with keeping strong blogs in rotation.

Keep Trying

No matter what your plan of attack is when it comes to promoting your business, the best advice for digital marketing and growing a social media presence is to be patient, analytical, and crazy enough to make a few changes as you see necessary. Successful digital marketing is a combination of both creativity and science. What works for one business might not work for your own brand. It’s best to get to know your audience and learn exactly why they research or buy from businesses like yours, and then connect with them.

Spend the time to research and analyze your efforts. Find our which published blog posts brought in the most traffic, for example, or determine which days your social traffic is most active. When you promote your business locally and then make the effort of maintaining a social presence, you position your brand for long-term success and encourage loyal shoppers. To encourage new customers, make sure your business website is always growing. An active, well-maintained and well-ranked web site is an indication of a strong and vibrant company that consumers are eager to do business with. You can’t get a better review than that! (Or at least that’s what Google thinks.)

Do you have a piece of digital marketing advice you’d love to share? Leave us a comment below. If you need to amp up your social presence or update your company’s website to a new and improved mobile-friendly version, please contact gotcha! Mobile Solutions today.

Mobile Marketing

7 Reasons Why Your Website Needs to Be Mobile Friendly Now

07 Feb 16 by Chris Jenkin

The internet has largely contributed to how we do things. And because of this, its usage has also vastly changed over time. The technologies used a few years ago may no longer be as useful as they are today. Moreover, the media people use to access the internet has changed. They no longer have to log into a computer to look for information. Instead, information is delivered straight to them through their smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches.

With these changes in place, it is so important for business owners to keep up with the times and have a website optimized for mobile use. Not to mention, Google has rolled out a mobile-friendly algorithm update that improves search rankings of businesses that have a mobile-friendly website. If you have implemented such a website, you’ll know that this is vital to your success. Otherwise, you might want to consider preparing your website to be mobile-friendly. Here are some reasons why:

You reach more people
Studies show that 58 percent of American adults have a smartphone,and teenagers also have their own devices. Just think of how many people you can reach with your website if it has been optimized for these devices.

People are making more purchases from mobile devices
Studies show that there is a higher number of shoppers who make purchases through their mobile devices as opposed to a computer or a laptop. You need to tap into this market so you can make your business visible to them.

It loads websites faster
A website that has not been optimized for mobile will load very slowly, if at all. In comparison, a mobile-friendly website loads quickly because its codes have been structured in a compatible format. And, as studies show, website users tend to abandon a website if it takes more than 10 seconds for a page to load. This is definitely something that could be damaging to your website.

It provides a better experience for the user
One good thing about optimizing your website for mobile is that when a user wants to open a link to your website, it will load on his browser without any problem. If a website is not mobile-friendly, it will take a long time to load and can be difficult to navigate. This is a big turn-off to mobile users who want to have information provided to them as soon as possible. If it takes a long time to load your page, you will lose their attention.

Customers spend a longer time on your website
Another advantage you get with a mobile-friendly website is that your visitors will spend a longer period of time on your site. If your website can be easily navigated by people, you encourage them to stay on your website and check out more of your content. And if you are trying to sell something, this can easily convert your web visitors into customers.

Gives you a competitive edge
There is a good chance that your competitors already have a website that has been optimized for mobile. But there is also a chance that their website is not as responsive as it should be. If you want your business to have a good rank on Google Mobile Search, you have to take that first step and invest in a mobile-ready website. This is especially important for local businesses.

Take advantage of free tools
Apart from giving you a high rank on Google Search, you can also make use of Google’s tools for your business. One of these tools is the Click-to-Call feature which is available on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. With this feature available, users can easily get in touch with you by simply tapping on their screen.

The absolute best way to encourage new customers and repeat visitors is to ensure your website is mobile-friendly. Need help? Contact gotcha! Mobile Solutions today.

