The Whoa Factor - Search Engine Marketing Resources

Yahoo and Microsoft at the Crossroads

2008-05-11T11:07:58Z

The Microsoft - Yahoo deal looks dead, for the moment anyway. Yahoo's price of $37/share was too rich for Microsoft's blood, and the market agrees. As of this writing, Microsoft stock is inching upward and Yahoo shares are trading around $26. Yahoo shareholders are not happy. Is the Yahoo board playing hard to get with Microsoft? If so, it's a pretty bold game of chicken. I don't see the synergy. How does Yahoo help Microsoft compete against Google for search marketing dollars? Google is already eating Yahoo's lunch, and how does Yahoo make them stronger? (Other than by being a bottomless pit of cash.)

Microsoft might want to buy Yahoo to keep them from aligning with Google. If it's a defensive play, there's risk in waiting. But why would Google buy Yahoo when it can bury them? For that matter, as Yahoo continues to lose market share and face shareholder unrest, both of which serve to lower its stock value, why would Microsoft want to buy them now?

Yahoo and Microsoft might do better to think small if they want to take on Google and win. It's going to take innovation. Who innovates better - a bureaucratic corporate behemoth or a nimble niche player? Maybe a joint venture is the way to go, separated from both corporate cultures. Who knows what will happen? All we know for sure is, this story has not yet reached the final act.

18 New Marketing Terms Every Business Leader Should Know

2008-05-06T11:21:47Z

(Reprinted from a recent Word Sell newsletter.)

Here is my attempt to explain important new marketing concepts in plain English.

AFFILIATE ADVERTISING. On the Web, affiliate advertising means using one Web site to drive traffic to another Web site. For instance, Amazon has a highly successful affiliate program. You can display links to Amazon on your site, and if a visitor clicks through your ad and makes a purchase, you recieve a commission.

COPY, LONG. Long copy is the use of lots of words to make a sales pitch on your landing page. Contrary to popular wisdom, long copy sells just as effectively on the Web as it does in traditional direct mail marketing.

COPY, OPTIMIZED. Optimized copy is Web content that incorporates your keyword phrases in ways that make search engines rank your page higher when searches are conducted for that phrase. Creating optimized content requires special skills and normally costs somewhat more than standard copywriting.

CORPORATE BLOG. An interactive Web site used by a business to improve SEO, build customer relationships, establish thought leadership, generate sales, and more.

GEOTARGETING. Today it is possible for Web sites to determine the physical location of site visitors and display content specifically relevant to them. If you search for certain products or services on Google, you may notice that the top search results are in your geographic market. This is geotargeting, and it makes SEM more beneficial to small and/or local businesses than ever.

KEYWORD PHRASES. Keyword phrases are search terms you believe people will use on search engines to find you. "Keyword phrase" is more accurate than "keywords" because searchers almost always use more than one word when looking for a business (the most common being, product/service + location). The cost of keyword phrase analysis ranges from zero to many thousands of dollars, depending on your needs.

LANDING PAGE. A landing page is a web page specifically designed to sell a particular product or service, and is most often used in conjunction with pay per click advertising or a similar form of SEM. It is a serious mistake not to use landing pages in search marketing, because the landing page is ultimately what makes the visitor decide whether or not to take the next step. Driving traffic to a website's home page seldom generates a high percentage of conversions.

NEW MARKETING. A general term for Web-based marketing tools and techniques, including, blogs, podcasting, social media marketing and social network marketing. According to industry studies (and your own observations, no doubt), companies are increasing investment in new marketing and scaling back on traditional marketing. Why? Because new marketing works.

NEW PUBLIC RELATIONS. Today, companies can use online press releases and other media to tell their story directly to consumers, rather than pay a pricey PR firm to place their story with a magazine or newspaper. This development is critically important for two reasons. First, it enables small and midsize firms to engage in effective public relations. Second, it reduces the cost of that effective PR from many thousands to a few hundred.

OPEN SOURCE. Open source is software code that is not proprietary. Open source programs have several advantages over proprietary products such as Microsoft. Those advantages include lower aquisition cost (no licensing fees), lower maintenance cost, and easier integration with other software programs. Examples of open source programs include Linux and the most popular blogging software, WordPress.

PAY PER CLICK. An SEM model where advertisers pay based on the number of "clicks" visitors make on their ads. The advertising you see on Google is pay per click, or PPC, at its best. PPC is one of many advertising models now in use. The pay per conversion model is becoming more popular and, while more expensive, may be a better overall value.

