One of the most important aspects of an effective SEO strategy is the ability to research, analyze, and ultimately select the keywords that are most likely to result in success for your clients. There are a variety of free tools available on the web specifically designed to help online marketers do just this. Each tool has its own unique methodology for collecting and presenting this data. Comparing any of the tools’ results without knowing the subtle differences can lead to incorrect inferences and an SEO strategy based on misinformation.

A major difference that exists between the tools revolves around how they manage the three keyword matching options: broad match, phrase match, and exact match.

Keyword Matching Options

For those unfamiliar with keyword matching options, the default option, broad match, will return all results that contain one or more of the terms used in a search query, and in any order. The results may also include both singular and plural forms, synonyms, and other relevant variations of each individual term in the search query.

Phrase match is delineated by quotation marks around the search query. The results returned will contain the specific phrase used in the search query, but may include additional terms before or after.

Surrounding the search query in brackets demarks an exact matching option. When using this option, the results returned must contain the terms in the exact order that they were written, and without any other terms. Exact match should return identical organic results to phrase match, and is truly intended to be used in paid search.

These 3 keyword matching options are not solely to blame for the large variations seen when comparing data from the keyword tools. Much of this difference can be attributed to the distinctive techniques that the tools use to collect their data. Let’s take a look at how these tools collect and present their data and hopefully it will help clear up any confusion.

Google Keyword Tool

The Google Keyword Tool has a variety of helpful features meant to streamline the keyword research process. By entering terms or phrases into the search box, the Keyword Tool allows you to build extensive, relevant keyword lists from one simple interface. By default, the tool displays Advertising Competition, Global Monthly Searches, Local Monthly Searches, and Local Search Trends for each keyword. Additional options allow marketers to show the estimated Average Cost per Click, Ad share, and Search Share.

The local data that is returned is a 12 month average of all search queries in the United States using the Google Search Engine and affiliated Google search properties. Using the sidebar on the left, marketers are easily able to specify the keyword matching type (Broad, Exact, Phrase), change the category, and refine their results to contain specific terms.

Google Search Based Keyword Tool

The Search Based Keyword Tool is intended for researching keywords within Google’s Adwords network. Unlike the Keyword Tool, the Search based Keyword Tool is based solely on searches from Google.com. This factor causes the search volumes displayed to be considerably lower than the Keyword Tool. Because this tool is intended for paid search keyword research, it contains additional information on Suggested Bid and Ad/Search Share. The Search Based Keyword Tool is seamlessly integrated into the Google Adwords interface and allows marketers to add keywords to their PPC campaigns without having to login to their Adwords Client Center.

Google Suggest

Google Suggest isn’t exactly a tool, but I’ve found that it can be useful for identifying potential keywords. As you type a query on Google.com, Google Suggest recommends search queries based on other users’ search activities. These searches are algorithmically determined based on a number of purely objective factors (including popularity of search terms) without human intervention. The Suggest dataset is updated frequently to offer search queries that seem to be trending upwards. This feature is largely one of the reasons that you may see repeat traffic of seemingly long tail keywords. By identifying these long tail keywords and optimizing for them, marketers can capitalize on seemingly obscure keywords with little competition.

Keyword Discovery

Keyword Discovery is a paid subscription service that offers marketers the ability to see keyword data across multiple search engines. They maintain one of the largest databases of searches, (nearly 38 billion) which are compiled from over 50 different search engines. The search data shown is a record of the number of times the exact keyword or phrase has been searched over the last 12 months across all 50+ search engines. You would assume that the search volumes would be much larger than any other tool because of Keyword Discovery’s access to data from over 50 search engines, but the fact that the keyword matching option is set to exact, greatly reduces the total volume. Unlike Google’s tools, Keyword Discovery does not collect or show data relating to paid search, such as Suggested Bid, Cost per Click, and Competition. Data is collected daily, but updated monthly. Although you must pay the subscription to have access to all the features, Keyword Discovery does provide a free alternative.

Wordtracker

Wordtracker is another service that requires an annual subscription to utilize all of its features. Their database is made up of 330 million search terms, collected from the major metacrawlers, Dogpile and Metacrawler, and is updated weekly. The search data they show is a record of the number of times the exact keyword or phrase has been searched in the United States over the last 365 days. As in the case of Keyword Discovery, this difference in default keyword matching type causes Wordtracker to display search volumes significantly lower than what Google’s tools show.

