Think Basis It's Good For Business

Alright, this was going to be a different post entirely, but it looks like I’ll have to just save that for another day. Because, as I was killing time by perusing Digg’s upcoming entertainment section, I spotted this article sitting at the top: Web Designer Battles Hollywood Cookie Cutting

It didn’t sound particularly interesting, but since it had an astounding 389 diggs, and a suspiciously low 0 comments, my curiosity got the better of me and I had to see what was going on.

Upon clicking through I immediately went to see who was digging this submission, because 1) it’s basically just a screenplay pitch, and 2) 389 diggs is an assload for something in upcoming.

Well, by the time I clicked to see who was digging the story, it had jumped up again, and was now sitting at 390. But, as you can see from the screenshot, the people (or person) doing all the digging aren’t exactly the type you’d expect to be browsing around in upcoming looking for interesting stuff.

In fact, the majority of the accounts look a lot like this:

No avatar, just joined, and has dugg a total of one story.

So, I’m left wondering whether this might just be on its way to the record for most diggs without hitting the front page. Since I started writing this, the total has already made its way up to 460, and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Also, the submission hasn’t even cracked 10 hours. I’m anxious to see where it’s at after 24 and if it continues to climb.

It’s hard to imagine this could possibly be promoted on the number of diggs alone, but it is definitely one of the more impressive spam attempts I’ve seen in a long time.

UPDATE: The submission appears to have capped out at 510 diggs and has now been officially buried.

We finally pinned down the elusive Rebecca Kelley and had an opportunity to get her perspective on internet marketing, current trends, and where she sees the industry heading over the next couple years.

Above: Rebecca Kelley at last year's eCommerce Summit in New Orleans

What attracted you to Internet marketing?

Well, I wasn’t immediately attracted to “internet marketing” so much as the job description that SEOmoz advertised. It focused a lot on writing, which I’ve always loved doing and wanted my career to emphasize. I applied for the job and got turned down, but I stubbornly pestered my boss Rand to at least give me an internship. He did, so I worked at SEOmoz as an unpaid intern during my last quarter of college. When I graduated I was offered a full-time job at SEOmoz. I accepted it because I really liked learning about Internet marketing and marketing in general, and I loved blogging and establishing my voice and attracting an audience. Also, I didn’t want to spend money on fancy “interview clothes,” especially considering I was fresh out of college with student loan debt. Fast forward to three years later and here we are–I’m an Internet marketing consultant and the site manager for SEOmoz (and I still don’t have any fancy interview clothes).

What are the most common mistakes you see SMBs make when it comes to online marketing?

A huge recent mistake is that a lot of small businesses are diving headfirst into social media marketing because they heard it’s this “next big thing,” yet they haven’t a) taken the time to really understand how social media marketing works and what it takes to succeed, b) determined which social media marketing strategies are appropriate for their particular business and which aren’t, and c) focused on more important issues, like on-page optimization and technical fixes.

Social media is definitely an industry buzzword right now, what are your thoughts on the type of companies that should be using it? Or do you think it’s essential for all businesses to be on top of the latest trends?

What a lovely segue from my last answer. I don’t think it’s absolutely essential for all businesses to be on top of the latest trends. Some businesses are just now getting a website up and running–they have better things to worry about than launching a full-scale social media campaign. Likewise, an adult diapers company doesn’t need to have a fan page on Facebook. There needs to be some cohesion in a company’s product/service and its marketing strategy. Just like you wouldn’t advertise feminine products to men, you wouldn’t market certain sectors/products/services on certain social media sites/channels.

Above: Rebecca lives it up as her social media alter-ego "Becseppie"

Where do you see the industry heading over the next two or three years?

I think that mobile and local search will continue to snowball due to the increased adoption of smartphones. Social media marketing will also grow, but I think it could get pretty crowded and the people who actually know what they’re doing will stand out head and shoulders above the rest.