PODCAST. A podcast is a digital audio file delivered over the Internet, and is technically different from a videocast. Podcasting technology is low cost, making it easy and inexpensive for a business to create and distribute podcasts. Since many people prefer audio to written communication, podcasts are quickly becoming a hot method of merchandising a product or service. It's possible to charge for podcasts if the content is valuable and create a new revenue stream for your business.

SEO. SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is the art and science of building Web sites that rank highly on searches conducted for specific keyword phrases. SEO is considered an "organic" form of SEM, because it does not involve spending money on advertising. A site without at least minimal SEO characterics built into its programming and content will be virtually invisible on the Web.

SEM. SEM stands for search engine marketing. It is a catchall phrase that includes many of the terms in this article -- and much more. One way to think of SEM is to divide it into two parts: organic search is the art and science of building a Web presence intrinsically capable of driving traffic; paid search is the art and science of placing advertisements to cost-effectively drive traffic.

SOCIAL MEDIA. Social media allow customers to interact with sellers. Types of social media include corporate blogs, customer service chat rooms, and social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook.

SOCIAL NETWORK MARKETING. This, in my view, is the art and science of using social media to effectively and efficiently market a business or brand. The operative words here are "effectively" and "efficiently", because one can spend untold hours on a site like LinkedIn without accomplishing anything. On the other hand, used wisely, sites such as LinkedIn or Twitter can be more valuable sources of leads and information than anything you've ever seen.

UNIVERSAL SEARCH. Universal Search is a fairly new Google development that aggregates and delivers search results for not only traditional Web pages, but video, podcasts, news, blogs, images, and other forms of digital information. Since Universal Search makes searching more convenient and productive, it will earn Google even more traffic than ever, if that's possible (and it is). For businesses, Universal Search is another compelling reason to invest in SEM.

WEB 2.0. This term has many definitions. It does not refer to a specific software program or technology. It is often used to describe a trend in the Web environment toward transparency, information sharing, collaboration, and the use of interactive tools (some of which are described in this article).
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(Thanks to David Meerman Scott and Wikipedia, two important references I used for this article.)

SEM and SEO Links Worth Your Time

2008-05-01T12:41:27Z

From Galen De Young, Six Mistakes B2B Marketers Continue To Make With Organic Search. Absolute must reading if you're developing a new Web site or upgrading one.

From Matt McGee, a superb search engine marketing case study that demonstrates how a business of any shape or size can succeed online with the right approach.

Jeffrey Smith asks, Should You Target Competitive Keywords, The Long Tail, Or Both? Fortunately he provides clear answers in this technical post.

In another highly detailed post, Steven Brier explains How to Optimize Local Business Profiles for Free Local Directories. Solid, cost-saving advice for local businesses looking to expand their customer base.

List lovers will love this list from Richard Burckhardt, 55 Quick SEO Tips Even Your Mother Would Love. What's your favorite? Lately, mine is #45.

Here's an article from USA Today - Circulation continues to fall at most top newspapers. Yet another indication of the importance of integrating new media into advertising and marketing campaigns. Compare these lackluster results to how Google is doing.

Whoast wears a white hat, but we recommend reading Why Whitehats Need to Know Blackhat SEO. Alas, the world is gray, but for those who know that, SEO results can be gold.

Let's Celebrate RSS Awareness Day

2008-04-28T12:39:00Z

May 1 is RSS Awareness Day. To learn more about what RSS is and how to use it, check out this RSS Web site created specially for the event. As I've said many times, RSS is the most under appreciated Web tool around, for marketers and consumers alike. For marketers, RSS is the way to make sure the market receives information you put out on the Web. How many people go to a Web site or blog to see if someone has posted new information? Not very often. So much of today's quality content goes unheard, but RSS can change that. For consumers, RSS makes information gathering easy, like having 10 or 20 newspapers delivered to your door every day. By aggregating RSS feeds, consumers control the information they want to track and read it whenever and wherever they want. Why RSS hasn't caught on is baffling. The technology is free, so any publisher or reader can use it without dipping into the pocketbook. Plus, subscriptions are easy to process and feed readers are amazingly simple and customizable. My favorite feed readers are Google Reader and Bloglines. Celebrate RSS Awareness Day by subscribing to your first feed (The Whoa Factor, for instance). Once you get used to it, you'll never go back to surfing.