So which tool should you use? The simple answer is ALL of them!! If the data from several tools suggests that a keyword may be a good keyword to target, than you should feel fairly confident that it is. If your results appear to be contradicting one another for a particular keyword, then you may want to be hesitant in including that keyword in your selection. SEO professionals should never rely on one resource for research. No one tool is going to be 100% accurate and you stand the best chance at making the correct strategic decisions by using a variety of sources.

Account Managers have been around as long as advertising agencies have existed. If a client wants to advertise their product or service, there must be someone to advise, educate, communicate, listen, produce, and yes, hold their hand.

Account managers can be found in all industries, but their responsibilities remain consistent; creating presentations for new clients, helping clients achieve their goals, maintaining a respectable relationship between the company and the client, and giving the client the best service possible. Since 1812 when the first advertising agency is said to have been established, Account Managers have been doing just that.

Easy enough, right? Perhaps if you are a “people” person with adequate social skills, capable of working under pressure, well organized, self-motivated, and able to successfully communicate at various levels – this may be your cup of coffee. However, in the last decade or so, a relatively new industry has formed in conjunction with the World Wide Web; Interactive. Considered untraditional to most, Interactive Agencies offer a mix of web design and development, software development, and online marketing, including SEO and SEM.

So, does the role of Account Manager change? Yes and no. Keeping our clients caffeinated, and acting as the liaison between the client and the production team, are number one priorities for traditional and non-traditional AM’s. However, as Interactive Account Managers, it’s crucial to stay abreast of the latest technology. Because our industry is constantly changing, we strive to educate our clients on cutting-edge trends and innovative strategies. Interactive AM’s are also involved in every piece of the process. Whether it be developing a website or setting up an online marketing campaign, we carry the project from beginning to beautiful.

Client Service Professionals, such as ourselves, want our clients to have an online presence as experts in their field. We oversee the project process, ensuring our clients are set apart from the competition. Some food for thought – or crème for your latte – Success is to Internet as Account Manager is to Client. We manage and implement every phase of the project and must come to know our clients’ industries virtually as much as they do. We are needed and when you need us, don’t worry; we hold hands.

Ever since man invented search engines, there have been individuals whose sole missions have been to exploit their algorithms for their gain.  In many ways, this attitude is the foundation of search engine optimization; however there are some tactics that search engines frown upon more than others.  These tactics are typically referred to as black hat SEO tactics.

Black hat SEO tactics represent the actions that the search engines deem unacceptable and for those that are caught performing them, can represent SEO suicide.  Google, Yahoo, and Bing have all been known to severely penalize and in especially egregious cases, entirely blacklist companies that rely on black hat SEO tactics.  We at DBS understand that these unethical strategies are only favorable in the short term and that an honest, ethical approach, utilizing white hat tactics is the only strategy that will ever result in marketing success.  Despite our beliefs, many companies fall victim to the allure of these dubious tactics.   In this week’s post, we will educate you on some of the most common black hat SEO tactics.

Redirects

Redirects, when used as they were intended, are not considered black hat.  In fact, 301 redirects are the preferred way to redirect an old domain to a new location without being destructive to their linking structure.  Redirects become black hat when they are used fraudulently to acquire links.  Just last month, we ran into an instance where a competitor of one of our SEO client’s unethically utilized a 301 redirect to gain links.  Link directories often allow non-profit organizations to acquire a link free of charge.  This particular company created a non-profit, informational website to gain links.  After gaining free links for that URL, they redirected it to their commercial website.  Had they simply promoted their commercial site, they would have had to pay for these links or would never have gained them in the first place.

Keyword farms

A keyword farm refers to a website or blog that utilizes excessive keywords and hyperlinks to acquire “keyword rich” links to a parent website.  This tactic has become one of the most utilized tactics by outsource SEO companies.  For that reason, they are normally characterized by broken English and incorrect grammar.  This strategy is based on the concept that the search engines will be unable to recognize the websites as spam, and will award them the same benefits that acquiring legitimate links offers companies.

