Watch this video on YouTube.

In an article on the WSJ, Shayndi Raice had this to say about the new changes:

The Facebook and Twitter engineers argue on their site that Google is forsaking its most basic promise to users to provide them with the most relevant information. For example, if a user searches for “cooking” in Google, the search engine will point them to chef Jamie Oliver’s Google+ page. But that page may not be as relevant as Oliver’s Facebook or Twitter accounts, where he has far more fans and updates those sites more frequently.

The point is that, without sharing results from other social networks, how can Google state that content on Google Plus is the most relevant? It’s impossible in my opinion.

If Google integrated Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin into its search algorithm, it can determine relevance by the level of engagement; meaning that the amount of “likes,” comments, shares and posts can determine if the social networking content is relevant to a particular keyword.

Perhaps this is Phase I of Google’s master plan. But for a company that has built an empire based on relevance, this seems very short-sighted.

Marketing people can almost instantly see the value in this update. For example, let’s say I’m a consumer shopping around for a new digital camera, more specifically, a Canon. If I type Canon digital camera into the search engine, not only will listings from CNET, Best Buy and Amazon come up, but any status updates from my inner circle that mentioned those exact keywords. Notice from the screenshot below, that social listings find their way to the top, this is no mistake. Social listings are more trustworthy sources than a random organic listing. Think of it as a referral.

In the image below, I used “brandon laws” as the keyword in Google, and it brought my Google+ page plus and any updates that mentioned “brandon laws.” These are identified with a little blue icon to the left of the listing that looks like a person. It actually reminds me of the original Myspace logo.

This biggest problem with this update is that Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter are not included. The adoption of Google+ was huge early on, but all signs are pointing to the fact that people just aren’t using it. A Facebook integration is much needed in the future if this new update is going to be successful. There is no doubt that the potential is huge though.

While SEO is complicated from start to finish, most marketing professionals understand that linking strategies, both inbound and outbound, are one of the most significant factors in search engine optimization.

Linking a website to another is not as simple as it may seem. Getting links is one thing, but using it as a keyword strategy is a skill in and of itself.

SEOs use anchor text to link a website to another. When you create a hyperlink out of a word or a string of words, that’s called anchor text, and search engines, such as Google, factor that into their search algorithm.

Imagine every time one website links to another. To a search engine, that’s like a vote of confidence, thus building up a reputation of having valuable content. However, if a website can link to another using anchor text with a main keyword relevant to their website, it helps search engines define what the page is about based on the keyword and the link to the page.

For example, a lot of people use anchor text by simply writing, “click here.” I say take it one step further and use a main keyword that is on the linked page. For instance, if this article is specifically about relevant content for small business websites, then link that string of text (as shown) to another webpage within the site that contains the keyword string. However, obtaining a back-link that contains anchor text is much more difficult since it’s controlled by another webmaster.

Marketing professionals who are taking over the SEO strategy for their small business website should undoubtedly begin by creating an anchor text strategy. Define main keywords and landing pages then consistently link to those pages using the same keywords. Gradually search engines will begin to notice the defined keywords and links to the pages, which enhances the relevance for keyword strings.

Consumers are quickly adapting to the new technology as tablets drop is price. Information consumers, such as myself, purchase these tablets to read news articles, whitepapers, email newsletters and books instantly, thus removing all physical reading material from the picture.

For businesses and marketers, this is an opportunity to self-publish content and deliver right to the target market.

Tablets provide a lot of value in a sense that it brings instantaneous information to consumers. From a marketing perspective, businesses can create and publish free whitepapers, articles, podcasts and many other web-based resources that can be easily transferred to this type of technology and brought right to the consumer.

The benefits of self-publishing go way beyond cost-saving. For example, in direct mail marketing, a business is limited to how many mailings can be sent out based on the units purchased or printed in-house. Conversely, self-published content on the web can be downloaded, sent or viewed nearly an unlimited amount of times.

In terms of comparing the two in pure dollars and cents, they aren’t even close. The cost of printing and mailing reaches close to a minimum of $.50 per unit, whereas online content, such as an email newsletter, can be as low as free in some instances.