Google's Stock Surge Bodes Well for Search Engine Marketing

2008-04-21T11:30:27Z

After reporting better than expected earnings for Q1 2008, Google stock surged more than 20% last Friday, or almost $90/share. Revenues for Q1 were $5.19 billion, up 42% from Q1 2007. International revenues grew to 51% of Google's total revenue. Significantly, revenue from paid clicks grew 20% over Q1 2007, and continued strong both in the U.S. and internationally. With the acquisition of DoubleClick, the phenomenal popularity of YouTube, and the largely untapped growth potential of emerging markets, Google's future looks as bright as its first quarter numbers.

This is all exceedingly good news for Google stockholders, the stock market, and the search engine marketing industry. Google''s results signal online enterprise has remained strong in the face of a slumping U.S. economy. The growth in paid clicks is particularly encouraging. Normally, when business slows, marketing expenses are among the first to be cut. But the U.S. spend on online marketing continues to grow, as reported by Google and as we also saw in SEMPO's recently released State of the Market Survey.

Being enormous, Google is a popular target for criticism. Some deplore Google's perceived abuse of privacy rights; others, its heavy handed tactics; and a few simply don't like the company because of its size and dominance. But clearly, a strong Google is good for search engine marketing sellers and buyers alike. During the tech bubble, every tech related firm made money hand over fist. But during our current slump, it takes true leadership and a rock solid business model to achieve growth and profitability. Google is providing the leadership and a business model that delivers a satisfying user experience. Google products are fun, easy to use, reasonably priced or free, and get the job done. They innovate, test, and roll out user-friendly versions of new products and services with amazing rapidity. And oh, yes - they make money, and lots of it. Many of Google's competitors can lay claim to one or more of those characteristics, but how many can claim them all?

In a Google free world, I doubt advertisers would pour money into search engine marketing to the extent they do today. Why? Because the overall value of SEM would decline. By setting a high standard and providing leadership, Google makes its competitors stronger and encourages new players to get in the game, giving advertisers more choice and quality options.

How SEM Can Reduce Your Corporate Taxes in 2008

2008-04-15T12:02:52Z

(satire)

Today, April 15, your thoughts may be on how to pay less corporate income tax in 2008, which makes perfect sense considering 2008 may be do or die time. Tax rates figure to start climbing in 2009 with a new administration coming in and our temporary tax cuts scheduled to expire in 2011.

Although I have no financial expertise whatsoever, I think I've discovered a sure fire way any business can reduce its tax burden almost instantly. Here it is.

Halt your search engine marketing program.

Search engine marketing is simply too profitable. Properly chosen and executed organic and paid search techniques require relatively low investment and drive a high volume of qualified traffic to a Web site. Search engine marketing is, in general, capable of producing sales at a much lower cost than what can be obtained through traditional marketing methods. This is why corporate investment in search marketing continues to climb rapidly as the traditional marketing spend continues its steep and steady decline.

In 2007, U.S. companies spent $12.2 billion in SEM - a 30% increase from 2006. Why? Because SEM is profitable. Ergo, to reduce profits, eliminate search engine marketing from your business plan.

Instead of spending $3000 on search optimization, spend $10,000 on Yellow Page ads. Replace the productive $5,000 pay per click campaign with a $20,000 telemarketing program. Should work like a charm! You'll spend more to achieve inferior results and probably wind up with a tax refund in 2008. Let your competitors, who by year end will have picked off most of your business, worry about taxes. You'll be laughing all the way from the bank.

Search Engine Marketing and Social Media Links

2008-04-10T12:40:54Z

If you're trying to figure out how your company can tap into the power of social media, read this detailed and insightful social media guide from Carsten Cumbrowski.

Along similar lines, Dosh Dosh explores ROI and social media. Is it possible to cost justify social media marketing efforts? You'll have to read the post to find out.

Tune up your search marketing by reading Ian Lurie's post, The Internet Marketing Unlist: 49 Things You Are Probably Doing But Shouldn't. Practical tips you can put to work right away.

From the Dallas Business and Marketing blog, Why Google is Scared of Social Media. Important insights for search marketing strategists, because the dynamics of search habits are being profoundly affected by new website models.

12 Ways to Make Your Web Copy More Readable

2008-04-08T11:18:27Z

If you've invested time and money to attract site traffic, you want visitors to read your message. That's why it's crucial to make your message readable, inviting. Otherwise, visitors will pull back and click off.

1. Avoid using ALL CAPS. They are hard to read, especially in headlines. They also distract from surrounding text, which may cause readers to miss your message.

