More evidence that the power of “social proof” is becoming an integral part of effective Search Engine Optimization.   When you look at some of the big names (like BestBuy, Dell, Office Depot) that are totally missing the boat in terms of optimizing their SEO with respect to user generated content (reviews), makes you wonder how the “little guy” and small local businesses are supposed to keep up with things… unless of course you have someone like me working with you 😉

Below is a press release from Power Reviews – very interesting stuff and they’ve got a free PDF download you can check out regarding Social SEO and How to Drive More Traffic with User-generated Content.   Enjoy.
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This little experiment is more for fun than anything, but if I’m going to promote to you my SEO consulting services, it would make sense that I can demonstrate that I can actually rank for a competitive keyword term – in this case “Vancouver SEO Consultant“.

There’s definitely a lot of “Google dancing” going on and now that search results are being influenced by Google+ / Google Buzz and a myriad of other factors (being logged into gmail, what browser, web history, whether the person searching is in your G+ circles, etc etc etc) – but it is interesting that my site is bouncing around anywhere from #1 to #8 in the search results.   Right now, while logged into Gmail – I’m ranked #1.  If I log out, I’m #2.  Depending on the browser or what IP, I can be around #8.   So at the end of the day, rankings can and will vary dependant on a heck of a lot of different factors – fun stuff…

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This is definitely going to be a game-changer in the realm of search results and the fact “social proof” is going to be more important for search than just algorithmic results. I would rather see search results that show links and resources that are recommended by my friends as opposed to results that Google’s “mathematizing” believes I want to see 😉

Google announced this week that Google+ shares would start showing up in Google search results. Is this a game changer?

Obviously this could give Google+ the edge over Facebook — websites would be incentivized to integrate +1 buttons more than Like buttons if they provided a boost in search results.

What’s not to clear to me is the exact effect a +1 or a Google+ share has on search results — I thought it would just provide the same results and append a friend’s avatar if they had shared that link … but some testing suggests that Google is actually rearranging search pages based on what your friends share.

Does anyone have insights into how Google+ is changing search results? What have you seen? And is this a BIG DEAL or not?

An example of this is with this very site (image below).  Where my listing appears in the SERPS is different when I am logged in under my Google account vs when I’m not logged in. If you are in one of my circles / vice versa, your results will also be influenced by that fact – pretty cool huh? Here is an article from Mashable about this as well: http://mashable.com/2011/08/12/google-plus-social-search/ – would love to hear your thoughts!

Experiential marketing enables consumers to engage and interact with brand names, consumer products, and various services in sensory ways that provide the “last mile” or the proverbial “icing on the cake” in terms of providing information. Personalized experiences help people really connect and associate to a brand name and make intelligent and knowledgeable buying decisions. The term “Experiential Marketing” refers to real customer experiences with the brand name/solution/product/service that drive sales and increase brand identity and awareness. It is really the distinction between telling consumers about features of a product or service and letting them experience the benefits for themselves. When executed correctly, it’s the most powerful means to win brand loyalty and solidify its identity.

As a unique approach to the process of marketing goods and services, experiential marketing is a concept that integrates the aspects of feelings, logic, and general thought processes to link with the customer. The aim of experiential marketing is to set up an emotional link between the consumer and the product in a manner that the consumer responds to the offering based on emotion and rational thought. Here are a few of the essentials of experiential marketing, and how this method can generally realize success when other marketing techniques fall short.

Desirable to a range of senses, experiential marketing seeks to tap into that specific spot inside of individuals that has to do with inspiring thoughts about pleasure and comfort, as well as inspiring a sense of practicality. This basically means that the marketer needs to have a strong sense of the mindset of the target audience he or she wishes to appeal to. By understanding what the buyer is likely to feel and think, it is possible to get a strong idea of how to steer the customer on a path that will relate with the product, and entice them to act on that impulse to actually buy.

In order to execute a successful experiential marketing campaign, it is essential to engage as many of the senses as possible. Striking displays with powerful visuals, such as internet sites, and visual media like traditional print advertising – must not only be appealing visually, but also conjure up thoughts of locales and reminders of sensations that are satisfying to that particular person. When applied to create customer experiences of this nature, a sense of rapport between the customer and product is established that will help make the service or product offered even more desirable with each and every encounter.
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