There are still developers and website owners who do not know about the New EU Cookie Law. Some are in denial and some think they are immune.

Don’t take my word for it:

Matt Warman of The Telegraph said:
EU cookie law ‘will cost businesses £10billion’ New regulations on internet cookies which come into force on 26 May will cost UK businesses £10billion, researchers have claimed.

John Naughton of the Observer said:
EU cookie laws could cause unwary firms to get their fingers burnt. Cookies are a key component of web technology, but anyone using them must beware new EU rules on consent

My colleague Michelle Harris and I [Mick Say] been slated on social media by many people for stirring up a stink about a toothless law? One person even said it was a scam! Many people also joined in the conversation in a very positive manner – thank you to all of those people.

I wish it was a toothless law and to be honest, I wish it would go away, but it will not.
The New EU Cookie Law is here to stay, so please don’t let the New EU Cookie Law be a pain, be prepared by reading the full low-down on the New EU Cookie Law.

Happy days….

In simple terms, the new rules require websites to get permission from their visitors before placing any cookies on their computers. Permission must be informed and CLEARLY sought, which means you have to ask visitors outright if you can put cookies on their computer, and explain clearly what the cookies are used for. No simple task !

You are NOT allowed to hide the information in your website’s Privacy Policy and hope that website visitors will read them and then take action by editing cookies on their website browser. As you know most people don’t even know what cookies are or what they do.

The only exceptions to this are cookies deemed essential to providing functions visitors have asked for. But you can’t rely on this to cover many of your cookies. Please read our full and complete Cookie Law Guidance notes here. Better be safe than sorry.

If you have Google tracking code or Social Sharing tools on your website, then you have third party cookies on your website and you must ask the visitor for their permission to place them on their computer and give them the opportunity to accept or decline them.

Is your website ready for the EU Cookie Law. It really does get serious on the 26th of May 2012. EU Cooke Law Plugin Availiable.

No matter what category or niche you are in, you are going to have strong online competition, but the good news is that with knowledge of social media and Search Engine Optimisation you can plan to overcome your competition and beat them to the first page or even the number one organic ranking spots on Google. Content is King and SEO Knowledge is his Queen.

Could Good Search Engine Optimisation win you 40% more Business?

Did you know that the #No.1 Organically ranked position on Google gets around 40% of all click through’s for a given search term? Imagine what such a boost in traffic could do for your business.

Increasing numbers of consumers and businesses are researching and making purchasing decisions via online search to such an extent that it is now impossible to ignore the potential of online search.

A combination of the accessibility of the technology and the soaring costs of traditional marketing make it important for all businesses to consider more cost effective ways of marketing and selling their products and services.

With online search now being such a powerful new business driver and with social media playing such an important role in advocacy and business development, now is the time to take Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Social Search seriously.

Content Sharing and Engagement

Good Search Engine Optimisation begins with good content and good content is distributed and engaged upon via social media. The business which can create and distribute great content is going to rank well providing that they operate with integrity and use best practice online marketing techniques.

Review our Search Engine Optimisation Training Course to see a short list of essential knowledge bullets.

Also of interest on this subject please see the Social Media Academy – Internet Marketing Audit.

I recently read a press release about the talented Young Danny Webb who is a rising Moto GP star riding for MAHINDRA RACING and sponsored by Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt.

I am not connected to Danny Webb or Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt.
I am just a big fan of both…

The daring 21 years old Danny Webb is appearing at the at the Tutti Frutti store at: 2 Bedford Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9HH to serve frozen yogurt and meet his fans on Friday 30th March 2012.

If you can support and encourage Danny – that would be great.

An Example of Influencer Marketing

Whilst I hope to Meet Danny on Friday this week my post is not about Danny Webb, Moto GP, or even Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt, it is about Social Media and Social PR.

Whilst this Public relations event is big news for me as a Moto GP and Ice Cream fan I wanted to draw on the possibilities for publicising events such as these via Social Media and Influencer Marketing.

I am just a single person, a single Moto GP fan, yet here I am writing and tweeting about my hobby in a way that is drawing attention to several brands. This is a perfect example of Influencer Marketing which I wrote about earlier this week.

Social Media and Social PR

Social Media helps us to reach many people with the same interests, it cuts across channels and allows us to engage meaningfully with like-minded people about shared interests in a way that is personal to both.

Social Media is forcing PR agencies to rethink their communication strategies and turn to the social web for inspiration and amplification of their marketing messages.

Great News for Small Business

The good news for small business is: With a little bit of knowledge you can drive your own Social Media Public relations. Connecting to a meaningful network allows the business to engage directly with the people who care; and that is the winning combination which I would like you to think about.

Good Luck with your Career Danny Webb

Please join me in wishing Danny Good Luck with in his career….

You can follow Danny on twitter and wish him well and a happy 21st Birthday > @DannyWebb99

And if you want to contact Tutti Frutti about the event you can follow them on Twitter > @tfyogurt

Also if you are a Moto Gp Fan follow this amazing sport on Twitter here: > @MotoGP

He is a real expert in his field and he exudes confidence and knowledge – this is both very deep and is explained in a very clear way. Mick is also very passionate and cares deeply about his customers and is very giving in nature.

