While nothing earth-shattering, or new, was uncovered during the hour-long presentation relative to SEO we did take notice of a few observations in relation to how Bing displays several types of content and search engine results.

Let’s begin with the bottom line - Bing organizes and displays their data differently than Google does. Bing’s focus is on making travel and shopping related searches better for the user to make a decision (hence, the decision engine) while Google’s ultimate goal is to deliver the most relevant results for a specific search query no matter what topic. There are new and different opportunities that Bing offers if you are in one of these key industries (shopping and travel). While Bing will be able to gain in these areas we don’t believe SEO strategies should change dramatically. Following best practices, building a crawlable site and creating great content are still the keys to success with all search engines.

Here are some of the items that make Bing different from Google:

1) Bing’s “Best Match” or top result is manually chosen by an actual human, not algorithmically as is Google’s. Not every search will have a “best match” because of this manual selection. This human moderation (similar to DMOZ and Wikipedia) confirms the importance and relevancy of quality site content and as we all know, content remains king in all search engines. It also means that Bing may be a bit harder to game for a top ranking for anything other than a branded search. That is unless you truly are the most relevant, useful site for the target query.

2) Bing will show results from “their” web properties and third parties with which Bing has agreements such as MSNBC, Hulu, MSN, and others before anyone else’s. With Yahoo! becoming more of a media entity, this plays right into Bing’s apparent strategy. We are seeing how Microsoft is positioning this search engine to leverage their other properties as news and content sources. This could and most likely will have a huge impact on search relevancy, since the most relevant result won’t always be shown.

3) Bing’s image search likes absolute URLs as opposed to relative ones. (Absolute URLs are when the domain is in the URL like www.libertyinteractivemarketing.com/directory versus simply pointing to /directory) The application of this is that if an image is linked from another site, the original site will still get the visibility in image search. So don’t steal images, but if you do, make sure to host them on your own server.

4) Local ads on Bing are supplied by YellowPages.com. So, if you want your business’ text ad to appear on Bing local search you’ll need to advertise with YellowPages.com.

5) Bing Shopping is CPA-based (cost per action) and sorts results based on a combination of price, shipping and Bing’s cashback program. An important note: You can’t participate in Bing Shopping unless you are already an advertiser on Bing/MSNAdcenter.

A key element regarding personal privacy is that Bing indexes the Facebook profile pictures and photo albums of fans of pages (business profiles) and shows them in its image search with little regard for relevancy. So, for example, if you search your company name on Bing, it may pull in pictures of people who fanned your page – and not necessarily pictures that are representative of the brand or that either party wants shown to the world. We find this extremely scary. If you do too, read this related article on Facebook pages now included in Google’s real-time results.

Have you noticed other differences between Bing and Google? We would love to hear how people are using Bing and other observations about the new “decision engine.”

We took a closer look by searching our own company name “liberty interactive marketing” in Bing’s images tab and found that profile pictures of our Facebook fans came up for our very own company name.

The key point to highlight here is that there is no such thing as privacy. There is only perceived privacy. There are loopholes. Kind of like when you join an association, purchase membership, or opt-in to any program - many companies use that “relationship” as a legitimate reason to contact you or loan out your informaiton. In this case, the relationship of you fanning a company page may be permission by proxy to Facebook then to Bing (given their new relationship with Facebook) to pull in any data they want….this includes your mug or at some point status updates.

While both Google and Bing are figuring out real-time search and what data makes sense to display as a result (primarily trending for now), Facebook is slowly opening up the gates of information and in my opinion, in all the wrong ways.

Facebook is taking the fun out of Facebook. I would really like to be wrong in this prediction, but this direction seems to be headed down the wrong road. Why?

Because of the unknown. Google plans on more than 550 updates to their algorithm in the coming year (they made over 450 in 2007), their search engine algorithm is smart, really smart. There is no telling how the engineers will figure out how to use this data and it may be at your expense.

Privacy is gone. Bing has proven that with its image display.

If this gets your blood boiling, read these articles for more search engine marketing dish:
Facebook Pages Now Part of Google’s Real-Time Results
How Google’s Algorithm Rules the Web

While Toyota is scrambling to figure out a solution to the “accelerator pedal” crisis, GM is utilizing the Social Media accelerator. By monitoring their competition and listening to their customers, they were able to act quickly and possibly lure customers away from Toyota. Based on Toyota’s reliable and trustworthy reputation, Jake Fisher, senior automotive engineer at Consumer Reports, said “It’s very difficult to pry someone away from Toyota.” Which is why the competition must be paying attention to how they can now find a way to gain some of Toyota’s market share.

