Hello, my name is Proof.

The man on the other end of the line said, "We can't do your plan." His organization is struggling to maintain relevance. He knows it but he's frozen in time waiting for something he calls "proof". Meanwhile, another man calls with a similar predicament. His business isn't near the end of its life but he's halfway through the year and not remotely close to achieving his sales objectives. What should he do?

The two men don't know each other but they have heard the same thing -- social media and search engine optimization could be part of a solution. But is it one or the other? They seem like competing interests. They're not. They may be competitors but they are not mutually exclusive ideas. And, I'm not the only one saying it.

This past weekend Web Pro News wrote, "Most savvy webmasters have learned by now that they can't rely on Google rankings alone to drive traffic. This is why social media opportunities presented by networks like Facebook and Twitter have become so attractive. The way people search and obtain information is becoming more and more diversified...the importance of ranking in a completely natural, organic search has become greatly diluted over time...it's getting harder to rely on as well as less critical for discovery."

I know what you're thinking, "That's just another opinion. It's not the kind of proof that your prospect is looking for." Well, my friend, Proof usually doesn't come walking in the door at 8AM. Proof is busy working. It works around the clock. Sometimes Proof seems to contradict itself. Other times it's the perfect manifestation of our best efforts. Either is fine if you know what you're measuring and if you're flexible enough to tweak the plan.

Wait! Proof has entered the building and is in a talkative mood. Let's listen in.

"About 6 months ago Bigfish launched the Starfish Strategy for a local boutique realtor. The results have been part of a record Spring season -- best in 5 years in the worst market perhaps ever. Web site traffic has multiplied by four; Facebook fans by 10 fold. The client's average page position in Google is 3 or higher. While about 1/2 the traffic to their site comes from Google (paid and organic) a full 20% comes from Facebook and respectable percentages from Twitter. The Starfish Strategy has also produced five figure views of home-tour videos on YouTube and makes over 200,000 impressions per month via keywords and interests tied to the client's Google and Facebook ads. The client has even slashed their print ad budget to nearly nothing." Proof, who is becoming bored hearing itself talk, ends the riff and heads back to work.

Hmph. Well, maybe I was wrong. Sometimes Proof does come walking in the door. Want to hear it for yourself? Talk to me www.twitter.com/timbigfish

The Problem with Privacy: You and Me

Recent moves by Google and Facebook have more than just a few of us talking about privacy. Yet, I think the conversation is misdirected. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that we’re not that concerned about privacy. What we’re interested in is control.

A few weeks ago Google decided to add all of your Gmail recipients as friends on Google Buzz. And, Facebook decided that you’d want your friends and brands to know which sites you’re visiting and which of your ‘likes’ were really expressions of a brand preference. So, they default their systems to do just that. Share everything as you visit web sites.

In the end they may have been right. After all, most of us who are still carrying around a little angst regarding our high school popularity or lack thereof want to have as many friends as possible. So, thanks Google and while you’re at it, can you get that cute little redhead in Honors English to sign my yearbook? As for Facebook, aren’t we already expressing likes and interests in everything from American Idol to Zappo? And, posting pictures of little Johnny’s spelling bee championship trophy? So, Facebook thanks for allowing me to accelerate the word-of-mouth that is my opinion.

But they were wrong. Right? Yeah, maybe. They were wrong to assume that just because we’ll share every little thing in our lives that they can share it too. Google responded by disabling the default. Facebook has essentially done the same with an “opt-out” feature for changing the option regarding sharing info with web sites (just check the Privacy Settings/Web Sites of your Account). All they really had to do us tell us about the benefits, prompt us with a message at sign in, and allow us to “opt in” or “opt out” immediately upon launch of the new feature. My guess is most of us would have retained the default settings. After all, we’re all but over the secrecy of the Information Age. We simply want to know where the kill-switch is when our data spills out onto the social web.

Talk to me www.twitter.com/timbigfish

The Social Web and Really Cute Shoes

The question from the audience was simple. The response was equal parts a first step toward the social web and a fashion tip -- accessorize.

He asked, "Won't these social plugins and sharing utilities seem out of place on our old web sites?" I couldn't help myself. The audience was nearly 70% female and a guy was asking what essentially was a fashion question. My response was this, "Ladies, should last year's dress keep you from rocking this season's cutest shoes?"

Sure, from a technical point-of-view the social web is about web parts that are easily identified by users and shared via APIs but the spirit of it is embracing the cultural shift toward participation and enabling users (not search algorithms) to determine what is relevant on the web.

The social web is not a fade but it may seem fashion forward to those from the Information Age. Still, having a web wardrobe that isn't "this season" is no reason to hide yourself in the closet. Develop a strategy for stepping out. In the meantime, accessorize your current site. There are plenty of affordable ways to do it. By the way, I hear that it starts with the shoes (or, the addthis utility).

Talk to me twitter.com/timbigfish

Wow! Uh Oh.

If you’re a marketer you have to be watching the recent moves of social media darlings Twitter and Facebook with equal thoughts of “Wow” and “Uh oh”. First the “Wow”. Twitter and Facebook have made interesting moves of late. Twitter with Promoted Tweets and Facebook via Open Graph. These initiatives are bound to affect online advertising as over 500 million users will see more promotion on their favorite platforms. Wow.

Note: My position for sometime has been that each of these platforms is relevant to your search advertising objectives NOW even if you don’t have an appreciation for the Participation Age itself. Both Twitter and Facebook matter because tweets and posts have emerged as a high worth element in Google’s search algorithm.

And now, each player has amped up its own ability to compete for ad dollars. This brings me to the “Uh oh”.

“Uh oh” if you’re a business that has yet to seriously explore social media as a touch-point for interaction with your prospects and customers. The longer you stay away from social media, the further behind you will be in attracting prospects, cultivating relationships, and accumulating customers through fans (likers) and followers. And if like me you believe that selling in the Participation Age is more farming than hunting -- you can’t afford to remain disconnected from the digitized form of word of mouth that the rest of us know as tweets and posts. Not even for one more day.

I'm not saying you can't run a successful business without social media participation, but it’s not going away. There are more applications, strategies, and opportunities being built upon it. You can’t afford to ignore it. "Uh oh" is not a strategy.

Talk to me www.twitter.com/timbigfish