American heart associations

Did you know that planting trees on Arbor Day can drive traffic to your site and grow your Facebook Page likes? And employee volunteer hours at a local fundraiser can elevate your search rankings and generate 5-star reviews of your business. Ask any savvy marketing pro or SEO influencer and they’ll tell you: community involvement can do wonders for your company’s online presence. Community Involvement Builds Corporate Image & Brand Reputation Whether it’s by participating in a hunger relief campaign or investing in health and wellness initiatives, a business organization’s involvement in the community can go a long way in sprucing up corporate image and brand reputation. It’s also a powerful way to create business value and drive bottom line performance — in a way that is organic and inspiring. According to Cone Communications, 82 percent of US consumers consider corporate social responsibility (CSR) and community involvement when deciding where … [Read more...] about 5 Ways to Get More Involved in Your Community & Grow Your Online Presence

More than half of consumers worldwide are willing to pay more for products and services from brands that are committed to making a positive social or environmental impact, according to a global survey conducted by Nielsen, which is why giving back is no longer just a non-profit business model. Similarly, BDC-Ipsos released a survey that found that 60% of Canadian shoppers were willing to pay an additional 5% for products and services that were considered ethical. The same survey also reported that consumers would stop purchasing from a company with irresponsible business practices; and I don’t think the results are simply because us Canadians are so nice, eh. These surveys were discussing exactly the types of for-profit/for-change hybrid businesses that this article is focusing on. The new super-breed of business, a hybrid between profit and purpose. Welcome to socially-responsible for-profit businesses that have had “change the world” written in their business plan … [Read more...] about Profit Meets Purpose: 5 Companies That Give Back

Last week Debra Mastaler posted the most illuminating DMOZ article I have ever read. In DMOZ: A Solid Directory Or The Great Pumpkin Of Search?, she got through to the right people and asked some hard questions. Many SEO folks consider DMOZ irrelevant. After years of angst and sleepless nights waiting for a link that never came, they gave up and got sites ranked using other methods, and by doing so, a secondary SEO truth emerged: a DMOZ link isn’t needed to rank. None of this can be argued. If the subject is links and rank, then DMOZ does not matter. But separate from DMOZ and SEO is a larger issue, and it’s that DMOZ, as much as I have blasted it (I was an editor there for many years) – it is the only directory of its type in the world, and no matter what state of repair or disrepair it is in today, it represents something important and salvageable. If you understand the true vastness of the web, you understand that no commercial entity will ever be able to catalog … [Read more...] about Rise Of The Web Librarian: An Elegant DMOZ Solution

I liked Al Franken as a comedian. I liked the idea of him becoming a US Senator. I definitely like the idea that he wants to defend Americans from potential privacy problems. But I don’t like that he sounds like an uneducated senator of old. Case in point: his recent speech to the American Bar Association attacking Google and raising worries about internet privacy. Let’s do some debunking. Franken gave a speech last night to the American Bar Association’s anti-trust section, The Verge reports. The also have a copy of his speech here. I’ll go through the key parts pertaining to internet privacy, where Google plays the role as chief threat, with Facebook making some cameos. Gmail Hoarding Franken said: But if you use Gmail – as I do – Google has a copy of every single email you’ve written on that service – as well as your friends’ replies. True, unless you trash them. It’s not like Google prevents you from doing this. Not … [Read more...] about Debunking Senator Al Franken On Google, The Internet & Privacy

As digital marketers, we have the “pleasure” of being part of an ever-changing industry. Consider Google AdWords, which has changed drastically since its inception back in 2000. It started out as an internal service, eventually became a self-service portal and has evolved rapidly from there. As paid search platforms become more complex and sophisticated, it’s critical that account managers remain flexible and adjust their strategies to match these changes. But I can’t tell you how frequently I encounter advertisers who are dead-set in their outdated ways, which drives me completely insane. So, here’s my list of the top five outdated “best practices” that you should eliminate from your PPC repertoire immediately. Worst Practice #1: Stuffing Your Account with Every Keyword Under the Sun Back in the day, it was trendy to build expansive accounts with a gazillion keyword variations. I actually remember one of my first tasks when I started at … [Read more...] about 5 “Smart” PPC Strategies That are Actually Dumb