by Mark Pape, Chief of innovation at Deep Current

In 2003
Ten years ago, if any web designer took the time to add basic keywords to a client’s website pages, the client would appear on the first page on Google. We did this back then for our clients; one of which was Ivor Hamilton, a wedding photographer in Durban South Africa. His website www.ivorhamilton.co.za enjoyed first place position for the search phrase “Wedding Photographer Durban” for many years.

Enter the Competition
Ivor was a ‘first mover’; getting himself online early and benefitting from this as his business thrived. The Wedding Photographer market, like many other markets, has become more competitive with more photographers and more websites. Unfortunately, within the last few years, Ivor’s search position has declined.

What has changed?
In 2003, not a lot was required to be at the top of search engines, especially if you knew how to do the basics well. Much has changed since then; larger target markets are now accessible online. A Marketing Director can now attack the majority of his/her market by simply conquering SEO properly. This has brought with it competition; not only within industries but competition between SEO companies too… The competition is Olympic, and the games have now come to South Africa.

What has changed is all the factors that combine to form the infamous Google algorithm have become a field for competition.

Google has always had a basic set of factors that influence rank position, as follows:

1. Website Server Health
2. Website Copy Quality
3. Website Technology & Construction
4. Keyword usage
5. Internal Cross Linking
6. Outbound links
7. Penalties due to SEO Manipulation or Black Hat methods
8. Visitor Profile and Behaviour
9. Page Maintenance
10. Backlink profile
11. Backlink creation

200 Search factors
The basic set of 11 factors above are merely categories that contain the 200 factors that Google themselves claim to include in their full algorithm, however nobody knows exactly what they are and they do change continuously. More recently, we notice rank positions are actually not held consistently, fluctuating from week to week.

You can find out more about how google search works at the link provided, but please first read on… http://www.google.com/competition/howgooglesearchworks.html.

The Client’s chosen Search Terms
It’s always wise to keep expectations aligned, so to this end we will investigate what search terms a client wishes to do well on search engines. We will determine whether their search term goals are realistic in context of their budget, competitors, current website status and marketing strategy.

Foundation SEO
It is possible to get Page 1 rankings with an initial round of SEO work that covers factors 1 – 7 above.

Our website solutions all include ‘Foundation SEO’ by default, and in most cases the results can be pleasing.

Clients who are accustomed to paying a once off fee for a well done ‘Foundation SEO’ sometimes do not see the larger picture. In fact, I have sat down to write this article to describe the SEO landscape in the hope that there is a better understanding of what is required, and in turn the budget requirements to be competitive.

SEO Requires Maintenance
As an SEO company we have managed to allow our clients to compete with a very solid foundation, a once off fee and no need for monthly maintenance. This strategy, unfortunately, can no longer be sustained.

In order for our clients to compete, we need to attack factors 8 – 11 and these factors require a retainer to ensure performance.

How much is needed? Fortunately, we can determine the competitiveness of your market and determine the amount of work needed.

A retainer for SEO would involve the following (including points 1-11):

• Monthly Review and Status Report
1. Website Server Health
2. Website Copy
3. Website Technology & Construction
4. Keyword usage
5. Internal Cross Linking
6. Outbound links
7. Avoid Penalties due to SEO Manipulation or Black Hat methods
8. Visitor Profile and Behaviour
• Content updates
9. Page Maintenance
• Link Building
10. Backlink profile
11. Backlink creation

You decide how much of the budget to put towards SEO, and at the very least, review and maintain your existing content and content updates.

Copy Common Sense
All the 200 factors are important, but the most important factor in my opinion is your content. With recent Google Algorithm changes, like Panda and Penguin, they were created all in the spirit of providing good search results linking to websites with good and relevant content (Google is not out to give us all a hard time, as many SEO’s like to think).

Great content wins!

From our experience, if you optimize your website well, Google is more likely to give you position. During this ‘experimental’ phase, not enough people engage with your website or they simply ‘bounce’ away, until eventually you lose your ‘trial rank’ position on Google and fall away.