Mobile Marketing

gotcha! Systems Engineer Bhaskarjyoti Roy Publishes Book

05 Feb 16 by Chris Jenkin

Our very own Systems Engineer, Bhaskarjyoti Roy (we call him Roy), has published his first book on Amazon, entitled “Mastering CentOS 7 Linux Server.” Roy is an expert in the field, and it’s important that he’s also a teacher. Here at gotcha!, we encourage our team members to instruct each other and be part of our internal “Educate Break,” where our resident experts hold classes for the rest of us.

As a special treat I have interviewed Roy about his book and his time here at gotcha! and this is what he had to say:

Chris: So we are all excited about the release of your book “Mastering CentOS 7 Linux Server” on Amazon. Everyone here at gotcha! is proud of you. Can you tell us briefly in laymen’s terms what your book is about?

Roy: This book is about CentOS 7 which is one of the most famous Linux distributions that you will find. It runs most of the web hosting servers worldwide and in other infrastructures as well. After reading through this book you will learn some advanced aspects of Linux/CentOS 7, and can manage several important services on it like web server, email server, DNS, FTP, etc. You will also learn about advanced services such as virtualization and cloud computing.

Chris: What was the inspiration behind the book? Why this topic?

Roy: After working several years on Linux/CentOS, I found there were not enough books written on this topic, which covers and teaches a System Administrator how to setup, configure, and secure services that are very important to run in an organization like website, email, etc. This book includes almost all the topics that a System Administrator needs to learn and work on today.

Chris: Why Linux over .net?

Roy: Linux is open source and there are distributions like CentOS which are free to use. You will always find a cost advantage running Linux in your organization. Over time, I’ve found that there are not many good books which actually cover exactly what you need for implementation. I tried to solve that problem by writing this book, and I emphasized only those topics which are actually important to run your infrastructure on Linux/CentOS 7 .

Chris: What was your biggest challenge going from Systems Engineer to author?

Roy: The initial planning and the content structuring were what I found challenging while writing this book. Because I knew this needed to be structured in such a way that a System Administrator could go through the topics and learn step by step about security, services etc., I had to think like a System Administrator who started his career in Linux and who wanted to know more about the topics that he needs to perform in an organization.

Chris: Will there be more books to follow and, if so, what types of topics?

Roy: Yes, I have plans to write more books in the future, covering more advanced topics like Virtualization, AWS, Cloud Computing, and Configuration Management.

Chris: How do you follow the latest digital trends? Do you have any favorite books or blogs you could share?

Roy: I follow different websites depending on what exactly I am looking for, but there is no specific one. To find the latest trends, I sometimes look into several freelancing sites and job portals to see and understand what companies are looking for in terms of System and Server Administrators. I think this is one way to understand the latest trends. Another way is to follow some providers’ websites to see what they are offering and what’s new.

Chris: What have you learned from your greatest mistake?

Roy: Personally everyone makes mistakes. What I have learned is to be more careful in what I am doing so I don’t make a mistake and and remember from past mistakes not to repeat them. I like to be armoured with solid in-depth knowledge of a subject.

Chris: Why gotcha!? Why not work somewhere else?

Roy: Freedom, support, inspiration and satisfaction. Here at gotcha!, we are encouraged to perform better and learn. We are a family here, not just a team, and we help each other whenever required. It’s crucial that I find a work environment like we have at gotcha! so that I can improve myself day by day, and be satisfied.

Chris: The secret to success is…

Roy: Enjoy the work you are doing. Be sincere, responsible and eager to learn and perform.

Chris: Excellent, and thank you Roy for what you do for our clients, our team, and the Linux community.

We are proud of Roy and our other team experts who strive to not only be great at their jobs but also be great people.

If you have any questions regarding CentOS 7, hosting, server management, or anything else digital, please don’t hesitate to contact gotcha! or one of our preferred distributors.

You can find Roy’s book on Amazon.

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Digital Marketing Myths

02 Oct 15 by Chris Jenkin

Author Credit: Scott Rayden

If you’re in client services or sales, you’ve most definitely heard a few prevailing myths about one or another facet of digital marketing.

