Toll Free: 1-877-695-7388

GTA: (647) 699-2838

Search Engine People
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • CRO
  • Display
  • Blog
  • Why Us
  • Contact
  • Join Our Team
  • Get A Quote

Toll Free: 1-877-695-7388

GTA: (647) 699-2838

Ruud Questions: Brian Wallace

Ruud Hein | February 27th, 2009
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
0 Shares

Brian is one of those people I know via Sphinn. With his trademark N avatar he became easily recognizable. And it wasn't just the avatar either; he has an uncanny eye for what's hot in the SEO industry.

Our own Tom Tsinas said:

I cant remember reading something Brian wrote that didnt have me changing the way I think about SEO. Heres a guy who really gets it!

Today's conversation is social media focused; Brian's forte.

Highlights are mine.

You're heavy into social media, social networks. If SEO works at driving more targeted traffic via organic search, then what does social media and social networking do? What does it mean for a business?

Social media is a phrase that's thrown around as a buzzword with little thought sometimes. It isn't just a better press release or getting to the front page of Digg. It's really about giving your brand a soul.

Have you ever been on hold when calling a company? Speaking all day to phone menus and people reading from scripts? It just isn't very personal. When consumers know that they have someone actually out there and listening to them (think Zappos, Dell, Comcast), they feel more comfortable doing business. So you could say that brand identity and customer service are a big part of social media versus SEO which is targeted traffic via organic search.

Social media doesn't stop there though. When companies embrace social media, they can come out with exceptional pieces of content which become magnets for links. And when such campaigns are done properly, these too will bring targeted traffic via organic search, not to mention bring up the site domain-wide in the process.

Are social networks to individuals what the web is to big brands so that reputation management for Jane Doe happens on social networks while for Acme Inc. it happens on the web?

I would agree that reputation management looks like a more daunting task for a big brand, since they need to be watching company, brands, employees, and competitors.

It would seem that Jane Doe only has to watch what she says and what people are saying about her.

Really though, Jane Doe needs to be just as mindful, and should have at least claimed profiles on the major social networks (Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter) and be subscribed to Google alerts for her name.

Will people grow out of the walled web gardens that Facebook and MySpace are up to a point? And if that would happen, where would you see these sites themselves heading?

For the most part, people have already pushed a few stones out of the way and are getting out of the walled garden already.

Blogging continues to rise, as to microblogging and video sharing sites.

People are creating social networks by the day, many of which are not walled gardens.

I'd expect Facebook and MySpace to pay attention to this as well (and already are; think Facebook connect).

Chris Brogan said "Not every company needs social media" Agree? If so, who does and who doesn't?

Chris has a great post a while back about cafe shaped conversations. To his point - yes - a lot of social media is more like building the cool cafe where people hang out rather than mass market. We have to remember though that social media is in its infancy and I do believe that social media will be able to scale yet larger.

I would make the point: instead of saying "not every company needs social media," let's say that "companies should enter the realm of social media when they have already established other building blocks."

So what are building blocks? If they don't already use email marketing, a 10 year old website that they were just about to add Digg buttons to, aren't utilizing SEO and the like - they aren't ready. Social won't make them rush to the forefront of people's minds - everything else should be in order first.

Your best friend's daughter wants to earn an extra buck online. Feasible? If so, should she consider selling her social media networking time to advertisers or even to consultants such as yourself?

Sure, send her resume over 🙂

In all seriousness, it depends on her willingness to learn and keep up with the times. You would think that all Gen Y people naturally feel at home on social media networks, yet this this a misnomer. She's either the type to be into it or not.

There are plenty of freelance consultants such as that friend's daughter - as long as they are professional (read: don't put up drunken pics on Facebook for HR to get mad about), things could go well.

She's gone ahead and setup a blog on a topic she is passionate about. Apart from "write killer content!" -- what do you suggest she does to get the whole thing going?

Socialize.

In social media, you are nothing without your community. There are lots of people with personal blogs with little/no following. That's basically an online diary.