The main reason for losing rank, when going into the future, is because the content is not good enough. Work on your content; plan it, make it engaging, interesting and relevant to your audience and you will have half the SEO battle won.

Time to knuckle down
Sit down with a SEO Company and discuss tactics around the retainer needed to manage your SEO performance (Sales performance). Thanks for reading and I hope this article was useful.

If you would like to discuss your SEO with Deep Current email info@deepcurrent.co.za.

Virality has become the buzzword among social networks and marketing companies. In true essence, it is a marketing technique that uses the web, technologies and social networks to increase product or brand awareness. Achieving viral success is not as easy as it looks. We have formulated four of the most important steps in achieving Virality, to ensure your next article post, social update or video upload gives you the results you want.

1. Research

This is an in depth and arduous step, but should be the first you take when trying to reach virality. Understand your target audience beyond the usual demographics. Get inside their heads; find out what their sense of humour is and how they engage on social platforms. Ask questions to determine what you should produce, and define what viewers would deem sharable, worth looking at and talking about.

Research Question Checklist:

What does your Target Audience read about?
What would they relate to?
Do they enjoy slap-stick humour or wit?
How often do they engage on social platforms?
Do they have a lot of time to spend on social platforms?
What content do they engage with?
What is important to them?

2. Authenticity and Originality

Content that successfully spreads fast across all platforms and grabs a huge audience is due to the authenticity. The authenticity makes it original. This is rather tricky when talking about authenticity in marketing terms as there is nothing authentic in something that has been planned or tried before. This is a complex step, where companies have to be careful of not coming across as if they are selling, but also deliver the message about the product/brand in a truthful and unconventional manner. Our suggestion is to concentrate on making the brand/product message entertaining, produce something that gives instant gratification, and always be original (do not reproduce another version of a successful campaign).

Take “The Evolution of Dance” as an example of something authentic and original. These dance moves have been seen many times over, but comedian Judson Laipply’s career has sky rocketed due to the authenticity and original spin of the entire video. It’s simply made, yet over 200 million have viewed the video! “The Dance evolution” is entertaining, instantly gratifying and has its audience trying to fathom which dance move will be next.

The evolution of dance

3. Catchiness

Have you been caught repeating a catchy tune or phrase from an advert or video. These marketing products have left a mark, and have utilized this small yet affective strategy. It makes it increasingly difficult to forget something catchy and as a result it takes on another life. People start using these catchy phrases in their everyday life; making them a part of their vocabulary and social updates.
Here are some images that have come onto our social platforms and become a means of expression. Have any catchy phrases or tunes come into play on your social updates in some form or another?

4. Relevance and Trends

The content you produce may be entertaining, however if it is not relevant to your target audience, you may miss the mark completely. Trends help you connect and understand what your audience may be talking about and will want to see. Always remember to produce something that will be useful to viewers.

Having escaped an apartment building on fire, a lady was interviewed and used the expression; “Ain’t nobody got time for that”. Soon after that interview, a song was created using her coined and catchy phrase.

The original interview

Ain’t nobody got time for that song

The Grumpy Cat is another example of a trending topic that has many people interested. Its popularity is due to the sullen expression it exudes; relatable to how many feel. There have been articles, interviews and social media memes made for The Grumpy Cat.

Virality is a by-product of a good marketing strategy. Remember these four important steps and have fun while creating your content; soon you’ll hit numbers you never thought possible.

Sources:
http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/26780.asp
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/223281
www.9gag.com
www.news.com.au
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/06/08/viral.videos/index.html

St Martin’s Home for Children was founded in 1897 and is one of the oldest children homes in South Africa. For over 100 years, they have welcomed children from all sorts of cultural backgrounds, situations and circumstances. There are many reasons children seek shelter there; some may have suffered from abuse, neglect, have been abandoned, orphaned or their families lacked financial stability. St Martin’s Home for Children provides safety, stability and a fun-loving environment for the children they home and help.

