Google’s recent announcement that it will begin to index the rel=”author” attribute is a significant change in helping define authorship for online content. For decades, authors have had to struggle with getting the recognition they deserve for the content they create. Unless a website provides the author’s information immediately after each article, the reader has little knowledge on where the content is coming from. Search engines have had an even harder time with telling the difference between who is writing content. Search engines have simply provided results based on the content itself. It appears that with the new rel=”author” attribute, content will now be searchable by those creating it. In other words, a search for the author John Doe will likely provide search results for the author along with results for the content that the author has written. This is a major move by Google to help provide better search results and more transparency in content ownership, and is a follow through with the most recent updates to their algorithm, giving original website content the priority in search results.
When adding their name to an article, an author has the option to either link their name to their own personal page or the about the author page. By adding the rel=”author” attribute to the link, the author will be telling Google the following: Follow this link, the name of the link is the author, and the page it leads you to is the author’s page. This attribute will help give credit where credit is due, by allowing authors to create a network of links all pointing to them as the creator. Additionally, Google has begun to index based on the rel=”me” attribute which is similar to rel=”author.” The attribute rel=”me” allows authors to add value to each link on their personal site. By adding rel=”me” to all links pointing to their articles, Google can tell that the author is putting a claim on the article that the link points to. Using both attributes can help authors expand their online exposure and will improve the search results when search engines index by both content and authorship.
How To Use These Tools
Both of these useful tools should be used together, but based on the possibility of abusing the rel=”me” attribute, it is suggested that more emphasis is given to the rel=”author” attribute, because it is harder to abuse. From a search engine perspective, the website hosting the content will have more authority when it points a link to the author’s page, because this means that the website hosting the content is validating the author. In order to abuse this attribute, someone will need access to the website content. Since not anyone can access the content, it will be more secure and will have a higher value of importance. Since anybody can use the rel=”me” attribute, it is likely that it will not stand high in importance within the Google search algorithm, but will have significant weight depending on the number of articles the author is claiming and how many reciprocal links they receive back from these articles. Although you don’t need to use both of these attributes, you will get a better result by doing so. If you only have the resources to focus on one of these attributes, focus on rel=”author.”
The following is what a rel=”author” link should look like:
<a href=”http://authorswebsite.com” rel=”author”>Author Name</a>
The following is what a rel=”me” link should look like:
<a href=”http://articlelink.com” rel=”me”>Article Name</a>
Improving the Internet as a Resource
These changes may give the internet more weight as a valuable resource for various forms of research. For many years, the internet has been looked down upon as a source for citation because of its lack of transparency. With the new changes, it allows those authors who wish to be given credit the ability to no longer remain in the shadows. This will allow researchers and editors the ability to reach the author if necessary. This will depend entirely on the participation of the author in this new system, and in the amount of time it will take for third party technologies to adopt the new attributes into the way they find and publish content.
Incitrio is an integrated marketing agency focused on client success. Our specialties are in branding, graphic design, online marketing, social media integration, and email marketing. If you have a business that needs to find new and exciting avenues for growth, we encourage you to call us today at 858.202.1822.
Case Study: Grasshopper.com (formerly GotVMail Communications)
BACKGROUND
GotVMail Communications was founded in 2003 as a virtual business phone (PBX / VOIP) telecommunications product/service company to help smaller businesses give the appearance of being much larger than they really were. They were a strong, smaller company looking to grow.
CHALLENGE
In May 2009, the executive team decided to go through a re-branding initiative to help explain to the world their new mix of advanced services and position themselves as a universal resource committed to the advancement of entrepreneurs.
OPPORTUNITY
The company founders realized that they could leverage the re-branding process and use it as an opportunity to create large scale awareness through a national, viral plan.
CAMPAIGN
The integrated print+online marketing campaign consisted of the following elements:
1. Branding, Design & Programming
Naming, design, print, programming and social media elements were all universally aligned around the company’s new core values of inspiring and empowering entrepreneurs. The name “Grasshopper” was chosen to exemplify the forward motion and leap ahead advantage that the company aims to provide for its emerging entrepreneur target audience.
2. Video & YouTube
Creating a public service-like animated motion graphic video rather than a traditional corporate promotion ensured that the commitment to entrepreneurial excellence was clearly demonstrated and felt prior to revealing the source of the video. The final screen read: “See how Grasshopper empowers entrepreneurs to succeed.” The video was launched May 4, 2009 and timed to match the official re-branding announcement (PR) with placement on YouTube and the company’s new website.