2. Avoid multiple text colors. Again, distracting. It's OK to use a highlight color for headlines and subheads, but otherwise be judicious.

3. Avoid multiple fonts.

4. Use multiple font sizes only when you have a good reason.

5. Avoid italics, which are harder to read on a screen than in print.

6. Break up long chunks of text with bullet points.

7. Break up long chunks of text with subheads, especially ones that incorporate keyword phrases.

8. Replace colons and semicolons with a dash. Much easier to read dashes on a screen. Sometimes you have to break grammatical rules to accomplish the switch; in such cases you must choose between readability - and formality.

9. Never use reverse print (dark text on a light background) unless your site has minimal content. Reverse print looks cool, but is extremely hard to read. Black text on an off white background is the easiest to read.

10. Match your font size to your audience. If your product appeals to senior citizens, go big, because they won't be able to read small fonts. For more on this topic, click here.

11. Keep sentences short. Doing so makes your ideas easier to follow and eliminates the need for those pesky colons and semicolons.

12. The color for anchor text should be bold enough to stand out, but not so bold as to overwhelm the rest of the content.

Paid Search Marketing Is Alive and Well

2008-04-01T13:36:33Z

The economy may be slowing, but spending on search engine marketing continues to rev up. The recently released 2007 SEMPO State of the Market Survey includes these remarkable findings.

The North American SEM industry grew from $9.4 billion in 2006 to $12.2 billion in 2007, exceeding earlier projections of $11.5 billion for 2007.

North American SEM spending is now projected to grow to $25.2 billion in 2011, up significantly from the $18.6 billion forecast a year ago.

Marketers are finding more search dollars by poaching budget from print magazine spending, website development, direct mail and other marketing programs.

Paid placement captures 87.4% of 2007 spending; organic SEO, 10.5%; paid inclusion, .07%, and technology investment, 1.4%

It seems as though nothing can stop the tidal wave transfer of advertising spend from traditional to online media. In fact, as I'm writing this post, a breaking news story reports that CBS Channel 2 in Chicago has laid off 17 people, including news anchor Diann Burns and sports anchor Mark Malone. The story explains -

What happened at Channel 2 is endemic to nearly all broadcast and print outlets of late. With audiences and advertisers investing more time and money in digital platforms such as the Internet, old-style media have announced cutbacks to offset the slipping revenue.

It's important to note that nearly 90% of SEM spending goes to paid placement. For all the media focus on SEO and conversational marketing, paid advertising still works. In fact, it works better all the time because ads can be targeted with greater accuracy than in the old days of indiscriminately placed pop-ups. Geographic filtering allows PPC ads on search engines to reach more relevant searchers. Ad placement on blogs, RSS feeds, and social networking sites can be geared to the tastes of very specific subscribers. Many Internet-based business models hinge upon building a healthy revenue stream from advertisements on their Web sites.

The ability to focus advertising spend on the Web makes the (relatively) scattergun approach of traditional media advertising look less appealing than ever, now that business conditions are weak. With that in mind, 2008, despite a recession, may see more growth than ever in paid search engine marketing.

Search Engine Optimization Links of the Week

2008-03-28T13:00:02Z

Matt Lester offers 10 Tips for A More Effective Paid Search Campaign. Always smart to review the basics.

Have a business blog? Darren Rowse, ProBlogger, offers high quality advice for Using Social Media to Grow Your Blog's Readership.

Speaking of social media, Lee Smith-Bryan writes an excellent post evaluating 7 Social Media Websites and Their Impact on SEO. If you're confused about how sites such as Twitter, Delicious, and Digg fit into the search marketing equation, this post will clear your head.

Jeffrey Smith advises that to improve your SEO, learn from your competition. Good advice for not only SEO, but any sales or marketing endeavor.

Here's a technical post from Patrick Altoft, Guide to Geo Targeting for SEO and Usability. Today companies can sell their wares anywhere around the globe regardless of their size. But to do so effectively, their Web sites must be nuanced country by country. Read this post to see how to build a geo targeted site.

With a recession here or looming, companies are scaling back. But Thomas M. Schmitz asks, B2B Marketing: Is It Time to Expand Your B2B Internet Marketing Strategy? For most companies the answer should be "yes". As Schmitz points out, more and more B2B buyers are using the Web to do research and make decisions. It's no longer good enough merely to have a Web "presence".