Analytics tools also make web content creation more intriguing. For example, for those that read this article, I can determine which region you reside in, what device you are reading it on and how you found this page. Direct mail hardly seems as strategic.

In a world where content consumption seems to be at an all-time high, it makes being a marketing professional very interesting. New technology, such as the Kindle Fire, now gives us a strategic way to reach target audiences in a cost-effective way.

What do I mean by quick-fix SEO? There are many SEO tactics I would consider “quick-fix,” and that’s namely “black-hat” SEO.

Black-hatters typically use methods like link-farming, hiding links and keywords behind backgrounds, and keyword stuff wherever possible. This, of course, is to drive as much traffic to their site as humanely possible for specific and general keywords – in the short term that is.

What these type of marketers may not understand is the fact that search engines are extremely sophisticated nowadays, meaning that they will eventually catch on to any malicious SEO methods. Although search rankings may jump after stuffing keywords or purchasing links, it is inevitable that the search engines will catch on and penalize a website for it.

Take this article in the N.Y Times about J.C. Penney, for example. For months, they were ranking consistently at the top of the search rankings for very specific terms like, black dresses or tablecloths. As it turns out, they were using a process of link farming, which is placing links on sites that have nothing to do with the business, but using anchor text with main keywords to point back to the main J.C. Penney homepage. They apparently figured out the fact that pointing more links to the site using keywords as anchor text is one of Google’s main aspects of handing out a high ranking.

However, it didn’t take Google long to uncover the facts about J.C. Penney’s high rankings, and has since penalized them for using black-hat SEO methods.

If a website truly wishes to rank high, it’s a simple formula. Develop unique and engaging content that uses specific keywords for each piece of content. Good content naturally spreads across the web, which is where the link-building comes in. Often times, to target specific keywords to landing pages, you may need to reach out to webmasters of other websites to guide them on how to use anchor text when linking to content on your site.

In the end, the fundamental, white-hat methods seems to be the right one to follow. It will allow the website to rank over the long-term instead of the short.

Podcasting is another outbound marketing tactic that has been around for years but is really gaining traction because of its multi-dimensional value. Advanced technology has reduced the barrier of entry to methods such as podcasting. It is now cost-effective to produce and distribute to the mass public, whereas before, it may not have been easy to produce for the typical small business.

Businesses are always trying to find ways to differentiate a product or service, and hosting a regular podcast is a great way to do it.

Think about it this way: companies constantly find ways to develop their brand through advertising, printed marketing communication and web marketing communication with the goal of developing recognition of one’s brand. Some corporations spend millions of dollars just on radio or television ads alone,  with the intent to develop a recognition for the brand, often without having a formal campaign or call-to-action in place.

Podcasting has similar brand-development attributes, but is a much more cost-effective way to reach an audience as a sole proprietor, small, medium or large business, not to mention that messaging and delivery is fully controlled by the producer. All that is needed is a computer with audio editing capabilities, a microphone and recorder, all while producing valued content to deliver to an audience. Once created, develop a feed and submit to directories like iTunes and publish to the company website.

With a consistent publishing schedule, it would not be far-fetched to develop a following around the podcast show, especially if some formal production has been put into it. Producing high value and high quality content is most important. If the content within the podcast is strictly a sales pitch, the chances are it will not be well received and may fail almost instantly. Always keep in mind that audiences want to learn new information or they want to be entertained, especially if they can get it for free.

The most interesting aspect of podcasting is that all other web marketing activities intertwine with it. For example, a newly released podcast episode may be heard and well-received by one person, that person then posts to their Facebook wall where their 300+ friends are now exposed to the content, and any one of them could become a new audience member. Social media allows success to happen even faster since consumers tend to latch on to content very quick and share it with their network.

Podcast episodes are also search engine friendly. Depending on how each episode is published and channels are displayed, they each hold weight in the search engines. Search engines reward high value content, and if the podcast episodes stay on the web long-term it is almost certain it will have some success in the search engines; especially if the podcast brings in well-known business leaders as guests in the target industry.

The only caveat to podcasting, just like any of the other web strategies, is that it takes time in planning and producing. While some businesses may not be willing to sacrifice their limited resources, those that have produced high quality podcast episodes have certainly found some success in developing their brand and building a following around it.