Less than 24 hours after the recall was announced GM announced an incentive program to any Toyota owner:

• Toyota lease holders can get up to $1,000 in lease payments to terminate their Toyota lease and buy or lease a GM vehicle. It applies to Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC vehicles.
• Financing buyers can get zero percent interest rates for 60 months on most GM vehicles.
• Cash buyers can get $1,000 down-payment assistance to get into a GM vehicle.

Social Media Lessons Learned…so far:

• Monitor your competition, you never know when an opportunity may present itself.
• Listen to your customer - on and offline.
• Fail fast, act quickly.

In a recent conversation with a colleague we were discussing whether a company should tackle on-site SEO on their own or hire a firm. Needless to say which side I took. This led to a conversation in home improvement that directly relates to outsourcing SEO vs doing it yourself.

Our conversation concluded on this note:
Companies like Home Depot have built their business on telling people they can make their own home improvements while Contractors have built their business on fixing what home improvements people do themselves.

Enter DIY Search Engine Optimization vs. Hiring an Search Engine Optimization Firm
The Home Depot and Contractor scenario is nearly the perfect analogy to describing whether a company should take on SEO in-house or outsource it.

If you are a DIY-er you probably know the list of things that you need to have done and you may even know how to implement some of them. Let’s take for instance installing a door - seems simple enough - measure the opening, buy the door, install the door. For most DIY-ers they even know the inventory of tools. Where it starts to get fuzzy is using the tools correctly and installing the door correctly (i.e. is it level, is it plumb, etc). If this is your first, second or even your third time installing a door it still doesn’t compare to a practitioner who has installed hundreds even thousands of doors. They can install it correctly and in a fraction of the time.

This is the same for SEO - you may know what to do but you may not know how to do it. Or better yet, do it the right way. It is one thing if you want to have something done, it is another to want to have something done right. For on-site SEO it is a lot more than just keywords, titles, metadata or the URL structure. It is not just about doing simple keyword research and a simple competitive analysis to arrive at your chosen terms.

In most cases, it’s what the DIY-er doesn’t know that hurts them. It’s the simple tricks, the new tools, the history and experience of having done it over and over again as well as how things have changed over time that affect success (the history of SEO).

Most importantly, it is all of the other factors that DIY-ers don’t even consider that can have a greater impact on search engine visibility.

A few months ago we received a phone call from someone who said they have been doing SEO for 6-months and felt they did a pretty good job on all the titles and metadata for their client’s new site and were wondering why they had zero leads coming in since this site was built “search engine friendly” and had “keywords”. The prior site was receiving 5-6 leads per week.

One of the factors they dismissed was the domain name. They failed to realize that the new domain they were switching the site to was brand new and had little to no visibility within search engines. They didn’t even consider this as a factor and launched a personal site on the old domain with over 11 years of authority and credibility within the search engines - basically wiping out all of their relevancy for their business. So now they had two new sites and are having to start all over.

Imagine the investment over that 11 years. And now? All gone and they must start all over in what is now an even more competitive arena than online was 10 years ago.

What your company should consider before deciding on whether to outsource Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or attempt it in-house:

• While SEO can be viewed as a mechanical process with steps and checklists, so can the process of building a house. Given the rules and codes and engineering principles needed to build a house, would you rather take the risk of figuring it out for yourself, or would it be more wise to hire a professional.
• There is also an intangible side to SEO, while you may know exactly how much you SAVED by doing it yourself, you will never know how much it COSTED you in terms of lost revenue or visibility.

Consider this when looking to do on-site SEO in-house, do you really know what you are doing? Is it worth the risk? What is it that you don’t know that may hurt you or even worse may cause it to all be thrown away?

photo credit: DIY Life

The leaders of the pack with robust and highly-integrated solutions were ExactTarget and Responsys. Liberty Interactive Marketing has been a long-time user and advocate for ExactTarget given a customers complex needs with regard to segmentation, dynamic content, and integrating with other marketing channels like social and mobile.