And, on a lighter note, what are some of your hobbies? Do you have any side projects? And, what makes Rebecca happy?

Well, food makes me extremely happy. I am a happy camper when I have a belly full of food. I also watch an unhealthy amount of movies and TV. Thank God for the DVR and for Netflix. Best inventions ever.
Also, I enjoy writing freelance for people (crafting link bait content, lists, etc) and have been doing some personal side projects for fun. I also have been getting into triathlons and race training, and I have a hobby blog called Mediocre Athlete that chronicles my training adventures.

Rebecca Kelley has been in internet marketing for over 3 years and has spoken at over a dozen different conferences on topics ranging from social media to linkbuilding and traditional SEO.

Having previously discussed some of the different small business approaches to online marketing, I’ve had several discussions over the past couple weeks with different colleagues about what can be done by the small business owner who falls into the, “We need to be online…” category of thinking. These are the companies that recognize the importance of having a quality website, know they have a lot to learn, but don’t have any idea where to begin.

For companies like this there are several major challenges standing in their way:

1) Time

Most small business owners are very motivated entrepreneurs that shoulder a massive amount of responsibility across almost all facets of their company. As a result, finding the necessary time to educate themselves about a topic which is almost entirely foreign to them is sometimes just too daunting to warrant starting in the first place.

2) Budget

Unlike most medium and larger businesses, there is typically no budget set aside specifically for Internet marketing, or even for building a website, and a lot of times since the money is going to be coming directly out of the owner’s pocket they will do whatever they can to find the best deal. Sometimes sacrificing quality or deciding to table a project they know they should probably complete.

3) Desire to Succeed

Because they are so invested in the success of their business, their passion for what they’re good at can combine with their ignorance to all things online and create a perfect storm of susceptibility to people who don’t have their best interests at heart.

But, what are the mom and pop retailers with an @aol.com email address and a fear of technology supposed to do? Shouldn’t there be somewhere they can turn for unbiased advice?

A Step in the Right Direction

In an article a few days ago, David Mihm discussed the need for more local outreach, and suggested it would be, “to our benefit as an industry to increase awareness of the opportunities in Local Search among our own communities.”

It is this philosophy that no doubt played a large role in both David, and Pat Sexton, creating a resource specifically geared toward helping small business owners learn more about how their businesses are listed online. Officially launching on January 20th, Getlisted.org offers a great starting point for the business owner with a tight budget and a minimal amount of time.

As one of my colleagues put it:

“Local search is one of the easiest ways to get your business noticed. You can often get top rankings in map listings which drive valuable and tangible returns. For someone who usually has to wear many hats throughout a very busy day, the service makes local search a virtual no-brainer.”

Undoubtedly this resource offers a tremendous amount of value to small business owners, but the biggest question is whether the people who need it most are going to have a way to find out about it.

Becoming a Voice in the Community

GetListed.org has already made its way across the SEO landscape, but the most important part is going to be the next step; making its way to local businesses that might be completely unaware they even need to claim their listing in the first place.

My feeling is that as a knowledgeable internet marketer, the best thing a person can do is try to share basic information with as many people in the community as possible. There’s plenty of business out there, and if you know what you’re doing then there will always be people who need your expertise. However, by building a reputation as someone who’s active in the local business community–and even willing to occasionally offer help with no ulterior motive–the rewards are going to be far greater than if you sit around waiting for someone to email you with a proposal request.

I’m challenging myself and others to find a way to reach out to at least a few of the small businesses right in their backyard that need help with some of the basics. This isn’t about doing a pro-bono redesign of someone’s site or giving away countless hours of your time, it’s about taking an hour or two a month to connect with people who have a strong desire to succeed and will be legitimately grateful for your help.

At the absolute worst you’re going to be giving up a couple hours of your time, and at best you’ll be making a lasting impact on someone’s business and building meaningful relationships within your community. Not exactly a bad scenario.