3. Direct Mail Design, Printing & Fulfillment
Knowing that most standard direct mail pieces get stuck at the gatekeeper, Grasshopper took several precautionary tactics to ensure the right person got the right promotion at the right time. First, they carefully identified a list of the right reporters, journalists, TV anchors, bloggers, celebrities, politicians, entrepreneurs and CEOs. After three months of very careful list scrubbing, they culled their list down to the perfect group of 5,000 key influentials. Second, they created a compelling piece consisting of: a box, minimal branding consisting of their logo and url, chocolate-covered grasshoppers and a message of: “You’re a risk-taker, a dream-realizer. What’s left to do that you haven’t already done? Eat a grasshopper.” The bag of grasshoppers had a tag with a final call to action, “ Entrepreneurs Can Change the World. Join the Movement Now!” with the URL for the video posted on the company’s website. Finally, the target audience received the piece via FedEx (not USPS) to ensure the true recipient actually received it in time…not the gatekeeper.
4. Sales Follow Up & Social Media Interaction
Employees from the company followed up with every blogger and key influential to make sure they received the package safely and that it had indeed been opened. Next, they began responding to online questions posted on blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other social media networks. Conversations were not aimed at promoting the company brand, but rather encouraging recipients to create and submit their own photos or videos for placement on the Grasshopper.com website.
RESULTS
Video
In the first month after the campaign launched, the video on their website received over 47,000 unique page views with their video on YouTube generating around 130,000 views with 400+ 5-star ratings and over 160 comments.
Twitter
The most successful channel of all the social media tools, the campaign was mentioned in 1,461 tweets by key influentials including: Guy Kawasaki, Alltop Founder; Kevin Rose, Digg Founder, and Jason Calacanis, Mahalo, CEO – influencers with a reach of more than one million followers.
Blog/PR
The campaign was also mentioned within 119 blog posts and news articles, with features appearing on seven major tv network broadcasts.
Website
Traffic to their website increased significantly in the first month, with a 93% conversion of viewers clicking on the “How it works” section to learn more about their services. In addition, the company has seen a 4,911% increase in visitors from Twitter and a 3,286% increase in visitors from Facebook plus 30,000 referrals from StumbleUpon alone.
REVERSE ENGINEER THE CAMPAIGN
Crafting a buzz-worthy campaign is no small feat and several key components were integral to ensuring a viral campaign that generated more buzz than the company had received in the previous 6 years of business combined.
Curiosity
Grasshopper.com’s well-designed direct mail piece was unexpected, non-traditional and unique. Minimal branding combined with a unique leave behind and a well-scrubbed list ensured that 95% of recipients went to the URL and almost unheard-of response compared to the traditional 2-5% standard direct mail response rate of a basic postcard.
Inspiration
The animated motion graphic video was focused squarely on celebrating the potential of entrepreneurs to change the world and celebrating them as an important, exciting part of our lives. By de-emphasizing their branding relationship to the video, the founders ensured the viral-ability of the video and it has now been seen at many entrepreneurial-focused conferences ensuring it continues to have longevity long after the initial campaign is over.
Integration
By integrating multiple print+online marketing components in a careful and well-thought out manner ensured that each tool performed at its highest potential and leveraged one another for optimal success. Careful list scrubbing, direct mail design, website/video + social media integration guaranteed a viral, unparalleled result that to date has been unmatched.
If you haven’t heard about it already, you heard it here first. The new Pharma advertising rules are changing for 2009. According to the PhRMA (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America), they are revising their conduct code for interacting with health care professionals. The updated guidelines ban any promotional items bearing company and product logos, this includes: pens, post-it notes, calendars and kleenex boxes. Promotional companies be on alert.
Sales representatives are prohibited from providing restaurant meals and entertainment or recreation. But they can still provide the occasional, modest meal in a healthcare professional’s office “in conjunction with informational presentations,” according to a statement from PhRMA.
The updated code also emphasizes that drug companies should separate any funding they provide for continuing medical education from their sales and marketing departments. It notes that the funding should support education “on a full range of treatment options and not to promote a particular medicine.”
PhRMA said meetings between sales representatives and doctors should be focused on informing health care professionals about products, sharing scientific and educational information and supporting research and education.
The new rules take effect January 1, 2009.
According to Angela Hill, owner of strategic branding agency Incitrio, “This is a huge opportunity for the Pharma industry to reposition themselves as a whole. Those companies that jump in first and focus on authenticity and integrity as core brand values will be able to position themselves as thought leaders and gain significant market share.”
Google’s recent announcement that it will begin to index the rel=”author” attribute is a significant change in helping define authorship for online content. For decades, authors have had to struggle with getting the recognition they deserve for the content they create. Unless a website provides the author’s information immediately after each article, the reader has little knowledge on where the content is coming from. Search engines have had an even harder time with telling the difference between who is writing content. Search engines have simply provided results based on the content itself. It appears that with the new rel=”author” attribute, content will now be searchable by those creating it. In other words, a search for the author John Doe will likely provide search results for the author along with results for the content that the author has written. This is a major move by Google to help provide better search results and more transparency in content ownership, and is a follow through with the most recent updates to their algorithm, giving original website content the priority in search results.
