websense

Yeah, TKG is all talk this February, and we’re pretty happy about it. Several of our group will be out and about in the community giving talks on various SEO/SEM/Social Media topics. We love the opportunity to meet with others in the area to give and gain fresh ideas, maybe impart a little search wisdom, and help break up some of the winter blahs that always hit NE Ohio about mid-February.

Jennifer Geh starts off February giving the Keynote Speech at the Green COC Business Lunch Forum.
February 10th Corey Hammond will be speaking with Kristie VanAuken from the Akron Canton Airport at the Stark CVB Breakfast.
Also on February 10, from 1pm to 3pm is the JBCC Peak Presentation where both Jennifer Geh and Corey Hammond will be speaking. The topic for the afternoon will be : Utilizing Social Media Networks in the Business World: the Real Place for MySpace!
Aaron Geh will be a panelist for the Society of Professional Marketers in Cleveland on the 18th.

If you have ever heard any of our speakers, you know they’re not really all talk. We like to listen and learn, too. We really look forward to each event, each one teaches us something new, so we look forward to seeing some folks out at some of these functions. If you need the info again, here’s the short list:

• 2/9/10 – Green COC Business Lunch Forum (Jen Geh)
• 2/10/10 – Stark CVB Breakfast Presentation (Corey Hammond and Kristie VanAuken)
• 2/10/10 – JBCC PEAK Presentation (Jen Geh and Corey Hammond)
• 2/18/10 – Society of Professional Marketers in Cleveland (Aaron Geh)

If you’re in the Akron, Canton or Cleveland areas, and want to learn how to leverage SEO, Social Media, email marketing and your website, you may want to check out our Breakfast Bootcamp Series.

We’ve been doing SEO Seminars for years. We love doing them and get great feedback and participation, but we’re too busy with our actual jobs to do them as frequently as we’d like. So we started the Bootcamp series which is made up of quick 2 hour sessions on various topics related to Web Design, Social Media, Search Engine Optimization, etc. Plus some free food which never hurts.

The full list of Social Media and Marketing topics is right here. If you’re in the area and want some free food and some free marketing advice, I’d recommend you stop in for one or more of them.

It’s an open format, so if you already know your stuff and are willing to share your experiences with other participants, that would be great too.

TKG is offering a discount for our loyal blog readers to be used for our upcoming seminars in Columbus and Akron. Use the following code: WEBSENSE. It will take $50 off the total registration for either the Columbus or Akron seminars. You can get all the details on the SEO Seminar site.

The 2009 Business Expo is going to be held February 25, 2009 from 4-8 p.m. at the Kent State Stark Campus Professional Education and Conference Center. This event is open to the public. Contact us for complimentary passes; just call our receptionist Hannah at 888-485-4932 or 330-493-6141. We’ll see you there!

Breakfast Bootcamp, March 12, 2009. Our Social Media Marketing Specialist, Corey Hammond, will be talking about how to market your website using social media sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and others. He’ll also talk about blogging, including some pointers to help determine if a blog is right for your business. Space is very limited so be sure to reserve your spot today!For more information, visit our SEO Breakfast Bootcamp page or email Collyn Floyd to sign up.

Aaron Geh will be speaking at The 2009 AAM Summit: Marketingpalooza will be held in Austin, Texas in June of 2009.

Geoff Karcher, President of TKG, will be speaking at the Canton Chamber’s Fast Break Breakfast on May 8, 2009. The topic he’ll be discussing is “Working with Young Professionals, How to Attract Them and Keep Them Happy.” Very fitting as Geoff has become an expert at fostering the young talent that we have here at TKG. From those we’ve met in the After Hours program to interns and full-time staff alike, our company is full of young professionals! They have not only learned a lot from Geoff and his company, but have stayed to help his business grow.

This event is being held at the Courtyard by Marriott:
4375 Metro Circle NW, North Canton

For more information visit the Canton Chamber or contact (330)-456-7253

I had the privilege of being part of a discussion panel at a Canton Forum lunch on Wednesday. What an interesting topic. We were discussing the challenges of having multiple generations in your workforce; baby boomers, generation x-ers and generation y aka millenials. The other speakers were Susan Olivera from Aultman Health Foundation and Traci Dunn from The Timken Company. It was great to hear their insights, from a corporate perspective, on bringing in young talent. They definitely have some challenges that we’re blessed, as a small company, to not have to deal with.

I won’t go into all of the differences in these groups with regard to how they work and what their expectations are of an employer. There are plenty of authorities on that topic that can provide much better explanations than I can. Generally speaking though it became clear in our discussion that each of these groups has very different expectations in what an employer will provide them, and in how they should be allowed to do their job. What it did get me thinking about though, is how these very different age groups use technology in their lives and what their expectations are in terms of how they should be communicated to.

An example

I was recently meeting with a prospective client; one of our area’s furniture retailers. They were considering upgrading their website because it’s not performing in the search engines (incidentally, it’s an all flash site so very easy to diagnose). In our discussions, the topic of their current customer base came up, and the fact that they’d really like to reach a younger market. The bulk of their customers currently are baby boomers and older. They’re struggling to bring in the gen-xers (those in their early to mid 30s with young families).

After taking a look at their website and their marketing efforts, it becomes very clear why they have this issue. Their marketing is done primarily through traditional media (newspapers, billboards and radio). Very little focus on the web at all, let alone search engine marketing.

This is a prime example of not understanding the expectations of different generations and meeting them. If this particular company is smart, they’ll consider moving a significant portion of their marketing budget from traditional media into things like the web and search engine marketing. Gen-xers have an expectation of being able to be in control of their time. They largely ignore the vast number of shotgun type marketing messages, but respond well to relevant information that is delivered to them at the time and place they are looking for it.

This same concept ties very well into social media marketing. Everyone’s excited about social media right now, so much so, that industrial manufacturers are wondering if they should have a Myspace profile. My advice, think about who your market is. How old are they, what are their habits, how do they communicate with each other, how do they learn etc. If you answer these questions, you’ll have a much better chance of marketing your business properly. Hopefully avoiding wasted time, money and energy “advertising” to the wrong people.