Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities 13 June...

Leveraging TechnologyGabrielle K. Gabrielli, Ph.D.

Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities13 June 2011

Today’s Learning Objectives1. Describe how to leverage technology to

improve business and efficiency.2. Discuss technology trends including with

marketing.• Cloud computing• Mobile ads

3. Harness the power of social networking.• Facebook• LinkedIn• YouTube

How Technology Can ImproveBusiness Efficiency

• Enterprise Resource Planning• Synchronized calendars• Synchronized documents for version

control issues• Forecasting sales and budgets• Communication• What else?

Web 2.0 Technology

Increases:• Collaboration• Creativity• Secure information sharing• Community• Capability• Reciprocal communication

Examples of 2.0

• Social networking http://facebook.com• Video sharing http://youtube.com• Wikis http://wikipedia.com• Blogs http://blogger.com• Folksonomy http://flickr.com

Consumer Trends• Technology-focused

– Web 2.0– Social networking– Search-engine driven

• Information-driven, changing frequently• Green• Throwback

– People want a voice, not a hard sell.– Consumers are tired of technology barriers.

Recent Developments:Facebook Surpasses Google

* Source: ComScore, Dec. 2010

In the News....

• Google revised its algorithm in March.• Sites perceived as “content farms” were

most affected including Yahoo’sAssociated Content and sites withWordPress blog plug-ins

Also in the News....

• In March, the number of users ofFacebook exceeded half the worldpopulation over age 12!

7 Online Marketing Trends - 2011

1. Social media marketing goes mainstream.2. Mobile hits its stride.3. Content marketing expands in new venues.4. Marketing goes real-time, not just watching

issues for PR and potential fires.

* Source: ClickZ, Jan. 2011

Top 10 Visited Websites

* Source: Experian Hitwise, June 2011

Top 10 Social Networking Sites

* Source: Experian Hitwise, June 2011

* Source: The Nielsen Company, Jan.2011

ROI of Mobile Ads

• 82% noticed the ad• 42% clicked on the ad• 27% contacted the business• 35% went to a related website• 49% made a purchase

Beyond Mobile

* Source: eMarketer, Dec. 2010

7 Online Marketing Trends - 2011

5. Online retail continues to take marketshare from other channels.

6. Integrated marketing comes of age.7. Metrics move into the spotlight for social

media.

* Source: ClickZ, Jan. 2011

Cloud Computing

How Will People Find YourBusiness?

Google

• 50-70% of web traffic goes to top 3 results• Top spot gets 20-30%• Next two spots get 5-10%• Paid clicks usually cost $7-8 per click• Free results are perceived more credible

than paid

SEO

• Search Engine Optimization

Recent Developments

• Google released research April 2011that shows 50% of those exposed tomobile ads took action!

Pagerank• Numeric value that represents how

important a page is on the web• Cross-linking is importantGoogle's Score = (Kw Usage Score * 0.3) + (Domain

* 0.25) + (PR Score * 0.25) + (Inbound Link Score *0.25) + (User Data * 0.1) + (Content Quality Score *0.1) + (Manual Boosts) - (Automated & ManualPenalties)

Cross Promote• Blogs

– Keep them current• YouTube

– Get votes on videos• LinkedIn• Twitter• Facebook

– Don’t update status too much

Value of Facebook Fans

• Vitrue calculated value at $3.60• Based on impressions from news feed• 1 million fans equals at least $3.6

million in equivalent media over a year• Range .44 - 3.6 impressions• Engagement increases value

AdWeek, 14 April 2010

Value of Facebook Communities

• Starbucks - $20.7 million, 7 million likes• Coke - $4.6 million, 5.5 million likes

Vitrue’s Social Page Evaluator- calculatespotential worth based on their best practices

http://evaluator.vitrue.com

Marketing Your Website

• Check out your competition• View source• Ensure metadata (keywords, description,

title, ALT tags, etc.) are effective• Take advantage of free marketing options• Consider industry publications and other

paid marketing options

Website Rules of Thumb• If your website is more than 3 years old,

consider a redesign.• If you still have a “splash” page, remove it.• Don’t have more than 2 moving items on a

web page at any given time.• Try to reduce volume of text to prevent

scrolling on homepage.• Cross-promote, cross-link, reinforce brand,

market yourself with innovation!

Metadata

• Page Title• Description• Keywords• ALT Tags

Metadata Description

• Character Limit- Typically 200-250(recommended 160)

• When limit is exceeded, some searchengines may bump you

Metadata Description Examples• Gary Bartlett is your realtor for the best in

Summerbrooke real estate, Golden Eaglereal estate, Ox Bottom Manor real estate,Highgrove real estate, Tallahassee realestate, Wakulla County real estate,Crawfordville real estate, Leon County realestate, Savannah Crossing student housing,Summerchase student housing (318)

Metadata Description Examples• Gem Collection is Tallahassee, Florida's fine

jewelry store offering custom designed finejewelry collection of rings, earring,necklaces, bracelets, colored stones andfine diamonds. The one stop shop fordiamonds and designer jewelry. (237)

• Tax preparation and accounting services

Metadata Description Examples• Neil Ryder Realty is a small real estate

boutique specializing in Florida coastal andNorth Carolina mountain real estateinvesting, development and consulting.

