On Monday Feb. 26th, Travis Wright (@teedubya) took a spin in the hot seat to discuss SEO for community managers. Mr. Wright specializes in local search, SEO, mobile, social and other digital marketing strategies. He is currently the Global Social Media Manger for Symantec Corporation. In his words, he’s a “Digital Disrupter and Interactive Awesomeizer.”
Check out what he had to say when it comes to Business Relationship Optimization, or BRO.
Q1 @teedubya Search & Social are “Bros.” Mind explaining the idea behind Business Relationship Optimization?
Travis: I had an epiphany one night while working… Relationships are the root of all revenues for businesses. I’ve worked on SEO since the mid 90s, but things are not just about the code and bots anymore, now everything is content driven. I thought… hmmm, SEO is really about business relationships. It’s about where and how you optimize your content. Then it hit me BRO! Business Relationship Optimization. And it was magical. The skies parted, sun shined & birds sang.
Q2 @teedubya How do social signals affect search rankings?
Travis: Social Signals are becoming a big part of the Google algorithm and continue to gain strength. How many like your brand on FB? How many FB shares? How many Twitter followers? Retweets? Etc. All weigh on rankings. The more visibility that your content gets from social sharing and the more influential the sharers, the greater the value. Definitely keep in mind that Google+ social signals carry weight. A little home cooking, but definitely important.
Q3 @teedubya What kind of search opportunities will we find on Twitter, YouTube, Others?
Travis: TWITTER – You can monitor Twitter for news and trends that might play well into your brand’s message and “piggy back” on that news. I’ve done this a lot. In fact, if you can gain some key Retweets from friends at key times, you can become the top tweet on any trend. I’ve effectively newsjacked the top tweet on terms like #cybermonday & #blackfriday by having influential BROs.
YOUTUBE – Keep in mind that YouTube is the number 2 search engine, so you definitely want to optimize videos for keyword terms. It’s not just about social signals. It’s about search, as well.
BLOGGING: By building great relationships, you can get guest posts. You build relationships, then gain author accounts on top blogs where you can post your own content. SEO+Social = BRO Brands are becoming media companies. Content opportunities are literally everywhere right now. Build those relationships. Business Relationships open doors… Read the book, Brandscaping. It’s a similar message about partnering with other brands.
Q4 @teedubya How does Facebook Graph Search figure into the game?
Travis: Facebook Graph Search is huge… and kinda creepy. I can search for all my single friends in CA who like Star Wars. So it’s great to find interesting people that you and your friends know. It’s also going to be good for local business. With FB Graph, if I want a nearby Mexican Restaurant, I can search for which of my BROs have checked in or reviewed the place. Plumbers Nearby… you can find them. So, if you are a business and you don’t have a FB page yet, you will suffer.
Q5 @teedubya How can brands optimize for social sharing?
Travis: I think brands should really try to engage their employees to help share their content. You should really try surfacing your advocates. Think about it. Who already loves you? Who is influential & loves you? Brands can also increase their BRO, by partnering with other brands who have a similar target audience. Brands need to have a strategy for outreach with their current customers and future customers. These relationships are vital.
Q6 @teedubya Your tips for re-purposing content?
Travis: Well, if you fully embrace BRO, you will obtain a few author accounts on OTHER influential blog sites. Don’t put ALL of your content on YOUR site. Put a few choice items on partner sites, as well. You get SEO backlinks and Social signals that way. For example, you can take a successful piece of content that you’ve written and turn it into a slideshare. At @NortonOnline, we recommended converting one of @marianmerritt’s blogs into a Power Point presentation. Boom! 130k views. Take a successful article, turn it into a video. Maybe make some graphic visuals for Pinterest or Instagram. Building strong business relationships allows the content that you create to receive greater visibility and amplification.
BRO! Travis has an in-depth article on the topic on his website, traviswright.com.
This Monday at 9PM Eastern #SocialChat will be discussing Creating Killer Content that Gets Shared
If you want to learn more from the hosts of #SocialChat, Alan K’necht and Michelle Stinson Ross, they will be presenting on several panel sessions at SMX Toronto on March 20 & 21st.