And speaking of recession, Matt Bailey reveals Three Recession Proof Tactics You Can't Afford to Miss. What are they? Search engine optimization, usability, and analytics. He's right - it's hard to imagine a bigger bang for your buck than taking full advantage of these three disciplines.

New Google Search Option Creates Complications and Opportunities

2008-03-25T12:43:18Z

Yesterday The New York Times reported on a new search-within-a-search option Google has made a standard feature of its site.

Now, if you search for certain high profile brands - Best Buy, let's say - you have the option of searching Best Buy Web only.

Very convenient for searchers, especially for sites with clumsy navigation or an enormous number of pages. The complications set in when you enter your Best Buy search term - in this case, "laptops" - and go to the new Google page. Here's what you get -

Notice the PPC advertising for competitive sites. People searching for a laptop at Best Buy will view ads from HP, Dell, Tiger Direct, and several others.

What to make of this? Even with competitive ads, Google's new feature probably helps Best Buy. By organizing all of the retailer's many laptop options, Google saves the consumer time conducting internal searches on the Best Buy site for certain types of purchases or information. Sure, some customers will be lured away by the PPC ads, but most will likely stick with Best Buy, or at least review Best Buy's information, since they wouldn't have started there in the first place unless they intended to shop there.

On the other hand, Google may have leveled the playing field for brands with poor navigation and internal search capability. If my company has invested millions in developing a high quality site, I don't think I'd like that. Regardless of how it all pans out, this new feature highlights the enormous power of search engines to not only organize information, but influence outcomes.

Whatever the outcome for Best Buy, it's quite possible the new Google feature will be a plus for PPC advertisers. The "Best Buy laptop" SERPs are of higher quality to retail advertisers than SERPs for "laptops". Whether these brand-specific pages yield a higher conversion rate for advertisers remains to be seen. If they do, that's good news for Google. The ultimate test will be whether consumers find the new Google search option more convenient than simply searching the brand's actual site.

Business Blogs and Generational Marketing

2008-03-18T11:49:24Z

In a recent post, I discussed how a business blog plays an indispensable role in reputation management and crisis management. However, for the millions of small and midsize companies with no real exposure to a public crisis, and for the larger firms that never experience one, a business blog is still a necessity.

Talkin' 'bout their generation

Baby Boomers, who still call most of the corporate shots, are accustomed to thinking in Baby Boomer terms. When I speak on business blogs, people often make the comment, "That all sounds great, but my customers don't read blogs."

My reaction to that is, fine, but what about tomorrow's customers? What's your transition plan for the day when today's customers become yesterday's customers?

Two things are critically important about the younger segment of the market.
1. They demand two-way, transparent communication.
2. They prefer to communicate digitally.

This is so obvious it barely needs stating, yet consider how many company Web sites have the following attributes.
1. They push the company message without giving customers a way to respond.
2. They use digital communication as a means to move customers into a phone conversation or live sales presentation.

Unfortunately, a growing number of people don't want to move into a phone conversation or be engaged in a live sales presentation. Instead, they want a completely digitized buying experience. Is your company able to provide one? If not, newer, younger customers are going to seek out - and find - the Amazons in your industry and become their loyal customers, not yours.

A business blog is a key part of a digital buying experience. Online conversations make it possible for customers to understand who you are and what you offer. Just as important, online conversations make it possible for you to understand what customers want and need. And, since customer wants and needs are continually changing, a company fully tuned in to the market will adapt faster and better than the competition.

True, some customers would rather communicate with you on the phone or face to face, regardless of their age. However, in a diverse market like ours, it's imperative to offer communication options for every taste. Lots of folks will say things you need to hear in a blog comment -- things they would never tell you on the phone or in person.

In Glengarry Glen Ross, the formula was ABS - Always Be Selling.

Today, the formula is ABL - Always Be Listening!

Top Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization Links

2008-03-12T12:24:57Z

Ronald Patiro makes two good points in his post on SEO strategy. First - test your hypothesis. Second - have a hypothesis!

Suffering from the same old same old? Small Fuel Marketing ofers 15 Simple Ways to Refresh a Marketing Campaign.

Diane Aull makes a really, really important point about why quality SEO costs money.

Here's a press release on Stumpedia.com. It's a new search engine model worth keeping an eye on, based on human rhythms rather than algorithms.

An interview with Andrew Shotland on the SEO Igloo Blog sheds light on local search.

Wiep.net makes the case for why small business can outperform big business when it comes to Internet marketing.

