Amplify Interactive » Ben

PPC Fundamentals Article: Writing Good PPC Ads

Ben — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:42:22 +0000

Christian had an article published on AboutUs.org about “Writing Good PPC Ads”. The article discusses the fundamentals for writing good PPC ad copy and gives a few specific pointers and factors to consider in writing ads for PPC campaigns. He even provided a spreadsheet that you can download to help you write ad copy within the Google AdWords character limits. You can download the PPC Ad Copy Spreadsheet on our SEM Resources page.

Great work Christian!

SEO Tip: Squeeze Every Last Drop Out Of Your Content

Ben — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:30:12 +0000

Content strategies are critical for Web success, especially SEO and as such – it’s a valuable commodity. In many organizations, it can be difficult to get content produced, so it’s very important to get as much mileage as possible from every piece of content that you develop. The ultimate goal is to get your content “out there” and generate as much awareness as you can for the piece, which will drive targeted visits, links, “mentions” on social media, etc.

Here’s some tips for getting extra mileage out of your unique content.

Article:

Post on your site / resources section
Re-write for placement on other sites
Edit again and put in article directories
Post a summary on your blog and link to the full article
Tweet your article, get RT’s from your co-workers, followers, friends, family, etc
Make sure it makes its way to your Facebook page
LinkedIn: update your status with a link (like Twitter), use groups to publicize
News release?: Is your new content worthy of a news release? (read – is it newsworthy?) If your piece is a study, has unique research, is a useful tool or process or a learning piece (like a white paper), then you should consider putting together an optimized release announcing the content and at the very least, use a free or inexpensive distribution service.

Some additional ideas:

Leverage distribution channels for unique “alternative” content (see my post “SEO Tips for Universal Search”)
Pictures? Flickr is an ideal distribution platform
- Get involved – there are likely Flickr groups related to your industry, submit your pics
- Make sure they make it to Facebook. You can connect Flickr to Facebook, and of course there’s albums on Facebook
Video? YouTube, Flickr, Vimeo and others
- Again – share it via your Facebook page
Presentation? Slideshare… If you have the skills, make it into a video and also post it to YouTube
And again – share it via your Facebook page

Are you noticing a theme here? Nearly all of these tips require that you have a basic presence on the most popular social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, etc). Laying the ground work in social media and populating your profiles with unique content will help your content get seen and attract links.

Build a plan for making sure your content gets seen and make sure you execute every single time!

What did I miss?

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Learn more about Amplify Interactive’s search engine optimization (SEO) services

New Job Posting: Junior SEM Specialist

Ben — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:43:00 +0000

Amplify Interactive needs to find the perfect new member for our team. Someone who has a little experience, a lot of smarts, and a desire to grow into a role with a top-notch SEM team. Fit the bill?

Check out the job posting here: SEM Specialist

Tips for Using LinkedIn Effectively

Ben — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:06:14 +0000

Wanted to share that I was quoted in an article today titled “LinkedIn: 37 Usage Tips You Need to Read“. After I sent in my tip – I realized that I had written a post about LinkedIn a while back titled “How and Why to Use LinkedIn“. Though it’s a little dated, all the tips are still relevant so I thought I’d dust it off for you.

New Job Posting: SEM Specialist

Ben — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:30:22 +0000

We need some kick-ass new search marketing talent to help round out the team. Fit the bill?
Check out the updated job posting here: SEM Specialist

The Amplify Interactive Blogging Contest

Ben — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:45:21 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I challenged the team here at Amplify Interactive to increase their blogging frequency, up the quality of their posts, and to hone their blog post marketing skills. So I gave them a contest. The contest is to write a post in one of our major search engine marketing categories (SEO, PPC, Social Media and Analytics). The author of the blog post with the most unique page views will win a free 2-night trip to Seattle! (for SMX Advanced – related post: SMX Advanced 2009 Highlights).

Winning a trip to an industry conference may not sound like a great prize – but SMX Advanced is a pretty great time AND the Search Commander will be there. Maybe he’ll even ride the train with us again.

Help out your favorite Amplify Interactive blogger by helping them get their posts seen. Link to them, Retweet them, submit to Sphinn, etc. Any blog post from the beginning of the year is eligible. The contest will end on May 30th. I’ll let you know who won!

Build Authority for SEM Success

Ben — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 23:24:59 +0000

I provided a guest post NWSEM’s blog where I talk about how we use the concept of building authority to shape how we work on clients & campaigns. The article highlights how this approach applies to the interplay between SEO, PPC & Social Media and features some interesting stats.

Attain SEM Success Through Authority

“The driving principles of SEO have always been content & authority (in the form of links). Since Google came around – this principle has never changed even as the tactics have. As the search results page has gotten more competitive, and social media has started shedding light on a brand’s strengths and flaws – it has become more important and difficult to cut through the noise and capture attention. Improving the perception of your brand as an authority can help you do this.”

Read the rest of the article on the NWSEM Blog

Amplify Wins a 2010 AMA MAX Award for PPC Campaign!

Ben — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:30:54 +0000

Ben & Spencer pose with their MAX Award

Amplify Interactive was awarded the “best single medium advertising campaign” at the 2010 AMA MAX Awards. Amplify Interactive’s work on a campaign for our client SawStop was recognized as the best among 8 entries in the category from other Portland area agencies & companies including a campaign from our office-mates Grady Britton as well as our partner eROI, and Intel (with whom we tied for 1st place) among others.

Great job on the AWARD WINNING work guys!

Links to related info:

Press Release: Amplify Interactive wins a 2010 AMA MAX Award
Our entry/case study: PPC Campaign Domination – Launching SawStop’s New Professional Cabinet Saw with PPC Advertising
AMA MAX Awards
Pictures from the 2010 AMA MAX Awards Ceremony
Our series of posts on how to “PPC Campaign Domination“

We’re always looking for clients who want to do award winning campaigns. Follow the link to find out more about our PPC Management Services.

Ben Lloyd Interview – SearchFest 2010 Preview

Ben — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:15:18 +0000

The folks over at tmmpdx.com were kind enough to interview me about SearchFest 2010. Hope we see you there!

TMMPDX.COM’s SearchFest Preview: Q&A with Ben Lloyd, SEMpdx President

SEMpdx President, Ben Lloyd, took some time out for a Q&A with TMMPDX to talk about SearchFest and give us a preview of the upcoming conference happening March 9, 1010 at the Governer Hotel

PSU Digital Marketing Breakfast – Free!

Ben — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 23:21:15 +0000

I’m speaking at the PSU Digital Marketing Breakfast at PSU on Tuesday February 16 2010 .

From the PSU site:

“This breakfast is part of a quarterly discussion of digital marketing with industry professionals, moderated this time by the Portland search engine marketing association, SEMpdx.”

Our panel should be really great. There’s several folks from the SEMpdx board speaking about Universal Search (see my earlier post “SEO Tips for Universal Search“) + we’ll have analytics expert Aaron Gray on hand. We’ll each be presenting a few key points and then taking Q&A.

The session is totally free. Just register. Here’s a link for more information on the PSU Digital Marketing Breakfast at PSU. Hope to see you there!