The BIG Kahuna

It saddens me when so called ?brand identity? companies trash an entire industry. And that?s just what ?Spike? at Brains on Fire has done by publishing this article:?

?Beware of the dirty SEO Company??

?Man, oh man. I had no idea there were so many underhanded search engine optimization companies out there. But I guess where there?s money to be made, I shouldn?t be surprised.??

Ah Spike (wonder if that?s the name on his birth certificate), no offense but isn?t that a little general? Aren?t there underhanded companies in every industry? Why does SEO have any more or less dirty people than say ?Word of Mouth? companies? ?

Maybe you see the industry so poorly because you are stuck paying for clicks in Google using Adwords? Maybe you just don?t like quality content? Or having other web sites link naturally to yours? Actually you?re probably upset because your company has no idea how to do it? ?

Search any branding related term and you?ll see us at the top:?

Branding, Branding Company, Branding Agency, Branding Strategy, Brand Identity, Brand Image, Brand Name Development, Corporate Branding, Corporate Internet Branding, Internet Branding etc. etc. etc.?

Of course we only follow Google guidelines so I guess by Spike?s measure we aren?t so dirty. But to call an entire industry out is just bad for business and frankly poor word of mouth. Of course there are some bad SEO firms and of course you should do your homework but there are no more or less than any industry out there.?

Then he goes on to say:?

?I?ve heard rumblings that Google is going to change its algorithms to help combat this soon. And then the dirty SEO companies will have to invent something else to stick around.??

That?s funny. First off Google updates their algorithm about every 3-4 months. They constantly battle the cheats. But I?m pretty sure a company Like Brains on Fire will not be on the big list of contacts for SEO. Matter of fact no one is. As a Boston?SEO company we all have to react to Google in some manner. For us we just follow Google?s guidelines and we find that our clients stay in the top ten. But ?stick around?, that implies that SEO is just a fad. They use to say that about Rap Music in the early 80?s!?

So folks as always be careful and do your research with any business decision you make. There are cheats everywhere but Search Engine Optimization is absolutely without question one of the best branding and marketing tactics there is. If you are in Google?s top ten you will increase business exponentially and that?s a fact. ?

Check out our optimization programs?here:

Boston Search Engine Optimization

Here are some new and tried and true ideas to drive visitors to your web site. These are very easy to do and implement and I guarantee will increase site visits exponentially.

1. Design an e-newsletter and give it away. Believe it or not, not everyone is publishing a newsletter nowadays (dumbfounding) so it is important to give away a?free subscription. You need to?differentiate yourself from the other marketers out there.

You can sign up for our newsletter here: Branding Newsletter?

2. Provide visitors with new and original content. Make sure you tweak your content regularly and keep it up to date. Adding a blog or news section gets this done nicely. This keeps your prospects?coming back for the latest updates.

3. Search Engine Optimization. Frankly it amazes me that everyone doesn?t optimize their web site. If I had to pick one tactic that was guaranteed to work it would be SEO. It has never failed for us or any of our clients. The return on investment for our clients averages 90 days and optimization can literally last for years? If you?re not optimized ask yourself why??

Read more about SEO here:? Boston Search Engine Optimization

 

4. Add a Hi-Def Video. Hi-Def videos like the two that we have drive conversion rates through the roof. It?s like having a 60 second commercial that people watch over and over. Just another great tactic to drive users to the site repeatedly.

 

Check it out: Branding Video?or St Thomas Villas

 

5. Hold free online classes or seminars. These could be webinars or held in?a chat room. The idea of “live” information will?motivate people to visit your web site. You will build trust and?become known as an expert on the subject matter.

 

6. Offer free consulting. A one hour conference call is a great door opener. People will consider this a huge value because you are actually helping them. We offer a free SEO and branding consultation.

You can view ours here: Branding Analysis

7. Make a Blog. Seriously, if you don?t have a blog on your site just throw a noose over a beam, get on a chair and jump. You do know it?s 2007 coming up on 2008 right? A blog can drive insane traffic to your site on a regular basis. Here’s a stat for ya: 80% of Americans know what blogs are read here:

80% Love Blogs

The BIGblog:?Branding?Blog?

8. Let visitors download free software/whitepapers. It could be freeware, shareware, whitepapers, demos etc. Just give them something of value.

You can view ours here: Branding White Papers

9. Offer free online services. They could be search engine help, copy writing, branding etc. The service or should be helpful to your target audience.??

We have a great SEO Analysis here:?SEO Analysis?

10. Give your visitors a free membership to an online club. People love clubs, why not invent your own? You could offer free webinars to VIP members only.

