Posts tagged online marketing

Point 74: Online Marketing Strategies – Marina Pecorino

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The Point - Issue 74

Marina Pecorino headshotMarina Pecorino
Managing Editor of Content & Statistics

It’s been a while since I have had the chance to browse the internet for piercing shop websites in my spare time; it’s actually fairly intriguing to me. The design of marketing materials has a lot to say about how each shop is choosing to present itself to (potential) clients.

In Issue 73, I shared some tips and tricks for taking portfolio photographs. In this issue, I’m going to get down to business (excuse the pun #sorrynotsorry) talking about online marketing. These days, it’s so easy to get sucked into the glowing screen in front of you without putting it to use as a powerful marketing tool. I’m hoping this article will help make the time you spend online for business more efficient and effective, so you can get back to posting pictures of cats.

For the sake of “print” space, I’m going to assume that most readers already have a basic grasp of marketing on social media. For those of you that feel there’s more to learn, many social media platforms offer a convenient business resource guide: Facebook Business, Instagram Business, Pinterest Business, and Tumblr Business. Some of them also offer forums and communities where business users can discuss their experiences and ask questions. If you have a question about using a particular feature, there are lots of articles available directed at businesses with how-to guides like this beginner’s guide to hashtags.

Like anything else on the internet, a quick search for terms like “Tumblr marketing strategies” or “social media tips for small businesses” will yield innumerable articles with a mix of good and not-so-good information. Here is a small list of my favorite Dos and Don’ts:

  • Humanity—Have a sense of humor and try not to sound mechanical. Clients are less likely to be drawn in by a robotic message. When the media has a personality, clients are more likely to become engaged in the content. Think of those days in the studio when your personality is shining through and your clients are eating it up; the same applies to social media.
  • Diversity—Use a mix of images, videos, and text to share all aspects of your shop with potential and returning clientele. Don’t limit yourself solely to one type of post or one social media platform. Variety in advertising will allow more chances to strike a chord with viewers. Although there is a lot to be said about automation in regards to time management, be careful about repeating the same posts over all your social media platforms. Try to cater the content to the audience and mechanics of the different platforms you’re utilizing.
  • Frequency—Post, share, and interact consistently. It is a valid use of your time to be online at work as long as you are making sure to focus your attention on the business at hand. Dedicate a few minutes of your work day to posting and responding to clients. With certain platforms, like Facebook, you may also choose to dedicate some time to plan and schedule posts for the upcoming week(s), spending an hour or two “in the groove” getting it all out of the way at once.
  • Engagement—Certain types of posts are more likely to get a wider spread of reactions from your audience. Posts with at least one image are more likely to be shared than posts without images. People are more inclined to interact with content that evokes certain emotional responses; awe, laughter, and amusement are the most likely to be shared. Unless you intend to be the epicenter of debate, it is best to stay away from controversial topics, but a well placed poll question or invitation to share a particular post can spread like wildfire. Here are a few bites of food for thought: infographics (graphic depictions of information) and listicles (those clickbait numbered lists everyone loves to hate) are the most widely shared post types. Tuesday is overall the best day to post content.

Hopefully, after reading the points above you have discovered something about social media marketing that you weren’t aware of previously. That means it’s as good a time as any to discuss websites and search engine optimization.

Content diversity in online marketingAlthough websites have the disadvantage of associated cost (web design and development, hosting, domain registration), they have some serious advantages that aren’t as feasible with their no-cost social media counterparts. The main advantage: total control over style and the inner workings. The overall appearance is certainly important if you’re particular about aesthetics, and let’s face it, we’re in the body modification industry; how things look is pretty much our business. More importantly though, total control includes using the elements of web development to make your website easy to find for the clients seeking your services and products; this is essentially the basics of search engine optimization (SEO).

The total number of websites currently on the World Wide Web is mind boggling, and new sites are being added every day. For this reason, search engines need a way to keep track of and catalog what’s available. To do so, search engines send out web crawlers (also known as bots or spiders) to methodically index websites and return information to the search engines about what text and images were found on each website and where those elements were located in the coding. Search engines use this information along with complex algorithms to determine the relevant results for a search, even tailoring the results based on a particular user’s past search history.

Consequently, web developers have learned how to build websites to make pertinent information more available and meaningful for web crawlers, to improve the chance that their site will have a high ranking in relevant searches. Search engines often provide guides on improving SEO, but information about the algorithms used are generally kept secret to reduce exploitation by dishonest developers.