Hidden text

Hidden text has two forms and both are deceiving.  One method is to set “keyword dense” text to the same color as the background.  Another technique simply decreases the size of the text to an illegible level.  Hidden text is very similar to keyword farming with the exception that this technique is done covertly.  The benefit of this tactic is the same as above; websites that successfully fool the search engines gain many targeted keywords without much effort.

Cloaking

Cloaking is a particularly advanced technique used to dupe the search engines that presents different information to a search engine than a human would see.  There are a variety of ways to cloak and many of these techniques are still completely imperceptible to search engines.  Cloaking is frequently used in affiliate marketing to deceive the search engines.  Google’s ad network requires the domain of the display URL of a PPC ad be the same as the domain of the destination URL.  Cloaking allows individuals to circumvent this rule, and turn users who click on the ad directly to the affiliate’s converting page.

So what should you do if you discover that a competitor, or in a worst case scenario, your very own marketing company is utilizing these tactics?  When a competitor uses unfair tactics to beat you it is entirely fair to report them.  Their unethical actions give them an unfair advantage and should not be rewarded.  To report a company to the various search engines, click on the following links:

Google

Yahoo

Bing

If your own marketing company is using black hat tactics, you may want to consider finding a new SEO partner.  In the event that this happens, feel free to contact us.  We think we may be able to recommend someone.

Microsoft has generally dominated the business market with products like Microsoft Office and Outlook. Outlook has been a particularly successful product for Microsoft, giving users an all-in-one package for managing email, contacts, and appointments, with the added benefit of integrating seamlessly with other Microsoft products.

Long-time Outlook users love the features built in, and consequently are reluctant to switch to any competitive products, including G-mail.

We at DBS>Interactive, however feel the opposite is true. Here’s why and exactly how we’ve made the switch to Google.

Why:

1. Significant cost savings
2. Google Apps integrates painlessly with other platforms of YOUR choice
3. Data sharing makes collaborating less complicated
4. Fewer headaches – we don’t have to deal with all those mysterious Microsoft errors.

The savings includes the obvious; the license cost for the full version of Outlook ($100+ ea), the monthly fee for Exchange server ($15 ea), and the monthly Blackberry Enterprise server plan (another $15 ea).  Add all of those fees up and you are left an annual fee of $360.

A Premiere Google Apps account is $50 per year, and includes perks Outlook can’t offer. The mailboxes are remarkably larger and email can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection. The freedom to access your data how you want and where you want, without worrying about licenses and installation issues, is itself, a great value.

One continuous irritation for us has been scheduling and sharing of calendars. Not all employees have Outlook, which obviously complicates things. Microsoft creates needless hurdles for calendar sharing in Outlook, and it is impossible to do with Outlook Express.  Before we made the transition to Google, we were able to only share calendars effectively among a few, and for very limited items. Now, we have company calendars, department calendars, and personal calendars.  All of which can be shared effortlessly. Even nicer, no special software is required. A huge productivity enhancement for us!

Not only is calendar information easier to share, we have also put much of our internal business forms and documents in the Google “cloud”.  Again, easy sharing of this information has made us more efficient and saved us time and effort.  We can collaborate in real time on documents no matter where we are physically.

There are other savings that aren’t as easy to quantify. For example, the inevitable tech support issues that come part and parcel with Microsoft products, or lost productivity due to having to reboot because “something weird keeps happening”, or applying security updates, or re-installing…shall I continue? Moving to the Google cloud has largely eliminated all these nuisances.

And this is how we made the switch:

1. Migrated mailboxes from hosted Exchange environment to Gmail
2. Migrated calendar data from Outlook to Google Calendar
3. Moved various forms and internal business documents from an internal server to the Google cloud
4. Traded in our Blackberries for Androids

Google has various tools for migrating mailboxes and calendars, and moving documents from a local file server to Google Docs. This took a little time, but overall, was relatively painless. And the move from Blackberry to Android was a no-brainer. Android being a Google product, integrates with all Google services out of the box.

As much as we crow about our Google transition, we must admit the steepness of the learning curve. Some details definitely work differently and we’ve had to adjust here and there. We still have yet to eliminate Microsoft altogether, though we have immensely reduced the dependency, saved a handful of dollars, and improved our business systems.