Here are some other traits/abilities I'd suggest:

· fast typing skills
· ability to reason and respond quickly
· be sincere and original, have opinions
· be interesting

  • Ruud Questions: Chris Brogan
  • Ruud Questions: Jill Whalen
  • Ruud Questions: Dave Harry aka the Gypsy
  • Ruud Questions: Barry Welford
  • Ruud Questions: Alexander van Elsas
  • Ruud Questions: Brian Wallace
  • Ruud Questions: Garrett Pierson
  • Ruud Questions: Marty Weintraub aka aimClear
  • Ruud Questions: Kim Krause Berg
  • Ruud Questions: Angie Haggstrom
  • Ruud Questions: Shana Albert
  • Ruud Questions: Steve Gradman
  • Ruud Questions: Rae Hoffman aka Sugarrae
  • Ruud Questions: Joost de Valk
  • Ruud Questions: Debra Mastaler
  • Ruud Questions: Mike Grehan
  • Ruud Questions: Bryan Eisenberg
  • Ruud Questions: Ralph Tegtmeier aka Fantomaster
  • Ruud Questions: Marie-Claire Jenkins
  • Ruud Questions: Cindy Krum
  • Ruud Questions: Steve Plunkett on Google Is Our Friend
  • Ruud Questions: Brian Carter
  • Ruud Questions: Tamar Weinberg
  • Ruud Questions: Hugo Guzman
  • Ruud Questions: Dr. Mihaela Vorvoreanu
  • Ruud Questions: Matt McGee
  • Ruud Questions: Michael Gray a.k.a. Graywolf
  • Ruud Questions: Christina Gleason
  • Ruud Questions: Michelle Corsano
  • Ruud Questions: Glen Allsopp aka ViperChill
  • Ruud Questions: Joanna Lord
  • Ruud Questions: Kristy Bolsinger (RealNetworks)
  • Ruud Questions: Julie Joyce
  • Ruud Questions: Carol Skyring
  • Ruud Questions: Henk van Ess
  • Ruud Questions: Anna Gonzalez (from News 8 Austin)
  • Ruud Questions: Hugh Macleod aka Gapingvoid
  • Ruud Questions: Tadeusz Szewczyk aka Tad Chef aka Onreact
  • Ruud Questions: Arnie Kuenn
  • Ruud Questions: Richard Hamilton (from XML Press)
  • Ruud Questions: Steve Rubel
  • Ruud Questions: David Allen
  • Ruud Questions: Aaron Wall
  • Ruud Questions: Stephan Miller
  • Ruud Questions: Meg Geddes aka Netmeg
  • Ruud Questions: Ed Bennett
  • Ruud Questions: Gab Goldenberg
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
0 Shares
Posted in Social Media Marketing

About the Author: Ruud Hein

My paid passion at Search Engine People sees me applying my passions and knowledge to a wide array of problems, ones I usually experience as challenges. People who know me know I love coffee.

Ruud Hein

2 thoughts on “Ruud Questions: Brian Wallace”

  1. Utah SEO says:
    March 1, 2009 at 10:36 pm

    Brian Wallace is very talented at what he does. It was good to get more familiar with him. thanks.

  2. Best Man Speech says:
    March 10, 2009 at 3:56 pm

    I think Chris Brogran is right that not everyone needs social media. For a personal blog, it’s absolutely necessary. For a professional trying to establish a niche, it is also very good. But it is not for everyone as it is very time consuming. People need to ask before they begin: Will social networking help me achieve my goals? Is the time spent worth the potential rewards?

Comments are closed.

Recent Posts

  • Everything You Need to Know: SEM and Paid Ads
  • Embrace Performance Marketing
  • Everything You Need to Know: The Evolution of SEO
  • Everything You Need to Know | GA4 Edition
  • How to Choose the Right Agency for Your Organization

Categories

  • Analytics & ROI Analysis
  • Company News
  • Content
  • Conversion Optimization
  • CRO
  • Display Advertising/RTB
  • Email Marketing
  • En Español
  • En Français
  • Inbound Marketing
  • Lead Nurture & Marketing Automation
  • Local Search
  • Marketing
  • Mobile
  • Partnership Marketing
  • PPC
  • PR
  • SEO
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Web Design

Additional Posts

This Is The Single Best One

February 26th, 2009 | by Ruud Hein

Social media myth busting – The customer’s gonna get me!

February 25th, 2009 | by James Duthie

Click Here For Better Usability And SEO

February 25th, 2009 | by Barry Welford

LET'S TALK

Need more information or want to get in touch?

Get in touch!
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Display
  • Blog
  • Why Us
  • Join Our Team
  • Contact Us
  • Local SEO
  • Small Business SEO
  • Enterprise SEO
  • International SEO

PHONE

Toll Free: 1-877-695-7388
Greater Toronto Area: (647) 699-2838

Social

© Search Engine People Inc. 2023 – Canada’s Top Digital Agency
© SEP 2023 – A Search Engine People Company | Privacy Policy

Search Engine People