Instead of using a phone call to review numbers or talk case studies, you go down the rabbit hole of gently explaining (often to CMOs who don’t have their ear to the ground on all things digital) why old assumptions need to be put to rest.

With that in mind, we did a quick poll of our client services team to learn the myths they’ve needed to dispel (repeatedly) across channels and services. Add this to the questions I answer every day for (sometimes half-informed) prospects looking for a leg up in digital marketing, and we’ve got a pretty healthy list.

Some of myths were once true but need to be revisited; some never really were true but became part of an easily-spouted narrative. In each case, we’ll take a look at the myth — and the corresponding truth.

We’ll start with SEO myths, move to paid social, then look at myths surrounding creative, SEM, attribution, mobile and retargeting.

Myth #1: SEO Can Be “Set It And Forget It”

We often encounter clients who allocate a certain budget towards SEO for a quarter, then just replicate that budget in subsequent quarters. (Some also siphon budget from SEM for a quarter to “do SEO” and then never come back to their organic efforts.)

The idea that SEO is a one-time project, or a project that requires the same amount of resources over regular intervals, is a faulty one. Like any other channel, it requires more than just maintenance; it must involve a cycle of testing and re-strategizing that can dig up reasons to increase (or decrease) resources.

Search algorithms change all the time — and SEO and content strategies have to be revisited at least yearly to make sure they’re still effective.

Myth #2: I Can Buy A Tool For My In-House SEO Team, And They’ll Be Golden

Tools are great for efficiency and automation. But they cannot replace human talent, intuition or foresight.

I’ve seen instances where in-house teams that are too heavily reliant on tools become pigeon-holed in a vertical, which actually leads to a narrow perspective and lost understanding of the overall space.

Myth #3 (One Of Our Favorites): SEO Is Dead

The SEO of 2010? Sure, that’s dead. Tons of black-hat and gray-hat techniques have gone to seed.

SEO as a discipline looks a lot different and varied today than it did back then; it’s much more interdisciplinary, and mere keyword optimization and proper site architecture won’t get you as far as it used to.

But it’s also grown to incorporate hugely important initiatives like UX, conversion rate optimization and CTR optimization.

Myth #4: Social Is A Top-Of-Funnel Channel

Yes, this was the belief (and sort of the truth) for many years. Today, thanks to incredibly improved targeting, ad types and available data on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, you can make social a bottom-of-the-funnel direct-response channel.

For many brands, social is the largest driver of new customer acquisitions and customer retention.

Social is all about people-based marketing; it allows you to reach the right people at the right time with the right message.

CMOs who have tried social in the past and are skeptical about its ability to drive bottom-line results should reinvest in the channel — or at least devote a small amount of budget to testing and be prepared to like the results.

Myth #5: Social Can Only Work For A Few Select Industries

Social can be an efficient channel for just about any industry. With that said, not all social channels are created equal, and you shouldn’t put equal emphasis on each channel.

If you’re a B2B company with a very technical service offering, for instance, Pinterest and Instagram are not channels to focus on; look at Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

The same is true if your brand is on the other side of the spectrum — if you’re a B2C online fashion retailer, LinkedIn is not the channel for you. But both ends of the spectrum have social channels that, implemented intelligently, can provide great return.

Myth #6: Negative Comments On Social Are Bad For Business

We hear this a lot, and it’s wholly untrue. Legitimate customer concerns around your product or service should be addressed head-on and considered golden opportunities for education and for allowing your customer service to shine.

Do not hide legitimate concerns or comments; instead, provide a very thoughtful response with the option to call or email customer service for further assistance, and make sure someone is following up internally to solve those issues before they become widespread.

And remember: The more you invest in your brand on social and grow your presence, the more brand loyalists and evangelists will come to your rescue and defend your brand to the naysayers.

Is it emotionally hard to see critical feedback? Of course it is. But you can turn it into a useful source of information and goodwill for your business.

Myth #7: Once You’ve Done A Cycle Of Creative Testing, You’re Done

Testing is never done. You should constantly be iterating on your pages, no matter how awesome the first wave of results might have been.