There is a specific height of importance to the jobs we do everyday. As the client service team, we hold ourselves to the highest regard; pleasing clients that sometimes may be incapable of feeling satisfied. A happy client is a paying client, and if your actions (or lack thereof) remove this glee from the equation, you might as well sign your own pink slip.

So how do we do it? Aha! – A golden question that we at DBS are delighted to answer. We do it by living, speaking, and breathing A.C.D. And no, we did not leave off the last C. We pride ourselves on being Accessible, Communicating, and Documenting everything. A.C.D.

A. Be Accessible.

As an Account Executive, accessibility holds extreme importance to our clients. Before we land a client, we initially hand out business cards. Boom – we become instantly accessible. It is important for a client or a potential client to understand that you can be reached when they are in need.

An important component of being accessible is dependability. If you are not readily available to clients, they will be unable to depend on you, and eventually they won’t want to work with you. Whether your client emailed you, Skyped you or left a message on your phone, it is always a good idea to return their message within two hours.

Being accessible now could possibly save you later. For example, say you miss a deadline. Clients are more likely to be lenient about your oops if they have been in constant contact you with throughout the project and they know you care. (ON a side note – DON’T EVER MISS DEADLINES!)

C. Communicate effectively. COMM-UN-I-CATE.

Engage in conversation with your clients. We are all guilty of multi-tasking when we are on a call. Maybe we’re writing down tomorrow’s to-dos, or revising design work, but we do it. DON’T! Multi-tasking is a great skill, but not when interacting with a client. Instead, listen, learn, comprehend and respond. If you are not 100% there, they will sense it.

It is also important to get to know your client on a personal level. Perhaps they aren’t as chipper as they normally are; they may tell you their daughter has stomach flu. Be sure to follow up on their daughter’s illness. ALL business, is not always a good thing.

Be an active listener to your clients. Really, listen. In order to be proactive for your clients, you must know exactly what they want, their needs, and how you can make them successful.

Make sure you ask questions. You will never really know and understand your clients if you don’t ask. Be the expert for your clients. Get to know their industry. As Account Executives, we may have clients that deal in food preparation, medical issues or logistics. We must be able to talk intelligently about their product or service.

Communication must go a step further as a client service team. We must be able to spread our clients’ wants and needs on to our creative people. Relay the hardcore information while still allowing creative juices to flow within the production team.

D. Document everything.

There’s a plethora of ways to execute complete documentation methods in business. Some forms include email, note-taking, software programs and saving your dated notes in folders/binders with all your client collateral will keep you organized.

Never rely on memorization. This can unfortunately backlash on you, leaving you spiraling out of control. Too many fires happen in the day of the Account Executive for you to remember a forty-five second conversation with a client. Carry a notepad with you at all times!

Document alongside the process of every project. You will have notes that will allow you to understand what was happening during the development of that specific project, client’s thoughts, and other details that you may forget later.

So A.C.D.Accessibility, Communicating and Documenting. All important attributes that act as glue to bond with our clients and make them successful, which in turn, makes our company successful.

Do you ever grow tired of seeing the uninspiring, cookie-cutter site designs that seem to be so prevalent on the web these days? Don’t you wish that there were somewhere or someone you could consult to find the next, game-changing web design trend? Believe it or not, this somewhere may actually be in your bathroom. Confused? Let me explain.

Walk into any American household and chances are there is a basket full of magazines and other reading material in the bathroom. Web designers rarely consider using this print material for inspiration because of the inherit differences between the two mediums. Truth be told, these stacks of magazines are an absolute gold mine for creative inspiration. Print design and web design share many commonalities in their core principles; however, it is absolutely vital that web designers understand the differences between the two mediums before drawing any inspiration from them.

Let’s use an analogy to point out one of the major differences. If we were to compare the two mediums to animals, I’d say print design is most comparable to the nimble-footed hare, whereas web design more closely resembles the lethargic tortoise. The point I’m trying to make (Keyword being “trying”) is that the web tends to fall slightly behind on some design trends because of the time it takes to produce a webpage. This is not to say that all sites are outdated, but print gives web designers another place to look for cutting-edge ideas without having to worry about the compatibility issues that exist when designing for multiple browsers.