While clearly the 70+ points of criteria knocked out a lot of smaller solutions like Campaign Monitor and Blue Sky Factory, it doesn’t mean medium-sized businesses should discount these. Before selecting an appropriate email service provider, sit down and determine what your needs are, from customer database integration to segmentation. What assets are you working with and what shape are they in?

And if you thought email was a passe marketing tactic for 2010 and beyond, you’ll be surprised to know that 68% of those surveyed by Forrester said that they anticipate that email marketing’s effectiveness will increase in the next three years.

The main focus for marketers will be to understand who their customers are and how to market to them personally and with relevance.

To stay ahead of the pack or just catch up I highly recommend downloading this email marketing report from Forrester compliments of ExactTarget.

Turkey Mishap teaches SEO

1. Due to appropriate preparation and continuous basting, the turkey browned nicely. It looked good from the outside but this was merely on the surface. Similar to optimizing your web site for search engines, optimizing your titles and metadata isn’t enough. Make sure all elements of your site are optimized, from site architecture to content and multimedia to alt tags. Some of these elements are proving to be more influential and are often overlooked by many so-called SEO practitioners.

2. Once the turkey was in, it was on the “set it and forget it” method. Like cooking a turkey, SEO is not a “set it and forget it” initiative. Just as I should have been monitoring the progress of the turkey, your SEO efforts need to be monitored continuously for progress and adjusted accordingly to achieve desired results.

Turkey Mishap teaches Social Media

1. Although I was mortified by my mistake, I assembled the appropriate team to help me deal with the situation and I didn’t hide from my mistake (although I wanted to). In your Social Media communication it is important to remember that your customers know you will make mistakes, but it is how you handle them that they will be watching. Remember, be human. People make mistakes and don’t be afraid to get others involved to help you solve the issue.

2. There was no mistaking that the turkey was undercooked when we cut into it. Same for your Social Media communication, people will see through the golden brown coating if you don’t have a well planned and executed social media strategy. A good product and great customer service are only two of the ingredients in a recipe for social media success.

3. If at first you don’t succeed, fail fast, and then re-evaluate how to resolve and respond to the situation. Then, move forward quickly, the side dishes are getting cold and people will start to leave if you are unable to respond to the situation or provide an adequate solution.

4. Don’t try to do too many things at once, but if you do, have a plan. Most importantly surround yourself with people who can help you implement and execute your plan seamlessly.

Gobble Gobble Lessons for SEO and Social Media

1. Track and monitor progress; adjust along the way. Don’t get to the end to find out only half the plan worked or yielded you half the results you were expecting.

2. Check to see if the oven is on. Review all elements and components of your Social Media Plan and on-site and off-site SEO. Sometimes it can be the most simple and obvious things that can foil your plan.

3. Share your experience. Mistakes create an opportunity…for content! Case studies, articles, contests, etc. How can you share your experience to benefit your customers or provide added value to others?

Happy to say this year the turkey was juicy and delicious…and cooked all the way through. Picture above. Happy Holidays.

Catch up with me at 10:15a on November 12, 2009 for a panel on Shoestring Marketing, where we’ll be discussing ideas on how to market effectively on a small budget, marketing processes and approaches for startups, and upcoming online trends.

My fellow panelists are:

Chris Johnson, CEO for Terralever (Moderator)
Eva Voorhees, Owner, Tiny Advertising,
Ed Tankersley, Owner, Eight Trails

We hope to see you there.