BIG has this in development.

For almost twenty years I?ve been helping clients develop a brand identity. I?ve also fixed some pretty messed up brand identities. You see brand identity is who you want to be, but brand image is how everyone else perceives you. Most of the time we see a gap between the brand identity and brand image.?

Back to me and my diabetes. My personal brand identity is that of an outgoing, spontaneous, risk taking, witty SOB. My brand image is a big, fat, slothy, overweight, unhealthy guy. My brand identity and brand image don?t align!?

At the time of this article I am 41 years old. I am an overweight male, 230lbs with Type 2 Diabetes. My primary care physician has prescribed Actos for my condition. I don?t want to take it, so I?m finally fighting back.?For years my Doc told me to lose weight?I didn?t listen. But when he actually wrote a script I decided it was time for change (talk about the barn door being open huh?).

So here?s what I have to do:?

1. Make a plan (a dull pencil is better than a sharp mind)
2. Put it in writing (weekly food consumption and exercise)
3. Lose Weight
4. Exercise
5. Take the right supplements

1. Make a plan: ?I decided like any good branding or business plan to do some research. That?s what I recommend to my clients so that?s what I did. I did extensive research on what vitamins/supplements lower blood sugar. What are the best supplements to take to help combat diabetes? This is what I?ve learned:?

A. Cinnamon: Huh? Really? Yup, that?s what they say. Take a cinnamon supplement. So I ordered Planetary Herbals Full Spectrum Cinnamon Extract, 200 mg.

???B. Diachrome-?is a patented combination of chromium picolinate and biotin (a B vitamin). Diachrome acts as an insulin sensitizer which means that it has been clinically demonstrated to enhance your body?s response to insulin. This, in turn, helps maintain your blood sugar control and helps promote healthy cholesterol control.

C. Nature Made? Diabetes Health Pack 60 – scientifically formulated to supply nutritional support for people with diabetes. The Diabetes Health Pack provides essential nutrients that may be lacking due to the strain diabetes can often put on the body?s health.

D. Celestial Seasonings Authentic Green Tea - Black and green tea represent a potentially inexpensive, nontoxic, and, in fact, pleasurable [blood-sugar-lowering] agent. The researchers recommend that tea — black and green — should be studied for an antidiabetes effect in humans.

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E. CoQ10 – CoQ10 may be of slight benefit in diabetics. It helps improve the function of endothelial cells lining blood vessels and may slightly help with blood sugar control.?

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2. Meal/Exercise Plan (similar to the tactical branding plans I develop for my clients): sheet which tracks the following:?

1. Breakfast, Morning Snack, Lunch, Afternoon Snack, Dinner, Evening Snack
2. Calories and Carbs for each meal
3. Total weight lost for week and running totals
4. Exercise, times and calories

Very Low Calorie Diet:?

1. Breakfast: I have coffee with Splenda and Coffee Mate and 1 hard boiled egg. ?Total Calories ? 140, total Carbs ? 6. Drink water.
2. Morning Snack: I have 1 serving of peanuts. Total Calories ? 170, total Carbs ? 5. Drink water.
3. Lunch or Dinner: I have a Myoplex Carb reduced shake. Total Calories ? 140, total Carbs ? 3 or Shirataki Noodles, no calories, no Carbs. Put it with calorie/carb free pasta sauce and you have yourself one great meal. Plus the water soluble fiber is great for diabetes. Drink water.
4. Mid Afternoon Snack: 1 can of chicken. Total Calories ? 130, total Carbs ? 0. Drink water.
5. Dinner/Lunch: Any piece of meat that can fit in the palm of my hand, plus one serving of green veggies. Drink water.
6. Evening Snack: Another Myoplex Carb reduced shake. Total Calories ? 140, total Carbs ? 3. Drink water.

I?m trying to maintain a calorie intake less than 1100 per day with around 20 Carbs per day. Doing this should reduce weight significantly and rapidly. Once I get to my ideal weight I will change the diet to better reflect a 2300 calorie diet per day.?

3. Exercise?

1. This is tough because I?m so out of shape. I?ve decided to walk at a speed of 3mph for 30 minutes. This burns about 150 calories per workout. As I get better I will increase the speed and duration.

So I?ve had two successful days. I feel somewhat hungry but I?m doing well. Drinking the water helps fill you up and the Myoplex shakes have 25 grams of protein. I?ve had two successful days on the treadmill. ?To keep consistent I write everything down in my meal planner.

I will post follow up once a week to monitor my weight. My beginning weight is 230; I?m a very tall 5?9.