We are rapidly approaching that festive time of year. Soon, a cheerful red hat will grace homes with its presence, and a watchful, twinkling eye will coerce children into obedience. You know who I mean. The Elf on the Shelf. Parents, I heard your collective groan all the way in my Mt. Sterling office, but I have a confession: I love Elf on the Shelf. I love how excited my kindergartner gets, and I love planning out the details. Alyssa here. P&P’s content strategist, making her debut on the blog. Obsessing over details is a benefit to being a Virgo….
Content Marketing
Get to the top of search results
Getting to the top of search results with SEO best practices Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes up regularly when we talk with clients. Over the past several months, as we have launched new sites, clients have been concerned with their new site’s SEO and where they land in Google search ranking. “Do you guarantee that we will be at the top of Google?”Um, no. “Where will our new site rank?”It depends on what the user is searching for. “Is P&P going to do SEO for our site?”Yes, but SEO is still complicated. I get it. Their concern is valid. A…
The right words build customer relationships
“I think I’d miss you even if we never met.” This perfectly dreamy quote from the 2005 movie The Wedding Date is the essence of romance, of Valentine’s Day, of what we want to hear from the person we like so well. This is what all the effort is for, yes? The conversations, the dinners, the dates doing things you enjoy together to ultimately hear that this — THIS — is the person who would miss you even if they didn’t know you existed. This is better known as the honeymoon phase. But then there’s another phase, one that solidifies this…
3 ways you can add new content to your site right now
If you’ve read anything about how to get your website to show up more often in search results, then you know this: Having new content on your site is a must. That is how search engines notice you. There’s only one problem. You have no idea what that content should be. Never fear. There are a few simple ways you can add fresh content to your site right away. And there are plenty more out there — spending some time reading other blogs will help you find ideas that might work for your organization. But even if you stick with…
Google Analytics II – Visitor Behavior
Last week at my son’s karate class, the instructor asked him, “Why did God give us two ears and one mouth?” If you knew my son, you’d understand he was probably competing for class attention with his instructor. This question confused my son, but provided a really great teaching moment. His instructor softly responded, “Epictetus taught us that we have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” That’s a great life lesson, but it is also a great business lesson. So often, organizations and businesses get tunnel vision and zone in…
Chasing a-ha moments: The second everything makes sense
Spoiler alert: If you didn’t watch Mad Men (WHAT?) or at least haven’t seen the finale (GO WATCH IT NOW), and you think you might want to, proceed with caution. Ding. That sound. It’s the birth of a great idea. The second everything makes sense. The a-ha moment. Creative-types like me love to watch creative-types on television, and Don Draper and Peggy Olson were no exception. The writers of Mad Men magicly blended the social challenges of the 1960s with the boom of the New York City advertising scene — their characters perfectly plagued by identity crises, moral dilemmas and,…
New Facebook algorithm focuses on meaningful interaction
Last week, Mark Zuckerberg announced he is ready to make Facebook better for users’ “well-being.” The social media giant is recovering from a year of claims that Facebook delivered inauthentic news and advertising that may have negatively influenced millions of users. Indeed, public content dominates the News Feed — viral videos, news articles, blogs and advertising are favored in Facebook’s algorithms and drive the user experience. No more. On Thursday, Zuckerberg announced a sweeping change to News Feed algorithms, placing more importance on friend and family interactions than public content. Moreover, content must be meaningful to be successful. Posts that generate…
Find your word of the year, and follow it
When I was a pouty-faced little girl who was not getting her way (usually about staying home from church), my parents used one line to whip me back into shape. “You will do this young lady, and you will do it with a smile on your face and a song in your heart.” I don’t know if the line really worked, or if I even knew what it really meant, but it sure stuck. I knew trouble was on the horizon when they said it. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t repeated it a time or two to…
Lessons of a costume project: Have a plan, and have fun
Please allow me to introduce you to a superstar with the most elaborate Halloween costume wardrobe you could possibly imagine. Axl Rose. Beyoncé. Prince. Michael Scott. She’s been all of these characters and dozens more, participating in photo shoots and appearing to much fanfare on social media every day during the month of October for the last two years. Oh wait. Did I forget to mention she’s only 20 months old? That’s the best part. Bridget — affectionately nicknamed Nugget or Nug by her parents — is the daughter of my high school friend Jennifer Compton. Jennifer is an optometrist by…
5 Reasons You Should Create a Content Plan
On Facebook earlier this week, I talked a little about why I love to run. If I’m really honest, I love to hate it. My body aches the whole time, I feel like my lungs might collapse, I’m wheezing and sweating and grunting — it’s all so unattractive. But then it’s over and I feel great, like I’ve accomplished a feat that I never thought I would get through alive. And I begin mentally preparing for the next round. What I’ve learned in the short time I’ve put myself through this glorious torture is if I’m not prepared before I…