Most Define User-Generated Content Too Narrowly

Old-Fashioned Branding -- With an Internet Twist -- Is Still Critical Today

User-generated content: It's more like good old, tried-and-true broadcast branding than you think -- if done right.

Marketers are being advised that the days of unidirectional communication are over and that, in order to continue to be successful, marketers must directly interact with and engage in conversations with consumers through a variety of online communication tools. While there is no doubt this type of engagement is valuable, it is being overemphasized. The overemphasis sets up a false dichotomy between traditional "broadcast" style publications, where we think about brand advertising, and "user-generated" publications, which require expensive direct engagement with early adopters and influencers.

Such efforts can consume huge amounts of time and energy. They also apply the idea of user-generated content (UGC) very narrowly. I believe it is time to move beyond the era of simplistic "per click" thinking and realize that good old-fashioned broadcast branding is still critical today -- but the internet offers brands a twist on the conventional notion. Marketers still need to get their names in front of large audiences, but now they can do it through those who are reading and using UGC.

What marketers need to understand is that not all UGC is equal. The concern that it is somehow dangerous due to its potentially unpredictable nature is quickly becoming dated. Sure, you can find chaotic, disorderly and unrestrained message boards that a brand advertiser would be wise to avoid. But increasingly popular is the well-cultivated and curated user-generated content in wikis, blogs and similar spaces that allow for community control over the quality. Consider the growth of Flickr, Yelp and, of course, Wikia.

But if a marketer has a comparatively less information-dense product, then it needs to reach thousands of people with a simple message as frequently as possible within a context where they care. And let's face it: Dollars spent on online brand advertising, compared to advertising dollars spent on TV, radio and print publications, are cheap and targetable.

Despite all the hype, Facebook is still an example of an undervalued broadcast marketing platform in today's environment. One example is the wildly popular gift-giving campaign created by the producers of the "Sex in the City" movie, which allowed users to send virtual shoes as gifts to their Facebook friends, drumming up excitement and increasing buzz about the movie months ahead of its release. Hewlett-Packard had similar success on Wikia's Gaming Network with its targeted online campaign that introduced Blackbird, a high-end computer designed for gamers, to an audience of them.

Ultimately it's true that social media has enabled a sea of change in consumer communications through one-on-one interactions and direct online conversations. But marketers still need to do large-scale, broadcast-style brand building. That hasn't changed. What has changed -- and must be embraced -- is the explosion of UGC venues companies have for conducting that crucial brand-building.

What's the best way for conducting that crucial brand-building?

Veretekk Rocks >Visit  http://www.whoisjimgras.com/mymarketing.html

Let's make money and change lives together.. No Excuses!

I promise, I won't be wasting your time.

 Jim Gras
Melbourne, FL
Skype: jamiboy
800-897-6458 US
0207 6694-183 UK

Make SEO Specialist Online work for you

SEO is a procedure of placing researched keywords, that have a known searching audience, into various places on a Web page which are known to be given weight by the ranking systems and algorithms of Major Search Engines like Alta Vista, AOL Search, Ask Jeeves, Excite, Google, Inktomi, Lycos, MSN, Teoma and Yahoo.

A properly optimized Web site can go from search invisibility and zero rankings to top spots in these search engines, especially if optimization is combined with known off page ranking factors.

Search Engine Optimization is our SPECIALTY, but.......

Getting to the top of the search engines is NOT ALL what it's about.

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FACT: Traffic means nothing unless you make money. We show you how to pin-point the keywords that make money. After all, it isn't how much you make, but how much you keep and with top organic rankings in Google, you get to keep more of your revenue.

For a Free Web Site Evaluation Visit Here

We talk to clients every day, that tell us their site is at the top of the search engines under the categories they have chosen but still are not receiving the ROI or return on investment results that they need and hope for and must have to stay in business!

How do we Monetize Your Site?

How do we turn Your Hits and Click into $$$

For a Free Web Site Evaluation Visit Here

We promise, we won't be wasting your time.

Jim Gras
Skype: jamiboy
800-897-6458 US
0207 6694-183 UK
SEO-Specialist-Online.com

keywords: content writers, professional seo consultants, seo news tricks, SEO Campaign Management 

Submit Your Site Properly

This SEO update is brought to you by SEO Specialist Online, Professional SEO Consultant and Content Writers for all your SEO needs. For a Free Web Site Evaluation Visit Here

Easy steps to submitting your website in the right category.

Submitting to the Open Directory Project:

Yes, the Open Directory Project is free, and yes, you can submit much more quickly. But the problem is there's no guarantee that your site will be listed. I've seen sites get into the Open Directory Project within a week or two of submission, and I've seen others that waited months without ever getting in. In addition, the submission forms sometimes don't seem to work! But don't give up. As I mentioned earlier on that, the Open Directory Project is very important. Here's how to submit:

1. Read the editor's guidelines at dmoz.org/guidelines/describing. html. If you know what guidelines the editors use, you may be able to avoid problems. It's hard to get into the directory, so you might as well give yourself the best chance of getting in.

2. Go to www.dmoz.org. The Open Directory Project home page appears.

3. Find a suitable category for your site.

4. Click the Suggest URL link at the top of the page.

5. Follow the (fairly simple) directions. Submitting to the Open Directory Project is much easier than doing so to Yahoo! Directory.

You simply enter your home page's URL, a short title, a 25-30- word description for the site, and your e-mail address. That's it. Then you wait.

But understand that the editors at DMOZ don't care about your site, they care about the directory; in fact, read the DMOZ forums at www.resource-zone. com and you'll find that the attitude tends to be "tells us about your site, then go away and forget about it."

There are all sorts of factors working against you:

- There are 8,000 editors managing over 700,000 categories.

- Many small directories may only be reviewed by an editor every six months . . . or far less frequently.

 The editors regard a six-month wait, or longer, not particularly excessive.

- In some cases editors may even ignore submissions. As one editor explained, "there is no obligation to review them in any order nor is there a requirement to review them as a priority . . . some editors find it more productive to seek out sites on their own and rarely visit the suggested sites."

Search engine optimization could be a tiring task but with time it sure helps you get better traffic.  For a Free Web Site Evaluation Visit Here 

Until next Time
 
Jim Gras
Skype: jamiboy
800-897-6458 US
0207 6694-183 UK
http://www.seo-specialist-online.com

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http://www.Twitter.com/JimGras - hear more insights,
what I'm up to and every once in awhile I do surprise
marketing SEO Q&As for Twitter followers.)
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keywords: content writers, professional seo consultants, seo news tricks, SEO Campaign Management