From Utah Web Services, A CEO's Perspective on SEO, SEM, SMM, PPC, and ROI.

Scott Fish offers excellent advice on reputation management and reputation monitoring. These tasks are becoming more important by the day because of the widening business use of social networks and blogs.

Ian Lurie explains why you should bid on your brand name in PPC .

From Daniel McGuigan, an entertaining and instructive pictorial review of The Good, The Bad & The Pay-Per-Click Ugly.

Are Business Blogs Now a Necessity?

2008-03-11T11:17:33Z

Stop the Presses is a sobering book. Its tag line -

Bullet-proofing Brands and Protecting Reputations in an Age of Peril

Yikes! The authors, Richard A. Levick, Esq., and Larry Smith are writing about crisis management. Throughout history, large corporations have been vulnerable to a media inspired or inflamed crisis; but more and more, smaller companies are vulnerable as well. Why?

More and more people are using the Web to gather information about companies
More and more niche bloggers are writing about companies and industries
Some of these bloggers have an agenda
Small stories broken on blogs can become viral overnight and seriously disrupt a firm's reputation, or worse

In such an environment, silence is not golden. Say the authors -

"Savvy bloggers and readers won't stand for corporate rhetoric or tactical obfuscation ... Developing and implementing a substantive blogging strategy in advance of a crisis is therefore critical. A blog gives businesses a way to stay ahead of the news cycle by presenting, testing, and refining a company's message, distinguishing facts from fiction, and correcting any misinformation that may be circulating and propagating through the blogosphere." (p. 87)

Of course, another outstanding communication benefit of a blog is that it allows customers and interested third parties to have conversations with your company. A great deal of misunderstanding and misrepresentation can be cleared up by talking with consumers, not at them. Some of the most powerful - and most persuasive - communication in the business world now takes place in the comments section of a blog post. Remaining silent or aloof is no longer an option, because people are going to have conversations about your business whether you're participating or not.

Ironically, many firms shy away from launching a blog because they believe it will attract or magnify controversy. The idea of publishing a negative comment - a rather common occurrence these days - still sends shivers up some corporate spines. In reality, as the authors of Stop the Presses explain so well, a business blog serves to alleviate controversy; provided, of course, the firm has a well thought out content policy and capable, well schooled writers.

The best news of all is this. Even if the crisis never comes (and we hope that's the case), a business blog still contributes mightily to the corporate cause. More about that next time.

Protecting Your Company from an Online Crisis

2008-03-05T12:05:52Z

Although much has been written about promoting a business online, one thing that has impacted businesses today way more than mere web presence is the "new" power of the online customer. All the positive influences of having a state-of-the-art web site, miles of thought-provoking blog entries and virtual reams of up-to-date newsletters may be easily written off by a flick of a button when you encounter a negative customer feedback or review. For almost every industry you will find sites dedicated to reviewing its products/services; sometimes even a customer's own personal blog is capable of broadcasting personal feedback in a way that could reach hundreds or thousands of people.

This is certainly not a new phenomenon, but the popularity of myspace sites and other social-networking portals have redefined the term "word of mouth". Case in point - the Steak and Shake episode as outlined in Liz Fuller's post Crisis Case Study: Steak and Shake Refuses Service to Deaf Mom - an awful incident of bad service becomes a post in a blog and as you can see the rest is history --

The next day, she (Karen Putz) itemized over 80 blogs that had picked up her story. The story was also picked up that night by ABC News and Fox News. Today, approximately three weeks after it happened there are almost 1000 hits on Google when typing in the search words, "Steak and Shake" and "Deaf Mom" and worse yet "this story appears in positions #3 through #9 on the front page of Google when searching on the terms "Steak and Shake".

So what is a company supposed to do in this instance? Shel Holtz gives a primer on Crisis Communication Fundamentals that might help you outline actions that need to be taken in case of negative PR hits such as that of the Steak and Shake incident. Liz Fuller also addresses crisis management in her post When A Crisis Hits, Where Do You Want To Be? where she has this to say about crisis management-

The best case scenario is where your business already has established a blog. Using the existing blog to manage the crisis is a natural extension of the blog's reach to your customers.

The coin does flip both ways, the "power" of mass communication that some consumers/customers have may be pretty devastating when turned against you, but on the other hand, the positive influences of good word of mouth can certainly turn the tide in your favor as well. Understanding the online sphere that your business "lives" in and where your customer finds information is one step towards keeping a finger on your companies' identity and reputation.

(Image courtesy of FreeFoto)