Page layout in print design is also vastly different from web sites’ standard layout. Twenty years ago, web designers were limited to creating basic, hierarchical table structures in HTML. Thanks to the utilization of new web technologies and standards such as CSS, Flash, and Flex, we have seen web design shift towards designs that more closely resemble traditional print ads. Despite the resemblance, print and website design are not the same. Designing a website that is identical to an ad you just ran in your local newspaper will never be considered a best practice. Regardless, I think it is fairly safe to assume that we will see web design principles continue to evolve towards their print counterparts.

Lastly, web typography creates a handful of additional concerns that don’t apply to print design. As web designers, we have to worry about screen resolution and readability, which is a concept that is likely completely foreign to print designers. Serif fonts are easier to read with printed materials, while sans serif fonts are better for screen viewing. Web designers also have to consider the circulation of their font. Just because your computer has a font downloaded, does not always mean that the majority of your users have it as well.

Once you identify these differences, it becomes quite simple to draw inspiration from print design.

Some magazines I look at for inspiration are HOW

PRINT

Communication Arts

and Baseline.

These magazines have proven time and time again to be invaluable resources.

Print design is a medium that is certainly exploited by other print designers for inspiration, but following it as a web designer, may leave you a step ahead of the competition. Next time you are lacking creative inspiration, don’t bother browsing the web. Instead, try settling down in a cozy recliner and studying your favorite magazine. And forget about the guilty-conscious nonsense – like the great Audre Lorde preached, “There are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt.”

The 1950’s marked the beginning of what we now identify as the foundation of modern marketing. In those days, calls to action were relatively simple. A “Buy Now!” or “Order Today!” placed somewhere in ad copy was all that was required to motivate users to try your product.

These days, calls to action are a bit more confusing. The commercialization of the Internet in the 1990’s led to an abundance of businesses creating websites with the goal of converting site visitors into customers. Throughout the 2000’s, businesses have expanded calls to action to not only target sales, but many other online behaviors that they feel are an indicator of visitor engagement.
Optimizing these calls to action to maximize conversions is a full-time job in and of itself, and requires many hours of trial and error to be truly successful.  Luckily for you, we at DBS want to spare you some of the laborious trial and error and would like to recommend a few handy tips that you can try on your site today to improve conversions.

Highlight Most Desired Conversion

From the moment an individual logs on to a website, they are bombarded with calls to action. Online marketers often make the mistake of assuming visitors are willing and able to complete every goal they have defined. If marketers had their way, each visitor would follow them on Twitter, Like them on Facebook, sign up for their RSS, subscribe to their newsletter, click to learn more about their services, contact them through a form, and buy their product. The fact of the matter is visitors can only perform one of the above, so your site’s conversion rates would be best served by highlighting the goal that is most important on that page. The easiest way to bring attention to your call to action is to make it as prominent as possible on the web page.

• Make It Big and Make It Bright – This isn’t rocket science; the more apparent the button is, the greater the chance a visitor will be motivated to click it.

• Move Goal Objectives Above The Fold – Visitors should never have to scroll down the page to complete a conversion. By simply moving links and buttons that result in a conversion above the fold, you greatly increase the chance that visitors will convert.

Substantiate Claims of Security

Trust is a crucial element in the seller-buyer relationship. Any action a seller can do to increase trust is bound to increase conversion rates. One of the most basic ways to earn a customers’ trust is to substantiate that your website is secure.

• Protect Your E-Store with SSL – Online shoppers are relatively savvy to the existence of Secure Socket Layers (SSL), a form of encryption that protects information sent over communication networks such as the Internet. Although many couldn’t tell you what it stands for or how it works, most know to avoid websites whose shops are not protected with it.

• Industry and Security Certifications – While SSL protects your customers from outside threats, industry and security certifications help to establish your company as a legitimate business. Use these certifications to demonstrate your company’s commitment to protecting your customers.

Validate Products and Services

Once site visitors are aware that your site is secure, the next best way to increase trust is through validation of your business or products.

• Testimonials and Customer Reviews – A 2008 Study conducted by Razorfish found that 61% of people rely on user reviews for product information or research before a buying decision is made. (Razorfish, 2008) Another study conducted by Econsulatancy found that 90% of consumers online trust recommendations from people they know and 70% trust opinions of unknown users. (Econsultancy, July 2009) Both studies come to the same conclusion. Consumers trust other consumers. Websites with reviews, regardless of being negative or positive, will always convert better than a site without them.