There are now more services available than ever to make web development possible for beginners. Here are a few tips to help you along the way:

  • Be honest with what you’re advertising. Despite what the name would imply, SEO isn’t about catering your website to the search engines, but more about using web development tools to maximize the number of clients that find you by looking for what you’re offering. By implying a level of service or product that the client won’t find upon arrival, you’re bound to end up with frustrated visitors writing bad reviews, rather than lifelong clientele. Therefore, it’s incredibly important to be honest on your site about what your business has to offer; phrase and brand your web presence for the clients you want, but be realistic.
  • Text is important. With the exception of intentionally hidden content (credential information, duplicate content, etc.), all text on a website is indexed by crawlers. Some of this text is seen by viewers, but sites also contain a lot of text that is only visible when looking at the source code. These elements only visible when looking at the coding—like meta tags, keywords, alt text on images—are important tools for developers to provide additional information to be crawled. There are numerous tools online to help you choose text that will attract a broad audience, like this free keyword tool with daily approximations of data, broken down by search engine and demographic information. These types of tools take some of the guesswork out of choosing what text is best to draw the most appropriate audience.
  • Images have become more powerful than ever before. Search engines have evolved to the point that images are now being indexed, allowing users to do a search for particular type of picture, much like searching for a specific set of words or answer to a question. When your smartphone or digital camera creates an image, it assigns the image a generic filename like “IMGfivebazllion.jpg”. Renaming photos with something more descriptive and enticing like “Opal-Rose-Gold-Philtrum-Piercing.jpg” will assist web crawlers in identifying the photograph. Just make sure that the filename you choose accurately describes the image. Web developers also have the ability to add alt text, also known as alternative text, in case the image can’t be loaded. Using descriptive terms in the filename and alt text will improve the chance of your image showing up in a relevant search, but it also allows users to get an idea of the subject matter in the image in cases when the image isn’t visible.
  • Make your site as easy to navigate as possible. A sitemap is essentially a blueprint of your website (generally set up in a hierarchical format), showing where certain types of information are housed on the site. It is common for web developers to make their sitemap—much like a writer composes an outline—before generating site content. Deciding the format and organization ahead of time allows a developer to determine the best layout for a website, so that similar content is together and that important information is easy to find. Once a sitemap is set up, developers essentially have a cheat sheet of which individual pages of a site will need to be built (portfolio, pricing information, aftercare, etc.) and how those individual pages will relate to one another. Properly utilizing internal links, breadcrumbs, and sitemaps will assist search engines in understanding your site’s navigation and help your viewers find what they’re looking for.
  • Duplicate information will bog down viewers and bots. The proper and consistent use of internal links throughout a website can make a huge impact on the user’s experience and ability to navigate the site. Web developers use anchor text (this article is full of anchor text) to link text between pages or to reference outside sources rather than duplicating information. It’s best to use single words or short phrases for anchor text; these words or phrases should provide a preview (or keyword) of what the link will contain. As an example, if a shop wants to include a link to a blank copy of their piercing waiver, it would be best to use the words “piercing waiver” as the anchor text. Avoid using ambiguous anchor text in sentences like “a copy of our piercing waiver can be found here” with the anchor text being “here”.

As I mentioned before, search engines use complex algorithms to take all of the elements (included the ones listed above) of a website and determine how relevant it is to a user’s search. Unfortunately, there are dishonest web developers who know these tricks and will manipulate them to increase the ranking of their sites, even with searches that may not be relevant. This is precisely why search engine penalties are used to counteract potential misuse. One of these penalties, particularly common for beginners, is known as keyword stuffing. This is when a web developer crams as many keywords into an element as possible. This isn’t generally done maliciously, but in an attempt to reach all possible audiences; I have to admit that I was guilty of this early on. Instead of using “gauge”, “plug” and “stretched lobe jewelry” as keywords for the same entry, it’s best to choose one term that is likely to reach a wide audience, while encouraging appropriate language. It’s also a great idea to diversify terms where possible, only reusing the most important. If a particular site is especially spammy or dishonest, it can even be de-indexed, meaning that it no longer appears in search results. Avoid these penalties by being conscientious during development and do research throughout the process.

The topic of online marketing is certainly not a simple one and is not something that can be learned from a single article. I have tried to provide you with a quick overview, but there is much more to learn, even on the topics introduced here. Throughout this article, I have provided additional resources, but there is far more information available, like this basic website term glossary. We have the advantage of infinite access to instructional websites and tutorials available to explain the basics and more advanced techniques involved in online marketing and web development. Instructional websites like these are where I have collected my knowledge over many years. If all this talk of tutorials has you excited and ready to learn, here’s a great resource of free web dev tutorials. I encourage you to dive in and enjoy the adventure. The greatest feature of a website is that it can be developed over time, starting off simple and small, and building into something full of information, images, and content to make your clients excited to come visit your shop.

