Instagram
[fts_instagram instagram_id=256737344 super_gallery=yes image_size=100px icon_size=50px space_between_photos=1px hide_date_likes_comments=yes center_container=yes image_stack_animation=yes type=user]
Twitter
[fts_twitter twitter_name=elliance]
No region in the world understands the countervailing forces of hope and despair related to the manufacturing economy more viscerally than Southwestern Pennsylvania. As a young adult, I witnessed first-hand the cataclysmic fall of Big Steel when the region added 124,000 new unemployed people — fathers, mothers, siblings — in a flash of economic destruction between August 1981 and January 1983. In the 30 years since, the United States remains undecided about the most fundamental questions. Can American workers and companies compete in a global workforce and market? Do our schools and education bureaucracies effectively prepare young people for advanced manufacturing careers? Will companies invest in American workers rather than reflexively seek cheaper labor? Elliance has seen the power of smart manufacturing marketing to make a difference for companies seeking bigger/better customers globally, and a stable, reliable workforce locally. We apply many of the same concepts of “right-fit” matching from our work in higher education marketing to the world of … Continue reading
Posted in: Branding, Manufacturing Marketing, Search Marketing
Leave a comment
Not long ago, Abu wrote about how social media is being adopted by big name manufacturers. The GE and John Deere examples he shared show that some manufacturers are doing an amazing job with their digital marketing efforts. Data from a recent MarketingSherpa Benchmarking study shows that investments in website design, SEO and social on behalf of manufacturing marketing are all expected to rise in 2012. For success in these marketing ventures, it’s important to implement and integrate your strategies with a purpose. Let’s take GE as an example. GE is doing a wonderful job with its social. The website is well done, the visuals are great and GE is telling compelling stories about its products and services. Images and branding both on the website and associated social channels contribute to the seamless integration between the two. Let’s look at some different views of their homepage: An ongoing campaign — “GE Works” — is at the center of the whole … Continue reading
My fellow webizens: As millions gather today and cast their votes for the next President of the United States, we are reminded of America’s fundamental commitment to democracy these last 237 years — from the throwing off of monarchy and oppression in 1775, to the continuous and peaceful transition of power within the world’s most diverse society. Yet somehow on the Internet, we now find ourselves in a struggle against tyranny in its most pervasive form. The Age of Revolution was arguably the crowning achievement of democracy in human history, which saw the founding of the United States and the French Republic, the restructuring of tyrannical societies, and the kindling of self-determination. The world was reawakened to Greek political ideals, brought forth through the writings of philosophers like John Locke and Rousseau, who wrote that the human spirit always longs for democracy. I propose that today we are in the midst of a Second Age of Revolution, this time farther … Continue reading
Posted in: Search Marketing
I joined Elliance about a year ago with just a layman’s knowledge of SEO. The Elliance search team gave me a wonderful primer during my first week, and I’ve continued to enjoy my own learning process through the work we’re doing on behalf of our clients and in support of our own objectives. There have certainly been some eye-openers along the way. Here are some things that jumped out at me. 1) It’s even more powerful than I thought. In my personal work and life online, I search just as much as anyone else. I’ve taken a fair amount of pride in my ability to find what I’m looking for more quickly than expected. But from a business perspective, I had no idea just how important search could be. Whether for a college or a bank, I’m amazed at the number of visitors generated by effective search practices. It can add up to a significant portion of the traffic to … Continue reading
Posted in: Search Marketing
At Elliance we are in the process of overhauling our clients’ monthly SEO reports – an effort which involves sifting through the mountains of data we collect on a regular basis, and identifying which metrics are most interesting and most valuable to our search clients. In this process, I realized that there are really three distinct actors in any SEO campaign, identified by three sets of interconnected activities: A) Our clients’ marketing efforts B) Our own SEO efforts C) The impact of external forces It turns out that during the course of an SEO campaign, and in our SEO reports, we define success by measuring the blending of these three efforts in four different ways: A) Elliance-Client Outcomes B) Elliance-External Outcomes C) Client-External Outcomes D) Elliance-Client-External Outcomes Since each of our SEO metrics measures a portion of one of these outcomes, we can place each metric at the intersection of two or more actors’ efforts. Take a look: SEO Metrics … Continue reading