• Include a Privacy Policy – Privacy policies declare the intent of a business in collecting your personal information. Visitors are unlikely to do business with you if you either don’t display a privacy policy on your site, or are involved in any misuse of their information.

Optimize Page Speed

Not too long ago, Google announced that page speed was a factor they use in their ranking algorithm. Since then, most SEO professionals have been doing a few simple steps to improve page speed. Google places importance on page speed for the very same reasons that increasing the page speed could benefit your conversion rates. From a usability standpoint, any page that takes more than a few seconds to load is susceptible to experiencing extremely high bounce rates.

• Decrease Image File Size – Images are a very important component of web design. The problem with images is that they often account for a substantial portion of a page’s load time. Online marketers should make certain that images file sizes are optimized to be as small as possible, without sacrificing any quality.

• Clean Up Javascript and Code – Another large element to slow page speed is improper or poorly written code. A code audit to eliminate any unnecessary strings will do wonders in improving the total load time.

Utilize On-Site Promotions

It’s no mystery that promotions are an effective way to increase sales. The Internet actually provides promotional tactics used to optimize conversions that are specific to online shopping.

• Free Shipping – Shipping fees are one of the few disadvantages of shopping online. When you remove it from the equation, visitors will be enticed to use your service or product to fulfill their needs. If free shipping is something you offer, display it prominently on your website as well as in any PPC ads you may be running.

• Free Trials – Another disadvantage of online shopping is the physical distance between you and the product. This distance is one of the major barriers in the online buying process. When shopping online, shoppers lose the ability to physically interact with the product. To mediate this, some companies utilize free trials; allowing customers to try before they buy.

Integrate Web 2.0 Functionality

The great thing about the modern Internet is the amazing functionality integrated into websites. Programmers have developed a number of features that help to alleviate some of the uncertainties of buying a product online.

• Collaborative Filtering – Collaborative filtering is the process of compiling historical sales data and integrating it into a system that automatically recommends products based on the composition of similar customers’ check out carts. These systems are often labeled as “Customers Who Bought This Also Bought” or “You Might Also Like”. While it is clearly no small project to integrate this type of technology into your website, the benefits in the long-run greatly offset any initial investment.

Choose Images Carefully

As the old adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

• Product Photography – Having no images, small images, or low-quality photography can seriously hinder your conversion rates. In the case of bad photography, visitors assume that the quality of the photography is a reflection of the quality of your product or business. If the images are abnormally small, visitors have difficulty understanding what they are buying. Simply by increasing the size of images, A/B tests have shown that larger images can result in increased conversion rates.

So what are you waiting for?  Quit reading and start optimizing for more conversions!

Do you like TV? Of course you do. How about the Internet? I know, stupid question.

So what could be better than surfing the Internet on your TV? Well here comes Google TV, the seemingly obvious fusion of two of America’s favorite information avenues (Or preoccupations depending on whom you ask). Of course, this is not an entirely new concept. Devices and services like WebTV have been offered in the past as subscription services. So how will Google change the game on Internet TV and make it truly huge? The key is information.

Your information to be exact. What you search for, what you shop for, what blogs you read, what news you seek out; your information is Google’s cash cow. If you don’t already know about the increasingly personalized services Google offers, and are unaware why they offer them, let me give you an inside look.

Here is the most basic. Do a Google search for recliners and you might notice a La-Z-Boy ad at the top of your search results. The portion of the search results where the La-Z-Boy ad is displayed is reserved for Pay Per Click ads. Pay Per Click ads are rather intuitive. The business that is responsible for running the ad will have to pay Google for every user’s click of their ad.
But here’s a more subtle example that most people are completely oblivious to. Next time you send an e-mail in Gmail or open an e-mail that has information unique to you, watch the ads being served in your Gmail window. You may be surprised to see that the ads served relate to the content contained in your email. Google knows by leveraging your interests and compiled search information, they will be able to serve more relevant ads that are specific to your interests. The better relevance ultimately results in more clicks and more money to line Google’s pockets.