• meta name=”description" content=""

Metadata Title

• Character Limits- Google 160, Yahoo 165,MSN 200 (recommended 150)

• When limit is exceeded, some searchengines may bump you

• Default page name in some software is“Home” - be sure to change it

• Unique title is needed for each page

Metadata Title Examples• For Summerbrooke real estate, Golden Eagle

real estate, and Ox Bottom Manor real estate,go to the expert: Gary Bartlett

• Madison Square Storage New Port Richey FL• TheCadreGroup.com• Home (* this was for cherylshinecpa.com)• Neil Ryder Realty• Tallahassee Jewelry, Fine Jewelry Store,

Diamonds Florida, Fine Diamonds – GemCollection

Metadata Keywords

• Character Limits- No real limits on mostsearch engines but figure first 20 words asmost important

• No real consequence when limit isexceeded

• Doesn’t carry as much weight as it oncedid with SEO, but still important

Keywords

• Don’t use capitalization.• Don’t use plurals.• Put most important search terms at the

top of the list.• For local organizations, regionalize

search terms.• Add unique descriptors.

Metadata Keywords Example• Taxes, tax preparation, tax planning, accounting,

auditing, audit, CPA, finances, IRS• florida land for sale, north carolina land for sale,

real estate sale, florida realtor, florida realty, northcarolina realtor, north carolina realty, realtor,realty, agent, broker, sales, marketing, consulting,land for sale, land for development north carolina,home, house, first time home buyer, tax credit,talalhassee homes, tallahassee real estate, starterhome, Panama City, realtor, realty, real estate,vendor, broker, seller, for sale

Metadata Keywords Example• Summerbrooke real estate, Golden Eagle real

estate, Ox Bottom Manor real estate,Highgrove real estate, Tallahassee realestate, Wakulla County real estate,Crawfordville real estate, Leon County realestate, Savannah Crossing student housing,Summerchase student housing

• tallahassee jewelry, fine jewelry store,diamonds florida, fine diamonds

DO NOT use words like retail, sale, etc.

Metadata Keywords Example• “hotel near the crown center plaza,

kansas city hotels, missouri hotels,meeting hotel in kansas city, weddinghotel in kansas city, hotel near hallmarkcrown center, shopping hotel kansascity"

Which hotel do you think this is?

ALT Tags• Help drive traffic to website and ensure

Section 508 accessibility• Character limit is recommended 80• alt="Neil Ryder Realty - 850-656-0006 -

http://www.neilryder.com"

Change in Facebook Users 2010-11

* Source: iStrategyLabs.com, Jan. 2011

Distribution in U.S. on Facebook

Source: checkfacebook.com retrieved 13 June 2011

Content of Tweets

Pear Analytics, 2010

Twitter Followers

RJMetrics, 2010

The Value of Organic

• 80% use search engines to find productsand services they want to buy.

• 85% of searchers ignore paid listings.• 63% of top organic listings get click-

thrus.• Organic search results convert 30%

higher than PPC.• Pay-per-click (PPC) costs up 37% from

last year to this year Q1.

Increase Likes on Facebook

• First, fully prepare your page for visitors– Photo, custom username, great content

• Add like box widget to your website (orbetter yet, add a simple logo and link)

• Add logo and link on email campaigns• Select relevant friends to invite to your

page

Increase Likes on Facebook

• Add photos• Tag added photos• Add compelling or humorous video• Consider adding app tabs like live

streaming video to your fan page• Design a contest• Tag fans and events with “@”

Facebook Campaigns

• http://www.facebook.com/advertising– You can target all aspects of marketing-

geographic, demographic, psychographic

Your Call to Action1. Website

– SEO– Metadata– Stats

2. Social Networking– Facebook– YouTube– LinkedIn

3. Web 2.0

Market Trends

What is Next? Web 3.0

• The next iteration of the Internet• More like a personal assistant• Vastly expanded search functions• Learned capabilities

Rear Admiral Marty EvansAdvice from SGMP Norfolk, VA, June 2011

1. Resolve to be the best you can be. Never settle for 2nd

best.2. Find a mentor.3. Be a mentor.4. Seek continuous improvement. Forget “we’ve always done

it that way.”5. Remember you get back what you reflect. Use humor.6. Be open to opportunities. They may pop up in the most

unexpected ways.7. Have a vision. Know where you are going and have

passion. Prioritize everything in your life that matters.

Follow Uphttp://gabrielleconsulting.com/EBVtechnology

• Visit the site tomorrow for the PPT andresources.