Social Media: 27 Lessons Learned / Advice You Should Take

1. Answer your own questions and seek your own ways to communicate with your audiences - Brian Solis
2. Social Media is about sociology not technology - Brian Solis
3. Content is spread by people not portals therefore is not reliant upon the social graph - Angela Courtin, MySpace
4. Understand what your brand stands for then how to communicate in the associated spaces your audience gives you permission to be in
5. When you give your brand to the consumer (it’s scary) because the consumer will mold it and shape it
6. Everyone in your company is accessible, create Social Media Guidelines for employees to suggest how to talk about your company, outline things they can talk about about the company, etc. - Chris Heuer
7. Know what your goals are then build metrics into everything to measure against those goals
8. Be careful if you use your traditional agency to get into this space - Randy Sprenger, Harley-Davidson (Amen, Randy!)
9. Be intentional. - Jeremy Holley, Warner Bros.
10. Objectives make you money. - Billy Sanez, American Airlines
11. Facebook is not the only game in town. - Ziv Navoth, Bebo
12. Take the bad with the good - social will correct itself. - Billy Sanez (I love this.)
13. Build small success stories to build internal buy-in and morale.
14. There are many ways to skin a cat, don’t rely on case studies. Listen and learn from other companies, then find what’s right for your company.
15. Social Media Marketing is a tactic in support of your objectives.
16. Everything in moderation.
17. Figure out how to build sustainable relationships vs. traditional campaign relationships where you start from zero, build base, then abandon).
18. Empower your employees - train them to be conversationalists and not marketers. - Chris Barger, GM
19. Be there before a crisis happens to have earned credibility.
20. Live up to the follow up.
21. Think through the logistics ahead of time - if you have something that is really fabulous be prepared for it to take you to a new level and be as prepared as possible and ready for the unexpected.
22. Listen! Don’t be afraid to stop or change course if your audience doesn’t like something. It’s okay to reverse tactics.
23. Integrate and embed social media early on. Social is Word of Mouth so it should be entwined in everything and not looked at as a channel.
24. When you are right, don’t be afraid to fight for it.
25. Don’t be afraid to say no, your community will back you up if it is what they want and agree with.
26. Give yourself time and permission to think big. At the same time, the idea is not enough, it must be well executed - be prepared for a great campaign to take you place you weren’t prepared for. - Chris Chambers
27. Digital and Social are not add-ons, they are starting points.

Add your sage advice below or share this article with others.

We asked our friends and followers on Twitter why they use it, here were the responses. 

@CarolKlimas I use T to stay up-to-date on breaking news and to learn from amazing pioneers in digital marketing like yourself.

@evavoorhees Marketing for my clients. Not a big fan. But it works.

@AndreWillis To expand my knowledge of the Valley and network w/fellow industry professionals.

@AbbieF to stay in touch w/smart people and to share information.

@crogersaz I use it to get information, share information with others and meet like-minded folks interesting in marketing, music, cycling and nonprofits.

Tell us why you use Twitter by commenting below or following us on Twitter at twitter.com/libertysem and twitter.com/libertyt

There must have been at least 25-30 ticket scalpers.  Imagine the competition. Before we left, I ran upstairs to grab my jacket and as I waited for the elevator a man rushed passed me into the business center located just a few steps away from the elevators and the main entrance to the hotel.  Curious, I followed the man into the business center and sat down to fake a little “online lookup.”

I noticed this man had pulled up Craigslist and started to create an ad.  Sitting next to him, a pair of Seattle Mariners baseball tickets.

The point of this story? In business, often times we do the same things our competitors are doing, we use the same resources, at the same time, in the same place.  One by one we all line up next to each other for potential customers to determine what makes each one of us different or who has the kindest smile (best logo) and looks the friendliest (cheeky marketing speak).

It’s important to recognize that we can still use the same resources and advertise using the same channels, after all that is where are customers are.  But it doesn’t mean we can’t look at how to market ourselves and our message differently than the rest.

In this case, it seems obvious that you could sell the tickets on Craigslist to folks who are planning to attend the game but can’t find tickets (days, or even weeks before the game).  It also seems obvious that you would stand right in front of the stadium because customers know they will be able to purchase tickets from…a ticket scalper.  But, this man changed the game a bit - he used the same resource at a different time and utilized the resources around him.  Whether he sold the tickets or not, he was still utilizing the resources that were available to him - and at no cost to him.  Craigslist = Free.  Hotel Business Center = Free.

Key takeaways:

1. There are plenty of free Social Media tools out there like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube.  If every one of your competitors has access to the same tools and resources you do, how are you differentiating yourself? How can you utilize those tools differently - be it seasonal, deviating from a normal process, or other? Think strategy.

2. If you have created a Facebook page or Twitter account for your business are you just running with the herd? Have you just jumped on the bandwagon because every one else has? How can you use these resources and other resources outside of these to actually improve your bottom line?  Avoid the “me too” scenario or seek help from an outside consultant to introduce ideas on how to use these tools to your advantage.

3. Don’t forget the resources/tools that have worked in the past or the ones you haven’t really fine tuned that are working.  Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

4.  Don’t be so quick to jump on the next shiny object that sparkles.  Make sure you have a clear understanding and strategy in place before investing the time and labor costs associated with the upkeep, management, and maintenance.