It doesn’t stop there, Google has services like Google Health that allows you to gather your health information and medical records in one place, or Google Desktop, which allows you to search and index your computer. These are only a few of the many products offered by Google that give them access to your information.
Whether you consider Google’s trend towards personalization as a positive or negative is a matter of personal opinion. What isn’t an opinion, however, is that the concept of online privacy will become a hotly debated topic as the Internet continues to evolve? We are already beginning to see this development in the news. Recent changes to Facebook’s privacy policy created a vicious backlash amongst its users and sparked the interests of media outlets from around the world.

Regardless of the controversy, Google TV, and other services like it, are bound to open up new avenues for Google’s Adwords content network and how they leverage the information they track about your searches and interests. It would also open up much more information tracking about a given user’s personal habits. Are people more inclined to click Kleenex ads during Grey’s Anatomy? Who knows? Chances are, Google probably does.

Before you start thinking of how everyone is out to get you, think about the awesome features Google TV may bring. Google TV will apparently run on an Android operating system. Imagine being able to use your favorite apps on your TV or easily sending info back and forth from your TV and your Android phone using “swipe” technology. Another possibility may be the ability to watch the news and immediately browse for the truly up-to-the-minute reports on how BP continues to turn the Gulf into a free source of motor oil.

All of this is just scratching the surface of how awesome an experience this fusion can truly be in the hands of Google. With Sony and Logitech already onboard to ship TV’s, Blu Ray players, and Google TV-capable companion boxes to BestBuy this Fall, we should all be able to experience this for ourselves very soon.

Listen To Their NEEDS, Not Their WANTS

As obvious as it may seem, listening to your clients is absolutely imperative to a successful relationship. We are client service professionals; we are responsible for recognizing and understanding our clients’ needs, even when they don’t directly communicate them.

Far too often in this industry, a lack of engagement by account managers leads to confusion between client and agency.  As a result, the client is often the one left holding the short straw.

Let’s say you have a client who is very interested in the idea of making a Facebook fan page. They heard through the grape vine that Social Media is the new wave and that it will ultimately revolutionize the way they do business. You listen to their desire for a Facebook fan page, and act on it by setting up the page, without ever discussing the goals or details of managing it. A year after creating their fan page, you check on it to see that they have 7 fans and haven’t updated in 10 months. You listened to their wants and did exactly as they requested, but the client is still unhappy with the results and the blame may likely fall on your shoulders.

So where did the process go wrong? To be as succinct as possible, you listened to their WANTS, not their NEEDS. They wanted a Facebook fan page; they needed a place where they can interact and communicate with their loyal customers. Wants and needs are often not the same, and those client service professionals that can distinguish the difference between the two are a step ahead of the game.

Talk WITH Them, Not AT Them

Yes, we are in the market of people pleasing, but if you only provide your clients with what they want to hear, you are missing the opportunity to be more than just pleasing. You miss the opportunity to be Wonder Woman (or Superman), the hero of the office place. When your clients ask, “What do you think”, respond honestly as a professional. You are the expert in this relationship. The client rarely has the intimate knowledge of Internet best practices that you have as an online account executive.

Suppose you did listen to your client’s needs in the example raised above and the results of the fan page are still less than desirable. You realized that what they are asking for isn’t specifically a fan page, but rather, another means to talk with their customers. Regardless of this “Eureka!” you decide a Facebook fan page is the solution and ensure them that they will get tons of customer interaction. So what was the reason for the failure this time? As it turns out, the reason the Facebook fan page was not successful happens to be the same reason your client is unhappy with you.  Both of you incorrectly talked AT your customers, not WITH them.

A Facebook fan page is essentially an advertisement.  Just as you made the mistake when dealing with your client, a fan page is a business talking AT its customers. A great way to talk WITH your customers is to create a Facebook group. The intention of a Facebook group is to bring together individuals with mutual interests.  These individuals naturally will care about your client’s business because they share the same interests.  They will be more likely to share the information your client divulges and spread it amongst their network of friends. Your client’s customers also become the primary content creators. Had you talked with your client, and not at them, you would have learned that they don’t have the necessary resources to regularly create new content and update the page, a fact made evident from their 10 month hiatus on the fan page. This aspect makes a Facebook group especially appealing to your client. Now that you’ve identified the solution, you can wear your cape proudly, but don’t wander too far from the phone booth, as there is still one more step to ensure a healthy client relationship.