But remember that your testing should always be based on a hypothesis; don’t just test for the sake of testing.

Myth #8: You Should Constantly Be Redesigning Your Pages/Site

Constantly redesigning? No, not necessarily. But, to the point above, you need to test constantly whether you should redesign.

If you do want to redesign, make sure you have the results to back up the decision.

Myth #9: All Creative Needs To Be Flawless

The axiom “never let the perfect get in the way of the good” is wisdom you should live by where creative is concerned. Get it good, then test it.

Don’t lose time; get data.

Myth #10: SEM Is Not Good For Branding

It’s true that a channel based on intent is not the right choice to acquire new customers; if they haven’t heard of you, they won’t search for you.

That said, bidding on competitor terms is absolutely fair game, and there are ways to make big non-brand head terms more affordable than you think. (We’ll get to that in a second.)

Beyond all that, SEM is critical in preserving brand reputation; you can reinforce brand messaging and keep your competitors at bay by dominating the SERPs for your brand terms, for instance.

Now, about those head terms…

Myth #11: You Can’t Afford To Buy Big Head Terms On SEM

If your team is doing its job, you know the people who have already been to your site.

With search retargeting, you can buy head terms for just those users — who will generally be more familiar with your brand and therefore closer to conversion.

Myth #12: Attribution Is Overwhelming

Attribution technology is absolutely overwhelming. Attribution options (last click, first click, Time Delay, game theory and so on) can be overwhelming.

But there’s a lot you can accomplish just by setting up conversion pixels and Google Analytics accounts correctly — and if you’re a B2B, making sure your CRM is integrated with your marketing efforts. (There’s a wealth of info out there on attribution, but this post by Google’s Avinash Kaushik is a good starting point.)

Myth #13: Last-Click Attribution Is Best

Well, it’s certainly the easiest to track, but last-click attribution gives inordinate weight to direct-response channels (SEM, Facebook) and completely devalues upper-funnel channels that introduced you to users in the first place.

You can make an argument for (or against) any attribution models, but if you go with last-click attribution, make sure you have some proxies to gauge the value of your upstream channels — otherwise, you risk cutting off the flow of discovery and shrinking the funnel itself.

Myth #14: People Don’t Convert On Mobile

People are far less likely to go through a lengthy checkout process and fill out all those tiny fields on their mobile phones. If you’re asking them to replicate the desktop process on their mobile phones, you’re aiming for the wrong conversions.

Make your mobile B2B forms simpler. Ask your mobile e-commerce users to sign up for coupons they can use on desktop sites.

Focus SEM mobile ads on phone calls. Offer cross-device shopping cart integration.

(All of this is a nice way of saying that if people aren’t converting on mobile, it’s not the phone that’s at fault.)

Myth #15: Retargeting Is Creepy

Yes, it can verge on creepy if you ignore best practices. But done right, retargeting (or remarketing, as Google calls it) simply re-engages people who are already familiar with your brand.

There are a lot more myths (believe me!) out there, but these are the ones we encounter the most. What have you heard (and debunked) in your digital travels?

Author credit: Scott Rayden

AllMobile Marketing

Stop Writing New Blog Posts (No Really! This Might Work)

04 Sep 15 by Chris Jenkin

There’s just something about Fridays. Much like Spring Fever or the end of the school year, Fridays hold promise for fun times ahead. The folks at Buffer App must be Friday Fans as well, because according to their latest experiment, recycling older blog content in the new, new.

Now I won’t admit I’m slacking off. Maybe that’s what the content marketers at Buffer App are doing, but I seriously think this is a brilliant idea. In fact I might even try it on Monday too. We’ll see how it goes.

The following 5 blogs are ones that I suggest you read. Because let’s face it (you’re obviously not really working).

Wink.;)

Why Your Business Needs a Social Presence

How to Write Blogs That Rank in Search

Words Have Power-Why You Need a Blog

Why You Need a Social Media Calendar

How to Write Content That Gets Shared or (Gasp!) Stolen

 

AllMobile Marketing