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I've written plenty of articles in the past about online reputation management and the need for small businesses to focus on how their actions can be portrayed online. I've even talked some about the impact of online reputation mangement for individuals. What I haven't considered though is how the absolute explosion of social networks may be impacting the next generation of small business owners even before they've made it out of high school. Most adults are now well aware that anything they say or write online can come back to haunt them, but most of the school-age population isn't quite as familiar with the idea of "consequences for your actions," especially in the realm of the online world. That's why I found an article over at USA Today to be so interesting. In "What You Say Online Could Haunt You" journalists Janet Kornblum and Mary Beth Marklein discuss the world of problems that has started to arise for teenagers and college students that are making a name for themselves on … [Read more...] about Online Reputation Management for a New Generation

In May of 2011, a team of 20-25 highly trained Special Forces troops landed in the middle of the night in a town outside Islamabad. They flew in undetected, and used their countless hours of training to take down the world's most ruthless terrorist, Osama Bin Laden. They were SEALs, and the world finally got a close up view of what the most elite fighting team in the world could accomplish. Even before that point, I became fascinated with Navy SEALs, and the rigors of SEAL training. Think about this statistic for a second. Only 15% of those trying to become SEALs actually make it through the training. That's right, the training is so rigorous, so mentally tough, so physically extreme, that even the most athletic, strongest, and toughest trainees drop out. That statistic is insane, but makes complete sense, when you think about what SEALs must do on a regular basis. They jump out of planes at 20K feet, with oxygen masks on, dropping in behind enemy lines, to complete dangerous missions … [Read more...] about Operation FrogLogic: How a Navy SEAL Would Tackle SEO [Insights from Navy SEAL Dave Rutherford]

Katrina Jefferson is a business owner and consultant who has worked with brands of all sizes, including big names such as Toys R Us, Red Bull, and Sears. Katrina will be discussing those experiences and how she builds success for businesses of all sizes at our upcoming SEJ Summit in Santa Monica on February 24th. The conference ticket cost is being covered by our sponsor, Searchmetrics. Searchmetrics delivers enterprise SEO and content marketing analysis, recommendations, forecasting and reporting for companies that want potential customers to find them faster. Want to attend? We still have a few spots open – so if you are in the LA area and want to learn from Katrina (and other speakers like Neil Patel, Stephan Spencer, and more), sign up for an invite now. If you aren’t in the LA area, check out where else the SEJ Summit will be this year, including Chicago, NYC, San Francisco, and Dallas. Without further adieu, here’s Katrina and my interview about brands, building … [Read more...] about Big Brand Marketing: An Interview With Katrina Jefferson

Generation Z, the current 13-17-year-olds, have been mobile since middle school. Compared to millennials, who were mobile pioneers, Gen Z teens are mobile natives, according to Think with Google. This group is one of the only groups affected by advertising on the basis of whether the product is “cool” or not. Getting their first phone is a major milestone for Gen Z-ers, and video rules their viewing habits – with a total of more than three hours a day spent watching online videos. They are mobile shoppers, and it is very important for them to stay connected via texting and messaging apps. So what does this mean for marketers preparing for growth? Well, a lot of it is obvious, but getting there is the tough part. Gen Z marketing: A few statistics according to Think with Google Gen Z represents more than a quarter of the U.S. population (26 percent) with an annual purchasing power of $44 billion. Getting a phone is no. 3 in importance for teens, behind … [Read more...] about How marketers can position their company to grow with Generation Z

Your site is looking dapper and polished. You’ve cranked up the SEM juice and locked down referral traffic relationships. People are coming to your site in droves – but they’re not converting quite like you’d hoped. Uh oh. Your conversion funnel sucks. Don’t fret! Dry your eyes and think about implementing these seven things. 1. Set up funnel visualization If you don’t have funnel visualization set up in Google Analytics, or a similar dataset being collected in another analytics package, stop reading this post right now, pause all advertising to your site, and go create one. It’ll reveal where users are dropping off and can clue you into any user experience follies you might’ve inadvertently created. Funnel tracking will give you some clues not only around when people leave, but why they leave. Are visitors viewing other site content during the conversion process because the funnel you’ve put before them doesn’t fit their need … [Read more...] about 7 Things You Can Do When Your Conversion Funnel Sucks