A Linchpin, according to Godin, is an employee that holds a business together. Linchpins are the type of employee or entrepreneur that makes things happen – a “game changer.” Godin states that every business needs at least one, but more would be ideal in case that one person happen to hold your business hostage because they hold the knowledge.

Godin spends a lot of the book explaining how to become a Linchpin; the difference-maker. The Linchpin spends their time creating, or being an “artist” as Godin explains. By putting emotion and creativity into work, it separates a person from the rest of the 9 to 5′ers who go through the motions and are not a catalyst for positive change.

My take away from this book is that business owners need to find the Linchpins of the world and put them in a position to make an impact through their creative attributes. Most often, this comes through in the marketing or product development side.

Unless a business has a cutting-edge, innovative product that no one else has, it is likely there is a product or service out there that is similar to your business. Differentiation is the only way to gain market share among competitors, and it just may be that a Linchpin type of worker may be able to help differentiate a business versus another.

Bottom Line

Linchpin is a book about differentiation in the marketplace. I found this book to be enlightening because I personally am always finding ways to improve myself and become that “game changer” in business. This book is highly motivational and worth every second spent reading for the sake of bringing out the creative side in myself and in others around me.

Brandon’s Book Rating: 8.5/10

1. Google Buzz was seemingly a failure and there was no way Google was going to make that mistake again
2. The features and functionality look a lot like Facebook but with enhanced features such as video
3. Given the fact that it was a lot like Facebook in terms of usage, it seems apparent that it will make a significant impact in SEO and could hurt Facebook overall

Even though Google+ is invite only, it has not been too difficult to find someone to send an invite; in fact, with the latest estimated statistics, as much as 10 million users are now active on Google+. The invite only method may be part of the reason why it has generated so much buzz in the past few weeks.

Google has also made it very clear that the Beta version is not ready for business profiles at this point, but should be rolled out once the final version comes out. Google+ for business/brands seems to have the most upside and long term growth. Because Google is a search engine giant, the impact and role Google+ can play on organic search seems to be endless.

With the roll out of the Google +1 feature in recent months (also a Beta version), it seemed to be the first sign that something big was on the way. And to now see the integration within Google+, we now know why. Ultimately, it is a similar feature to the “Like” button on Facebook, but the +1 feature has much more implications on search.

As mentioned in a previous post on the Google +1 feature, the button will be seen as a vote of confidence to one’s content, page, website, etc. The new social media platform Google+ will bring the simple feature, the +1 button, to life and foresee-ably allow content a bigger opportunity to be reached via the search engine powerhouse, Google.

Undoubtedly the +1 button will have an impact on search by itself, but Google+ will make it that much more of an impact on search engine optimization for relevant content. The +1 button is already showing up in Google Webmaster Tools as a tracking tool, so as a webmaster, it is already known that it is a factor in the game of search optimization and determining the most relevant content, according to who is clicking +1 on content.

The Information Age, as most call it, is a specific time period where data and other forms of content has become at the tip of anyone’s fingers through the internet. The presents all sorts of opportunities, such as blogging, journalism, pod-casting and many other avenues to spread a message.

Most of these are difficult to monetize, however, unless one has set up a subscriber platform to access content or to set up display advertising around the content. Both methods have been proven difficult, because most believe content should be free.

The opportunity that I see is actually not in monetizing content directly, it is in developing a following, or as Seth Godin likes to call it, a “Tribe.”

Through these platforms such as blogging, podcasts or e-books, you are able to develop thought-leading content to develop a following around a brand. This is difficult to do, however. You must be consistent, create new and original content frequently and spread the message through multiple channels, such as partners, mainstream websites, etc.

It may be difficult to swallow the fact that I’m suggesting you give away content for free, especially since it takes a lot of time and energy to create, but building a following can be much more lucrative long-term.

By giving away free content that people value and consume regularly, you keep them following your brand, and in the end, it makes it much easier to sell something directly to them. Why? Because they trust you.

Because anyone can put up a website or a blog within an hour and begin developing content, my suggestion is that you do so and give it away for free and in a consistent manner. The technology has been there for years, but it is a matter of whether you have the drive to develop original content regularly so that you are seen as the expert in your field.