Follow Through. Kind of Like Your Golf Swing

The clever saying, “Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me” does not apply in the client service’s world. You can listen to what your clients are saying (and not saying) all day long. You can respond with a well thought out response that inquisitively probes your clients’ needs. You can talk in depth with your customer about the implementation of your solution. But if you do not follow through, just ONCE, you lose it all.

FYI: following through is important everywhere. When swinging a golf club, you need to follow through; when getting a chic’s digits, it’s necessary to follow through (seriously). Because this action is instrumental for success universally, you can guarantee that it is equally as important when managing a client relationship. Ignoring this simple fact is the easiest and quickest way to a disgruntled client. So when you tell your client that you will get them the quote they requested– get it to them. If you tell your client that you’ll be available when they post their first blog – be available. If you tell them that you will give them your first born – well you get the point. Follow through!

In no way are the three steps above meant to be the cure-all for client services. They are merely the three things that you can do today to turn around that relationship or help solidify that new one.

In a recent blog, Jonathan Rosenberg, Senior Vice President, Product Management at Google had this to say:

At Google we believe that open systems win. They lead to more innovation, value, and freedom of choice for consumers, and a vibrant, profitable, and competitive ecosystem for businesses. Many companies will claim roughly the same thing since they know that declaring themselves to be open is both good for their brand and completely without risk. After all, in our industry there is no clear definition of what open really means. It is a Rashomon-like term: highly subjective and vitally important. The Meaning of Open

This commitment to openness is one thing that sets Google apart from the other major players in the tech industry.  And perhaps helps explain how they have come to be such a dominant player.

Its also one reason we at DBS watch Google’s every move. They are pushing the technologies that drive the online world more than anyone else.

The other giants in the industry are Apple and Microsoft. Apple has a long history of innovation and producing game changing products. The iPhone, iPad and iPod are all really cool products that changed the industry in a very positive direction. They pushed their respective envelopes.

But Apple is just as well known for their “walled garden” philosophy, where they control the user’s access to content and technologies that the power brokers within Apple don’t like. They are benevolent dictators. Apple users typically have but one way to play the game — it’s Apple’s way or the highway. Most Apple users probably don’t care since their view of the world from within those high walls, is pretty nice.

And then we have the other giant, Microsoft. Nobody would ever confuse Microsoft as an innovator or of doing much that could be called “game changing”.  Or “open” for that matter. In fact, if there is anti-thesis to Google’s openness, its Microsoft’s closed, proprietary protocols, their partial acceptance of standards, and their apparent reluctance to support the openness of the Internet beyond that which supports their self-interests in the Desktop and Server markets. “Free” and “open” are four letter words in the Microsoft dictionary. Try imagining anything like the following coming from Microsoft:

Open technology includes open source, meaning we release and actively support code that helps grow the Internet, and open standards, meaning we adhere to accepted standards and, if none exist, work to create standards that improve the entire Internet (and not just benefit Google). The Meaning of Open

Of course, this isn’t pure altruism on Google’s part. A bigger, more pervasive Internet is just good business for them.  Google’s technical know-how and seemingly limitless resources allows them to take on challenges that most companies would deem too great.  Google has stayed true to their goal and has without a doubt become essential to the growth of the Internet and the acceptance of open-standards.  Just take a look, at literally, a small fraction of the many products Google has developed and then made open for the world to build upon, customize, and improve:

• Android – Operating system for phones and handheld devices
• Google Analytics – Traffic statistics generator for websites
• Chrome – Open source web browser for Mac, Windows, and Linux
• Gmail – Free email system that offers many times the amount of storage space than other services
• Wave – Communications platform and collaboration tool

Each of these products has somehow helped transform the industry that they service.  Google is often attacked for being too big, too powerful, and yet without Google’s size and their backing of open source, the many tools and products we use daily to improve and simplify our lives would not exist.

I’d like to leave you with one final quote from The Meaning of Open that may be especially telling of the future, as seen by Google.

Open will win. It will win on the Internet and will then cascade across many walks of life: The future of government is transparency. The future of commerce is information symmetry. The future of culture is freedom. The future of science and medicine is collaboration. The future of entertainment is participation. Each of these futures depends on an open Internet.

We’ll just have to wait to see what the future holds, but I for one, wouldn’t bet against them!