Challenge:
In February 2011 due to a host of problematic SEO tactics, thomasnet.com was devastated by Google’s newly updated Panda algorithm. Panda was
designed to lower the rank of "low-quality sites" or "thin
sites” and return higher-quality sites near the top of the search results.
ThomasNet was by no mean a low-quality
website but was affected due to outdated procedures and duplicate product
descriptions. ThomasNet’s search rankings slip drastically and continued to
slip month after month with no end in sight. Through no fault of their
own, duplicate content contributed immeasurably to the near demise of one of
the web's top industrial resources. Another occurrence was the existence of
negative brand sentiment, which went unchecked and had now begun to seep into
the results of branded company inquiries across the major search engines.
The underutilization of social media marketing
channels signified a change in rationale
would be required. Due to unfamiliarity with this new marketing medium, the company employed a social media strategy that broadcasted information instead
of having a 2-way meaningful conversation.
ThomasNet had a golden opportunity to acquire and
cultivate an audience of millennials who would not only digest information
but share it too. The added emphasis by Google’s new algorithm to include
social signals as a factor directly attributed to 1st-page rankings made social
media no longer a commodity but a requirement.
Solution:
I started by performing a SWOT analysis to identify
KPIs within the organization and the industrial and manufacturing space. Shortly
thereafter I developed user personas through the utility of the now-defunct
Google Ad Planner, Google Insights for Search, and KeywordSpy.com.
Competitive analysis through the usage of
Quantcast.com uncovered the link profile of the top 5 competitors, lending a hand
in planning possible expansions of the company’s backlink. Analysis of rival
backlinks also allowed me to expand target lists by initiating the “related
sites” search operator (related: http://backlinkswefound.com).
A company initiative to improve backlink quality via
email requests took place subsequently after links were processed. This
initiative yielded few results, it was apparent that improving content
quality could lead to higher-quality backlinks, and another byproduct of great
content would be improved lead quality. I established a protocol to create content based on relevance and not just to
attract search rankings. Working with the ThomasNet news team I implemented
that protocol.
I began by first addressing how to identify the
intent behind keywords, whether a user is performing a search to find
information, shopping around, or ready to make a purchase. Second, I advised on
how to determine what question the target audience had about a specific keyword
or subject. Improving delivery came in the form of trend analysis and devising
a strategy to map content over the current industry trend.
Improved content quality meant nothing if the right
set of eyes could find company publications. ThomasNet's primary audience was between the ages of 45 - 65 most were holdovers
from their days in paper publishing. The new tech-savvy
audience required to produce social signals was between the ages of 25 - 35.
A plan was implemented to utilize organic social
media marketing to Improve Search Rankings. Real-time search analysis, social
management, and a monthly social media
editorial calendar were installed to take advantage of trends in the industry.
This was a valuable tool for establishing thought leadership within the target
customer segment.
Results:
Social channels were utilized to counteract negative
brand sentiment by optimizing social channels for company terms and frequently
updating key social channels. Decreased negativity and increased exposure paved
the way to building new and strengthening longstanding relationships.
An added advantage to boosting the effectiveness of
publications meant media advisories before and information during tradeshows
not only well received but amplified
foot traffic to the company’s booths and kiosks.
By providing guidance on
how to utilize Social Media to extend the lifecycle of their efforts public
relations benefited from increased visibility and a structured approach to content marketing. ThomasNet saw increases
in KPI in the following categories between the years of August 2011 to October
2013:
✓ Increased
organic Social Media following via Twitter by 1070%
✓ Increased
organic Social Media following via Facebook by 645%
✓ Increased
organic Social Media following via LinkedIn by 122%
✓ Increased
organic Social Media following via Google Plus by 422%
✓ Increased
daily Click-thru from social media content by 3223%
✓ Increased
visibility to industry and mainstream publications
✓ Increased
Navigational searches by 68% over 2012
✓ Increased
Company Awareness to Key Industry Bloggers and Influencers
✓ Increased
Awareness and foot traffic to the company’s
booth during industry tradeshows and conference
✓ 2012
Increased exposure to annual branded manufacturing survey over 405,861 brand
impressions, 221,043
✓ 2013
Increased exposure to annual branded manufacturing survey over 725,966 brand
impressions,
401,821 accounts and a 304% click-thru increase over
previous years 2012 via social channels
✓Contributed 1,200+ Brand Mentions and 3,000,000 impressions
via Twitter Social Media Channels
Weekly. http://www.tweetarchivist.com/d6a6562/10
✓ Over
75+ articles enjoyed viral exposure
✓ Established
thought leadership through hyper-targeted
content marketing
✓ Created
Brand Advocates "in" the Government Industrial and Consumer Goods
Sectors
✓ Decreased
negative sentiment by 26%
ThomasNet enjoyed increased exposure within the B2B and
Industrial space and has now improved the quality of inbound leads.
Fun correlations during this time:
- https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna50027675
- https://www.thomasnet.com/insights/imt/2013/12/02/podcast-john-ratzenberger-takes-action-with-his-american-made-campaign/
- https://www.huffpost.com/entry/connecting-the-youth-with_1_b_4066702
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Written by Tisho Richardson
Tisho Richardson has 13+ years of experience as an SEO, Content Marketing Specialist, and B2B Social Media Manager. He can track and measure large amounts of data to present actionable strategies to reduce marketing expenses and increase KPI.
My ‘Keep it real’ Statement: I am an affiliate of some of the utilities that I mention on this website. Which means I receive monetary compensation for promoting them. I will always denote this by (*) at the end of each Link.