Posted in: Analytics and Metrics, Search Marketing
You’re getting sloppy, SEO people! Let’s talk fundamentals. I’m sick and tired of hearing your excuses, about how the game has changed, and you’re caught standing there flat-footed like a kid who just hit his first tee ball. Shape up! I’m busting out the playbook. The following are inexcusable excuses: 1. “Search has changed dramatically and we’re still learning how to cope.” Search algorithms change all the time, each day in fact. Some changes are minor, and some are massive. You are allowed some leeway to rethink your strategy after a major algorithm change, like the Panda updates or Penguin, when those changes require a dramatic shift in link building techniques, content optimization, social messaging activities, etc. But you must not use this as a crutch, or throw your hands up in the air and blame Google. It’s like blaming the refs, people! Adjust your game plan! 2. “Demonstrable results are hard.” If you can’t show a client actual, tangible, … Continue reading
Posted in: Analytics and Metrics, Search Marketing, Social Media
Anyone who has ever spent more than a few hours in Pittsburgh has probably seen it: the view from Mt. Washington. Rising above the city on the south side of the Monongahela, Allegheny and Ohio Rivers, the steep hill provides a breathtaking view of Pittsburgh’s skyline. Far below are the city’s many modern and historic buildings, bending streets and colorful bridges. Boats glide up and down the rivers, trains wind through the hills, a million lights twinkle as far as the eye can see. When you stand on Mt. Washington, you are looking down on one of America’s great cities, nestled in some of the most dynamic terrain in the country. (In fact, USA Today named the view from Mt. Washington the second-most beautiful view in America!) This past weekend, I had the pleasure of taking a friend from Germany up to Mt. Washington. This was her first trip to the United States, and she knew almost nothing about Pittsburgh. … Continue reading
Posted in: Search Marketing, social media campaigns
You’ve probably been through this before. The status reports you prepare (regularly or by request) are well-researched, carefully detailed… and they’re going right over the heads of less SEO-minded people at your company. Your boss, your marketing folks, your IT team: they want the highlights, and they want to know that everything is going ok (or not). But spare me the details, please, because I have another call at noon. Call it lack of time or bandwidth on their part, but in the truth is, these internal “clients” just don’t speak your language. It’s not that they aren’t interested in performance, but everybody has a full plate of his or her own. They just want to get a high level survey and move on to the next thing on their busy agenda. So let’s talk about your SEO reports. What can you do to streamline some of your more arcane data points and help surface your most valuable information? Reset … Continue reading
Posted in: Analytics and Metrics, Search Marketing
Gods smile on colleges and universities that pursue and achieve top organic rankings on Google, Yahoo and Bing. Prosperity takes many shapes and forms for colleges ranked on page #1 of search engines. e.g. 1. Prospective Students find the college, inquire, show up at open houses, apply and enroll. 2. Prospective Parents find the college and suggest their kids apply there. 3. Prospective Talented Faculty and Staff find and apply for open job postings at the college. 4. Corporations, Nonprofits and Government Agencies recruit graduates and connect with faculty for consulting engagements and R&D. 5. Enrollment Officers boast a low acceptance rate and shape classes making the college more exclusive. 6. Financial Aid Officers extend aid by design not compulsion. 7. Media and Journalists find faculty experts. 8. Ranking and Rating Agencies discover rank the colleges higher in their rankings. 9. Presidents and Cabinet Members are invited to speak at top conferences for their genius. 10. Vice Presidents for Advancement see … Continue reading
Photo courtesy of Google. I recently attended Google’s 3rd annual Think Education marketing summit in their New York City office. Google’s offices are packed with color and excitement, and yes, they really do have chefs who cook every day for the employees! The event was led by Google education industry experts, and attendees consisted mostly of agency and marketing reps from many higher ed institutions. So much valuable information was shared about ways prospective students (80% of which are applying online!) are finding and engaging with higher education brands that I wanted to share some of those learnings here. Search Search is very much a part of prospects’ journeys, as they research and collect information on colleges and universities. Google reported that 78% of converting prospects on education websites are, in some way, influenced by search. It’s critical for schools to ensure high organic rankings in the search results not only to allow maximum visibility for key reputation terms, but … Continue reading