Author: Taylor Kennedy

Timing is key

Posted on by Taylor Kennedy

iDough-iDough-pintIn light of today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling to legalize gay marriage, Ben & Jerry’s renaming of its staple “Chocolate-Chip Cookie Dough” ice cream couldn’t have come at a better time.

The Vermont-based ice cream shop, a long-time supporter of LGBT rights, changed the name of the carton to “I dough, I dough” for a limited time, with all the proceeds benefiting the Human Rights Campaign.

When you’re thinking about rebranding a product, do your research. Know what’s going on in the world. Also, be smart in the way you market your product. Not only did Ben & Jerry’s change the name, they also changed the image on the container.

PR and SEO’s relationship

Posted on by Taylor Kennedy

On face value, SEO and public relations don’t seem like they can integrate, but I can think of a clear example.

One aspect of PR includes media relations. You work hard to pitch a story, and your efforts pay off when it gets placement, let’s say in a major publication like the Wall Street Journal. Even better, the author includes a link to your company or client’s website (in the online version of the story).

The inbound link is valuable because it means a third party is lending its credibility to your site, an important part of the formula that search engines use to rank websites.

This tactic is something that most SEO-only consultants can’t offer. Think of it as a value-add for working with a PR practitioner.

Manage your Facebook News Feed

Posted on by Taylor Kennedy

According to Facebook product manager Greg Marra, there are about 1,500 different stories that can appear in a users News Feed on any given day. However, because of the algorithms behind the program, users only see about 150. If you’re one of many thinking how nice it would be to manage your News Feed, you’re in luck.

If you recall from a previous blog post, Facebook uses a formula called Edgerank to determine which of your friends’ posts you see the most often. But now, you can trump Edgerank.

That’s because Facebook unveiled a new settings menu and customization options for people to personalize the information they see. The News Feed setting shows which friends appear most and which you’ve chosen to unfollow. Users can then unfollow friends or chose to “re-connect” with ones you’ve previously kept hidden.