freerange1201

Back and forth this one goes. Seems like there's an endless battle raging here until one day someone will look up and the entire search process will be different.

For now, it's a healthy read to understand the value of balancing both PPC and SEO. Abstract below with length to the full article (lots of stats or we'd post it here).

SEO VERSUS PPC: WHERE'S YOUR BUDGET GOING IN 2011?
Mark Jackson  |  September 1, 2010

How should you spend your search marketing budgets: on paid search advertising or search engine optimization? It often depends on whom you ask.

Last month, I moderated a panel at SES San Francisco that explored that issue. Rand Fishkin, CEO of SEOmoz.org, and Benu Aggarwal, president of Milestone Internet Marketing, made the case for SEO. Arguments for SEO included the great land grab that exists for placement in local, news, blog, video, image, product feeds, and Web results and the opportunity for much better return on investment, based upon how much might be spent on the time/staff/agency necessary for the rollout of SEO. Rand contended that "PPC is easier" (which might lead you to believe that he's "pro" PPC), but then said "that's not a competitive advantage". In other words, anyone can do PPC. It is actually a competitive advantage for people who put effort into a sound SEO strategy, because so many others (competitors) just can't seem to get their act together.

Read the full article here.

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So good this weekend that we're extending an open invitation to clients, cohorts, and followers to go grab a Lemon Basil or Strawberry Kiwi hand made popsicle from the future royalty of the popsicle kingdom, King of Pops. Great stuff. Visit them on a corner near you or here.

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Great piece from RadioLab & NPR about words. See the connectivity?

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Good stuff from Tom Martin. His blog can be reached at http://tommartin.typepad.com

What's The Difference Between Advertising & Social Media?

As a 20 year vet of the ad business that has steadily morphed his focus from traditional advertising to digital/social media strategy, I get this question a lot. Here's how I answer it. Be interested to see how you respond to it too. Let me know?

Advertising is about selling. Thus, it is based on interruption and scale. Because you're interrupting someone that ideally would rather be doing something else -- watching TV, listening to the radio, reading a magazine or a newspaper, etc. -- you have to do something conceptual to first gain their attention and then reward them for making the effort. Because it is based on scale, you emphasize things like reach and frequency. Ideally you find a place where you can assault the maximum sized target the most possible times. You have to because that target is actively trying to avoid you. Thus, you have to give yourself maximum possible opportunities to interrupt. And when you successfully interrupt, you quickly tell the whole story. You tell the entire story in each and every ad. You want to make sure you don't miss anything the consumer may react to in a hope that they'll react to something.

Social Media is about helping people make buying decisions. It's based on invitation and aid. Because you're trying to help, you don't need a concept. You don't need to reward consumers for taking the time to read your tweet or post, because if you're doing it right -- they were looking for that post to begin with and are thankful you created it. While like advertising, social media would love to have scale -- scale isn't the goal. Influence is the goal. The more you have, the more likely you can help folks decide to buy what you're selling. And you rarely tell the whole story -- in fact in certain platforms like Twitter, telling the whole story isn't an option. So instead of telling the whole story in one sitting, you leave bread crumbs. Like Hansel and Gretel, you leave those bread crumbs in the right manner and consumers will ultimately find their way to your home. But I'll talk more about that idea in a post I'm crafting for next week.

Original post and comments here.

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Gee, Wally, these are cool.

       

Click here to download:

social-media-old-school-style-great-work-from-moma-brazil-xtsjcfHCqCDusAJfkbBA.zip (668 KB)

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Throw away that Successories crap. Hang this in its stead. People will gaze, interpret, evaluate, and depart longing to become a square. Brilliant.

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Versus keeps up the great work with this year's 'get it in gear or get lost' spot. We still like the original, but this is great work, nonetheless.

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Looks promising. Mark your calendars for the 2014 premier of FreeRange 1201: The Movie and subsequent sequels, starring Samuel Jackson and Steven Seagal.

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In a desperate attempt to stay relevant in a world where I don't even have a functional pen in my office, aside from the one I take on the road, Pilot comes up with this bit of genius.

Not sure if I'm going to rush out and pick up some Bics, I mean Pilots (that just doesn't have the same ring, does it), but I'll certainly mention it to other people who use pens more.

By the way, when you see the laugh-out-loud viral campaign sweeping the country in the future built around the "Pick Up A Pilot" theme, you'll know it started here first.

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