Whether I am speaking one-on-one with a potential client, typically a marketing manager or business owner, or to a larger audience, typically a room filled with the latter, I use the experience to improve my translation skills. [Hint: kicking up your shoes and letting the sun shine in always make this process a less painful.]

Boots aside, making sense of all of this “search and social stuff” isn’t for the faint of heart.

But, invariably, after a little bit of on-the-spot investigation into keywords or competitor strategies, I figure it out. I have solved a riddle and found an avenue where social or search marketing could transform their bottom line.

When I relay the idea or my discovery their faces light up. There’s a visible click and it hits them; any remaining skepticism washing away. That’s the moment I love the most, the moment when the translation succeeds and my audience (small or large) begins to see things clearly.

But first, I have to convince them that this isn’t just a waste of time or space. Instead it’s the most effective, most powerful and most targeted form or marketing we have ever seen. That’s when I turn to talking about measurement. Showing them analytics reports, actual results for actual websites.

“Sometimes I feel like a social or search marketing detective,” I said to an audience of two during a meeting last week. Twenty minutes into our meeting, I had determined that they should be targeting an entirely different audience with their search marketing – an audience they hadn’t previously considered.

“You are!” they both chimed in, “This is incredible.”

If you want a one-on-one visit with your personal social and search marketing detective – give me a call at 614-754-8228 or e-mail cementmarketing@gmail.com. Better yet, come and find me at one of the following public speaking engagements coming up this Spring. (And yes, I’ll probably be wearing my cowboy boots).

Ohio Wesleyan Center Lecture

“We can measure that! The metrics behind social media strategy”
March 25, 2010 – 3:10 pm
Bayley Room
Beeghly Library, 43 Rowland Ave, Ohio Wesleyan University
Free and open to the public or LIVE Webcast

Association of Fundraising Professionals Monthly Luncheon

“Measuring social media.”
April 13, 2010, noon – 1:30 pm
Grange Insurance Audubon Center
$20 for members; $30 for guests

Sway Social Workshop

April 22 – 23, 2010 – 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wild Goose Creative
See website for rates. Early bird expires March 12th and there are only a few seats left!

Chances are, by now, your head is spinning.

During every one of our meetings with new clients we always hear this question, “I just need someone to tell me where to start, what do we do with all of this stuff.” Our answer –  “What’s your message? What do you offer your target audience?”

It’s an age old question but one we’re all forgetting, which should be expected when we are so overwhelmed with information.  Your message should be the same across all of the networks you are on, whether it be Twitter, Facebook or YouTube and you should be leading all of your potential visitors to one targeted channel on your website. But to bring them to action on your website or from within their social network your content must be worthy of that action. You can spend all day on Twitter but if you don’t have a compelling piece of content, like a fantastic blog post or YouTube video, no one is going to pass it on.

So rather than being swept up in the social marketing whirlwind of creating accounts to this and that, re-focus yourself on your message. What is it and how does it translate online? And when visitors arrive on your website are you measuring their experience with your analytics?

The way in which we share information is changing but one thing will never change — your brand must be worthy of sharing in order to fly in the social media space. And while you may think your content can’t be livened up at all, think again. You do have employees don’t you? Or a CEO with a compelling personal story? What about your products or services? How do they stand out from the rest?

Your job as the marketing agent of your company is to move products or services. Our job is to give you the tools necessary to make that happen but before we give you those tools we also take stock of your existing social and search inventory. Then we make a detailed strategy recommendation on what content to create and how to share that content online and elsewhere in order to make the biggest impact.

Consider us your social and search zen doctors. We’ll center you again and then send you back out there armed with the tools you need to convert your website into a machine, one working for you – not against you.