Deep Current have been donating money to St. Martin’s Home for Children for some time now, and were eager to pay a visit, check-in and see how our contributions were helping. Not sure of what to expect, the reception we received was more than welcoming!

Our visit

We’d just arrived before dinner time, and our first stop around the house was in the dining area. Healthy amounts of butternut, rice and chicken were laid out on the table; chairs and tables were grouped together and a TV centred the room. Children were hustling and bustling upstairs, as they were getting ready to come down and eat. Although St Martin’s home accommodates approximately 80 children, the smell of home cooking certainly filled the air with warmth and homeliness.

As welcoming as the dining room was, our tour was just beginning and we wanted to catch the younger children before they ventured off to eat. Our second stop was upstairs in the younger boy’s dormitory. As we entered, the young lads circled around inquisitively with big smiles, eager to meet us. New bunk beds were neatly made, fresh towels hanging off the end and individual lockers made up the newly blue and white painted room. They told us how much they enjoyed watching movies in their TV room, just off the main bedroom. One of the boys did a summersault for us, and once the chit-chat simmered down, the boys started making their way downstairs for dinner.

The dinner bell sounded off throughout the entire building, there was no mistaking it! We hurried along and caught some of the younger girls leaving their newly renovated bright, all-pink dormitory. Some of the girls gave us warm, welcoming hugs; every child smiled as they passed us and some even stopped with a few things to say. Just off the girls dormitory and TV lounge was a quiet spot for them to do their homework. After all the children had rushed down for dinner, we were then taken to the Healing Room; which is a rather positive spin off of what schools and other places would call the ‘sick room’. It was explained how St. Martin’s have taken an organic and natural remedy solution to helping children fight illnesses, aches and pains.

Younger Boy’s Dormitory

Younger Girl’s Dormitory

What we got out of it

The Home really does strive to do its utmost best to make sure their children feel like they are at home, and continuously instil positivity into their lives. The warmth, welcome and genuine smiles we encountered that day, truly reflected the success of charitable work and donations given.

St Martin’s Home for Children are doing all they can to give their children opportunities, a safe and pleasant home life and a good grounding. Through love and care, St Martin’s try and bring out the best in each child, and help them define their unique beauty and strength. Not every child is the same, and the needs for each one are catered to differently, and this is shown more so in the education they provide. Those without learning problems are welcomed into local schools, while others who experience difficulty, are sent to Remedial Classes and given special attention. In addition, a more hands on approach to teaching and learning is also provided through motor mechanic and cooking classes.

All these opportunities offered are made possible through every donation and helping hand local businesses and schools give.

Want to get involved?

We would like to encourage other companies and individuals to visit, donate and get involved in this lovely charitable cause. It takes a team, and a pretty penny, to get this Home running so smoothly, and to give each child what they need and require as they grow up. Although one third of the funding is provided from Social Welfare, every donation and helping hand does make a huge difference to the quality of each child’s life.

If you wish to make a donation or get involved with St Martin’s Home for Children fund raising initiatives, contact; 031 201 1261 or go to their website for more information www.stmartinshome.org.za

It’s truly rewarding to know, we were able to contribute to someone’s life, even if it is in a small way. We left St Martin’s Home for Children happy, pleasantly surprised and uplifted.

Who would have ever imagined the hashtag symbol to be a topic of popular discussion? Its purpose has expanded beyond being the lonely symbol we enter at the end of a voice message or long code for airtime.

In fact, the hashtag has taken on a whole new life in the digital world. Using this symbol in a status update can make all the difference to your presence online. To us at Deep Current, when a hashtag is used for posting content, it allows anyone, including the reader and social network, to identify with the content being posted. This then allows both, the social network and readers, a chance to filter and find relevant content better.

