Even though I am constantly reminded as an online marketer that conversions are what count, I sometimes lose sight of the fact that promotions don’t have to be high-tech to be effective. This hit home for me at last week’s Marade for MLK, Jr. Day here in Denver.

I didn’t see a lot of QR codes or any flashy technology being used to get the word out about the many important causes being spotlighted at this event. What I did see was a high school student (pictured above) directing parade watchers to online information about Colorado ASSET with a simple poster. She kept her message on-target with simple, focused content: the name of the cause, a website address, an Twitter and Facebook icons.

Did this low-tech promotional technique work? At minimum, it caught my attention. I looked the website up on my iPhone, and now I know what Colorado ASSET is and why it’s so important. And if you visit their website, you’ll know, too. And so the ripples of information spread out amongst the masses …

Online Marketing Shows Up at Local Parade is a post from: Online Marketing Jill of All Trades, the blog of Denver-based SEO/Writer Christy Correll.

While strolling through my hood the other day, I was excited to see a couple different realtors incorporating QR codes into their street-level marketing campaigns. Until I realized that they were just posting them without directions, like QR codes are things everyday folk know what to do with when they stumble upon.

News Flash: Although QR codes are becoming more commonplace in everyday life, we just aren’t there yet, Denver realtors. Sorry.

But the day is coming. Soon! Before you know it, Jane Doe will know what to do when she bumps into a QR code in her hood — just like she innately knows what to do when she encounters a lost puppy or $50 bill on the sidewalk.

Until then, please remember to include operating instructions for QR codes, or don’t use them at all.

If You Can’t Say Something Nice About a QR Code, You Shouldn’t Use One at All is a post from: Online Marketing Jill of All Trades, the blog of Denver-based SEO/Writer Christy Correll.

Do it for love, or do it for the chance to win a shiny new toy — just do it!

I just took SeoMoz’s biennial search marketing industry survey and think you should, too. As Rand promised, it only took about 10 minutes. That said, it was surprisingly comprehensive given the lack of pain involved in taking it. I was given the opportunity to answer questions such as if I use the nofollow and canonical tags or not, what specific tools I use for SEO and social media, and what activities I concentrate my efforts on. The survey also covers all the usual budget, job role, and compensation questions as well. To be honest, though, I would have gladly spent up to an hour taking a survey if it would give us a better idea of what it means to be a part of this industry and give us insight into making search better for everyone involved.

If you haven’t yet taken this survey and you working in the search marketing industry, I encourage you to do so. The more of us that participate, the more information we will have about who we are as a community and where we are headed. (The results, of course, will be released publicly as the 2008 results were.)

It will also be interesting to look back in a couple of years when we take the 2010 survey and see if our predictions as a whole were on-target or now. Looking back on the 2008 survey results sure was interesting! *shakes head, laughing * In 2008, the majority of us thought that Yahoo! was more likely to challenge Google than Microsoft — followed by Ask, Baidu, and Wikia. What the heck is Wikia? I don’t even remember Wikia? LOL. Do you? And is Baidu still around? (Frankly, I am surprised that Ask is still around.)

So, take the survey because you love what you do and want to give back to the search community. Participation is anonymous, of course.

And if you could care less about the greater good, well, they are offering all survey participants the option of going into a a drawing for a nice list of prizes that includes a 32G iPad, Flip HD cameras, and, of course, SEO swag.

Have You Taken seoMoz’s Industry Survey Yet? is a post from: Online Marketing Jill of All Trades, the blog of Denver-based SEO/Writer Christy Correll.

Facebook is encouraging select local businesses to promote their Facebook pages with the new “text to like” feature. As an incentive, Facebook is gifting these businesses with Facebook-branded window decals customized with the URL of each business’s Facebook page and instructions on how to “like” that particular message by sending an SMS. Social media news blog Mashable confirmed yesterday that select local businesses have already started receiving the “text to like” stickers in their mailboxes.

Aside from the fact that Facebook’s use of the word “like” is totally out of control, I believe local businesses would be wise to leverage this free tool to introduce their brand to as many Facebook users as possible. Last year, the number of people who use Facebook grew by a staggering 145% — from 42 million to 103 million users.

But what if Facebook doesn’t send your local business one of these window stickers? Or what if you don’t qualify as a local business? Actually, it turns out that the “text to like” feature is available to anyone with a custom URL on Facebook.
I tested this myself by sending a text to 32665, Facebook’s mobile messaging number, with the words “like 9news” and received a confirmation message almost immediately. http://facebook.com/9news/ is the custom URL of the most accurate source of local weather information where I live, and that’s saying something as Colorado weather is notoriously unpredictable. Now my Facebook profile page will indicate that I “like” this page, and I will receive a text with the local weather information each day instead of having to log onto 9 News Weather’s website. Rad!

You should be aware that in order to use the “text to like” feature, you must  have activated Facebook Mobile Texts in the account settings for your Facebook account and have confirmed your mobile number. To confirm your mobile phone with Facebook, click on the “mobile” tab in your account settings. Account settings can be accessed from your profile page.

Editor’s Note: Facebook has strict terms regarding the terminology, logos and icons that may used to promote Facebook pages. It is recommended that you read these terms of use thoroughly before designing anything for the purpose of promoting your Facebook page. Neither ChristyCorrell.com nor Honey Tree Media LLC is responsible for anyone who violates Facebook’s TOS.

How to Promote Your Facebook Page with the New “Text to Like” Feature … Even if You Aren’t in the Beta Program is a post from: Online Marketing Jill of All Trades, the blog of Denver-based SEO/Writer Christy Correll.