Point 74: Communicating Effectively in the Digital Age – Miro Hernandez

2 Comments read Issue 74, Social Media & Safe Piercing
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Miro Hernandez headshotMiro Hernandez
APP Public Relations Director

With the advent of the internet and World Wide Web, times are quickly changing for all. You literally have easy access to the entire world at your fingertips. Long gone are the days of AOL and slow dial-up connections. In fact you don’t even need a computer or a laptop to access your email or the World Wide Web, and it is no longer necessary to hear the screeches and squeals from your modem just to find out “you’ve got mail.” It is all right at your fingertips on your nearest smart device. As the landscape of the World Wide Web started taking shape, turning to the internet for all your questions and needs quickly became the new norm. “Just Google it” is now the answer to any question that is posed and the internet is full of plenty of answers, both good and bad.

Along with the rise of the internet, new and different platforms have risen as a means for businesses to promote themselves. Shelling out hundreds of dollars for an ad in the YellowPages is no longer necessary when you can get free promotion through the internet. When an individual is seeking an establishment that offers a specific type of service, websites like Google, Yelp, and Facebook seem to be their first stop. Do a great job and offer the highest quality of service and people are quick to sing your praises, loud and proud, through digital reviews. However, along with the good comes the bad. If they are quick to be loud and proud with a review of an exceptional service, they’ll be even quicker and louder when the service that is offered does not meet their expectations. Having a strong social media presence has the power to either make or break businesses these days. In the case of a negative review, it is essential to be prepared to respond politely and professionally. You may be faced with a firestorm on social media, lashing out based on an inappropriate comment. Understanding the tool you are using is imperative to the integrity of your business.

First and foremost, it is absolutely imperative to understand, that once it goes out into the World Wide Web, it has been put out for all eyes to see and will become a permanent part of the recorded history, even if you delete it. The most common fallacy that I see and hear repeatedly is “but it’s my personal page. I’m free to do as I please with it.” While this is technically true, personal page or not, there is no disclaimer to let viewers know this. It is not shrouded by a safety web or warnings. By using your “personal” page as a means to promote yourself and your business, you are providing your viewers with a direct reflection of who you are and the nature of your business. In essence, the internet has made us our own bosses and masters of our own domain.

A perfect example of your personal page not being so personal and the rather serious ramifications that can result is the infamous screencap. How many times have you witnessed, in a public or private forum, a screencap of an image taken from a “personal” page or a “private” forum, used against someone maliciously? Not so personal or private anymore, huh?

Many of us, at one point or another in our life, have been told there are three things that you don’t talk about: religion, politics, and money. While this may not hold as much weight these days as in days of yore, there is still something to be taken from this. Personally, I think that freedom of speech is a wonderful thing, and having the privilege and ability to speak on topics that we are passionate about is what defines us. That being said, there is absolutely a time and place for this to happen, and a social media outlet used to promote a business is not the place to do so.

These days, we live in a society where people are very easily offended and feelings can get hurt. I’m a firm believer that the greatest thing the internet has given us is “butt-hurt”. That “friend” you thought was really cool and understood “where you’re coming from” may take offense to your thoughts and feelings on a particular topic that you may have felt was a non-issue. Not only have you lost a friend, but that person could’ve been your biggest supporter. The person that was initially quick to sing your praises is now telling the world how horrible of a person you are and telling others to no longer frequent your establishment, possibly over something as benign as not seeing eye to eye on whether New York style pizza is better than Chicago style pizza. Simple rule of thumb: if the topic has potential to offend and you can’t handle yourself in a manner that goes hand in hand with how you want your business to be perceived, don’t post it.

In Don Miguel Ruiz’s bestseller, The Four Agreements, one of the agreements was “be impeccable with your word.” While the meaning of this can be open to interpretation, I will apply it in a manner that is in line with what has been brought up thus far. When we are communicating with individuals directly in person (verbal communication), there are many things we can pick up on indirectly through the individual’s nonverbal communication: body language, eye contact, voice inflection, pause and timing, etc. The phrase “you’re not saying anything, but you’re telling me everything” will always come to mind when I think of the importance of nonverbal communication. At this point, if you haven’t caught on yet, you’re probably asking yourself what this has to do with internet etiquette and being impeccable with your word. It has absolutely everything to do with it! These nonverbal identifiers can not be translated through text on a screen. An individual reading your words and seeing your emojis has to infer the tone of the message you are trying to convey. It can be difficult to distinguish whether you are being serious, malicious, sarcastic, or genuinely concerned. The overall message is often left open and subject to interpretation by whomever’s eyes are reading it. This is where it is of utter importance to be clear and concise with the point you are trying to make; in other words, be impeccable with your word.

While I make no claims to be an expert in the field of internet communication, this is all based off of my personal observations and thoughts on the subject matter. My background is in speech communications with an emphasis on interpersonal communication. So naturally, communication, and the lack thereof, is something that I feel very strongly about. If you are touting and claiming yourself to be a professional, do so in a manner that is according to and in line with your claims in all aspects of your life, even the internet. Some people may say that the internet is not real life and should therefore not be taken too seriously. However, when it has the potential to impact your way of life, the internet should absolutely be taken seriously.

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