From humble beginnings, the hashtag was initially used on the fast-paced social network Twitter to group conversations. It has evolved into a source of creating engagement, seeing what is trending and a marketing research tool. It proved so popular and practical on Twitter, people started using them on other social media platforms. There has always been a social media war between Facebook and Twitter, but more so now because of the hashtag symbol! To catch up on this war, the Wall Street Journal article, http://on.wsj.com/Z2lJmF gives us an in depth look at the rivalry between these two social networks. The hashtag phenomenon has forced other social media platforms to acknowledge its function ability and popularity, and include it into their arsenal of features.

First thing’s first, how would you even use or create a hashtag? The ease of it may be part of why it caught on like wildfire! In order to create a hashtag, all that you need to do is put the hashtag symbol in front of a word, phrase or group of words. Remember to not leave any spacing in between the words when hashtagging a phrase or a group of words. To make it easier to read, use a capital letter for each new word.

There are four common ways the hashtag is generally used.

1. In the beginning of a sentence:
This kind of hashtag can trend on Twitter. Here you can start your sentence with a prompt or a phrase like; #SocialMediaIsBestWhen. As you can see, there are no spaces in between words when using a hashtag. Only when you want to differentiate the hashtag and your answer do you then use spacing. Once the hashtag is defined, continue to fill in the blank with your update. It’s like filling in the blank; it helps generate interaction, create conversations with multiple people (not just those you follow or who follow you).
Example: #SocialMediaIsBestWhen you use it to promote your business and brand in South Africa.

2. A group of words:
Grouping a couple of words helps enhance the description of your status or share your feelings. This is usually placed at the end of an update sentence, for example; Social media helps take your brand to the next level. #InnovativeMarketing #ElevatedBrandEngagement

3. On selective words within your update:
Using hashtags on selective words within your update helps highlight the conversation topic your status would best suit or interest certain people. Here is an example of how you would use selective hashtags in an update; Social media is best used for #businesses in #SouthAfrica because they help promote #brands.

4. At the end of your post:
As we’re sure you are catching on, to use hashtags at the end of a status update would be something along the lines of this; Social media helps promote what you have to say. #SouthAfrica #Businesses #Brands

In many cases, too little and too much of something can be equally as damaging. Where do we draw the line with how many hashtag references we use? The best thing to do for your business, brand or personal profile is to think of what suits the post and who your target audience is. Here is a basic guideline…

Twitter

Hashtags are mostly known for and used on Twitter. In order to optimize hashtags and get the right attention for your important posts, you must hashtag at most three times per post. Two hashtags in a post is most ideal. Exceeding this number can be annoying for others and make you come across as a Spammer. Use hashtags sparingly and attach them to keywords that best help promote your post.

Facebook

At the moment, hashtagging on Facebook is more of a trend than a function. Soon this will change, as Facebook are working on including the hashtag to help group conversations. Until this function has been incorporated into their features, your hashtags will only be seen by your group of friends.

Linkedin

Not many people know this, but you can even hashtag on Linkedin! The function was incorporated silently and not made such a huge fuss over. Research hasn’t really been done to determine the frequency of hashtag usage on Linkedin, however we can give you a basic guideline. Much like in Twitter’s case, avoid using too many hashtags. This is a professional-business type of social media, so use your hastags when necessary and do not use more than two.

Pinterest

This popular picture based social network has also found the hashtag a useful tool in its searching function. There isn’t a number of how many hashtags you should use, just to ensure you try and select a few keywords that relate to the picture, a broad category and cover a topic.

There is more to this #phenomenon than being a trend in itself; it serves an important purpose. Now you know it all, we’ve given you the 1-0-1 on what hashtags are and how to best use them. Improve your status updates across the board and stand out in a crowd.

Sources:
http://www.hashtags.org/how-to/search/now-you-can-use-hashtags-on-linkedin/
http://www.mintonlinemarketing.net/the-hashtag-generation/
http://intelligentdesignsmedia.com/2012/02/14/using-hashtags-on-pinterest/
http://www.massrelevance.com/blog/facebook-0#.UXUcmMrV5jc
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/shortcuts/2013/mar/17/hashtags-twitter-facebook
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323393304578360651345373308.html?mod=rss_Technology&source=email_rt_mc_body