I have spent the last year working with an image powerhouse. The power of images is great, an untapped source of traffic for sure. I am a search marketer that is all about the conversion, but if all you want it traffic, images are just awesome and long tail. What’s just so sharable? Images. Why do you think we take data and make it pretty (ala infographics)? People love images. The most recent, not sure if it’s really the brain child of Paula Holmes Crimm, but maybe.

Shared almost 2k times as of 5:12pm CDT

Really. How freaking cute. He/She let the dogs out. Took claim for the apparent mess it caused. You just want to kiss that puppy and the share it with all of your friends. I saw it this morning, reshared it, and 5 of my friends have done the same and not all from me.

Now the image search for this image. I figured “I let the dogs out” would do it.

Alas no. I may be wrong in the search or it might just not have been shared outside of FB yet. Therefore, Google hasn’t seen it. So I’m posting it. With good alt text and image name. Let’s see what happens and if I can get some traffic from it. </SEO>

Take Away for Search Marketers and Businesses

This small picture is being shared. There is no commerce behind it, no linking scheme, just an image. So I want to impart something I have seen as I’ve developed client infographics and link bait, don’t make it about you. Make it about users, your target market, the everyday user, the facebook user, whoever you want to see and share your content. Make it about them and they will share it. This does not have a 100% success rate (meaning making “viral linkbait” is still not possible to just create) but it does help get to the heart of the user and that might transfer down to the tip of their “share” finger.

Letting the Dogs Out: Image Search is a post from: Kate Morris

Dear ModCloth,

I love your Facebook ads, they are one of the few that work for me … repeatedly. I even bought one once, took it with me to Mexico and it was even borrowed from a friend! Great stuff.

On the left, myself and Lauren Polinsky. To the right, Kristy Bolsinger wearing the same Plum Role Dress.

 and 

There is an issue though. Those ads … they feature pretty dresses that catch my eye. I click … and am taken to the dresses page. The dress I loved is NOT THERE. I have to search for it.

Example

Landing Page:

No pretty blue dress. *sad face*

How to Fix This Issue and Sell More Dresses

Talk to your developers. Find some way to land on something like this:

Or the product page (bonus you have suggested other products!). Maybe retrofit the landing page to be the product page but rather than suggested accessories, you suggest other dresses. Or add a call to action at the top of the page “see other dresses” or something more catchy.

Thank you for your time,

Kate Morris

PS I do love your products. Ordered another one the other day. But please make it easier!

Thanks to Lauren Polinsky for the photos from a great trip!

Sell me this dress ModCloth! is a post from: Kate Morris

There is a live debate going on at TinyScreenfuls and John Bancroft’s posting of Should Intel Ban Facebook? Most of the responses have been to ban it. That surprises me considering where I found the link. Jeremiah Owyang is against it, saying “If they do ban Facebook, they might as well ban the rest of the web, but intel.com.”

Hate to break it to you Jeremiah, but there are lots of companies that don’t want their employees burning time adding new applications and talking to friends. Why do you think MySpace was banned? Yeah, security and all. But really it’s a productivity thing.

This is going to get more interesting as time passes.

Banning Facebook Debate is a post from: Kate Morris

Then why is it that it was a pair of internet marketers (Danny Sullivan and Lisa Barone) are the ones to notice that Facebook was posting details about people after they opted out because their friends didn’t opt out?

Yes, the horrible people are actually the saviors. Facebook is working on the issue right now. We are human beings too and don’t want certain things out in the world just as much as the next person. We just have contacts — let me rephrase — Danny and Lisa have contacts to fix problems.

People are still saying Facebook is the next big, really big thing. I still hold to my theory that it will head the direction of MySpace. The program is being bogged down with external programs and add ons. Apps that constantly ask to know what you are doing all the time. Soon enough it will be just as time consuming as MySpace and companies will ban the access because of productivity loss.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Facebook, but the original was better.

Facebook, Privacy, and SEOs is a post from: Kate Morris

The question he’s been getting a lot: Is Facebook the next Google? I think they are two different things. Can Facebook get the same kind of hype? Yes, that’s the “likeness” it has to GOogle.

Facebook has experienced 2 tipping points according to the statistics – corporate network and opening access to anyone with an email address. There’s definitely a market share increase of pages: the site broke into the top 10 of all Internet sites in March 2007. Opening application development could lead to the next tipping point.

Here are my thoughts on Facebook and it’s popularity. I was on it when it started. I still had access to my college email address then (don’t anymore, 3 years after graduation) and liked it. But more of my old friends from HS were on MySpace. They were allowed there.

But Facebook was cleaner.

Then they opened it to everyone and it gained popularity. But I have a theory, a more unseen one, as to who Facebook is more popular. It’s not banned at work yet.

MySpace was/is a time hog. I used to spend hours making my page look right, changing it on my mood, and I know code! Most people don’t … imagine how long that took?

But now with applications and such, and the opening to everyone … I am thinking it’s only a matter of time. I’m not saying it’s going down. I’m just saying it’s not any better. It’s just different. Google vs Yahoo. They both have their uses.

Facebook: The Real Post is a post from: Kate Morris