Bottom line I would recommend Mick to any business considering taking on his services and it is a pleasure to know him and work with him.

Rupert Honywood
Managing Director – Personal Development Bureau

My answer to the “Do businesses need a website?” question is unequivocal.
Yes, businesses do need a website because the only constant on the internet is the internet.

I am sure that people will call me biased because my company is a website design and development company, but my motives are clear. Every business needs a website because a website is the only place on the internet where the business can have complete control of their content and their message.

Content Drives Trust Authority and Respect (ART)

The business website Should be the hub of all online activity, all of your efforts should be dedicated to driving traffic to the only place you have full control. To achieve meaningful volume of traffic or people to your sales message you will need to generate a great deal of original, unique, meaningful content and the majority of that should be on your owned resource, your website and integral blog.

If you do not have a website with an integral blog then all of the content you write will be scattered around the web with no meaning or purpose. When people see your content on Facebook, Twitter and or other social media resources they assume that this content is comment and conversation which is no bad thing – but if it does not have a home (your website) you will struggle to be the “Authority” – the Go-to person that you need to be.

Research shows that online empires such as MySPace have a shelf life and eventually they fall, (see the infographic below). Mark Zuckeberg would like the internet to be inside Facebook and with a billion members he is well on his way to achieving it, however if you put all of your content eggs in the Facebook basket you are in for a tumble and you will fall with Facebook – if they fall..

The internet is a trusted constant to build Autority, Respect and Trust

The only constant on the internet is the internet itself – it will change and it will evolve but it will be the main driver for business for many years to come. So my message to those business owners without a website and blog is – Get yourself a website and learn how to use it in order to establish yourself and your business as the leader in your field.

The Rise and Fall of Online Empires

Check out the Infographic below by our friends at Century Link. If you need to enlarge the image hold down your “Ctrl” key roll forward on the roller on your mouse. When you are finished – Hold down the “Ctrl” Key and hit the 0 (zero) button on your keyboard.

If you require website development advice please check out our Website Development pages or call us.

“we are on the cusp of a marketing revolution that is being led by you: the citizen influencer
Azeem Azhar: CEO PeerIndex

Social Influencer Marketing

Social Influence is not new; Social Influencer Marketing has been a tactic used in physical networking and consumer groups for many years but the emergence and popularity of Social Media and the development of Social Scoring tools such as PeerIndex, Klout and Kred allows brands to easily find Social Influencers and encourage them to promote their products and services to their networks.

Word of Mouth Marketing

In the physical world people recognise the phrase “Influencer Marketing” as “Word of Mouth Marketing“. Word of Mouth Marketing happens when trusted peers recommend the products and services of people they know and trust (or when a company or brand offers them an incentive to recommend their stuff).

Social Influencer Marketing today differs in that the Social Influencer is well connected in the Social Media Networks. And the people in those extended networks trust the influencer and are likely to follow their advice when it comes to reviews and recommendations.

Social Influencer

The Social Influencers of the future will become sought after commodities by brand owners who will be willing to pay for their “influencing” services. It is easy today and will become even easier in the near future to find the Social Influencers in every walk of life and business niche. Even today it is easy to find social influencers using Social Scoring tools such as Klout and PeerIndex.

Peer Index Social Scoring

Social Scoring Platforms
There are many Social Scoring platforms but I will use PeerIndex for example purposes.

Your social Score is a relative measure of your online authority and your social score will reflect the impact of your social activities and the extent of your social capital and overall online reputation.

You cannot be an authority without a receptive audience.
A receptive audience is one that listens and is receptive to the discussions of members of the community. To capture this aspect, the PeerIndex Score includes an Audience score we calculate for each profile.
You can see my PeerIndex Score here > http://www.peerindex.com/micksay

Return On Inluence

The phrase “ROI” is generally recognised as “Return on Investment” – however in the digital era it now has new meaning “Return on Influence”

I personally receive much Return on Influence (ROI) in the shape of a meaningful extended social network, more traffic to our website the Online Marketing Academy and a steady stream of new clients won mainly of the strength the content we write which is distributed widely and in turn positively impacts on search.

The term “Return on Influence” is described eloquently in the book of the same name by Mark W. Schaefer. Return On Influence is an excellent book, which incidentally was gifted to me by PeerIndex as a #PeerPerks. Click here to see if you are eligible to receive a free copy of Return on Influence by Mark W Schaefer.

Katherine Barrett, Content Committee, National Safer Roads Partnerships’ Conference 2012

Social Media includes web-based and mobile technologies which are used to turn communication into interactive dialogue. These internet-based applications allow the easy creation and exchange of user-generated content.

A Motivational Speaker in Social Media

Mick Say is an Online Business Development Consultant at the Online Marketing Academy. Mick is an early Social Media adopter and Social Media Speaker with 19 years online marketing experience beginning in 1993 at the dawn of the internet when very few people were aware of its future potential.

My first engagement as a Social Media Speaker was on the 19th of November 2004 when I was the Chairperson and Key-Note speaker for a Marketing Week conference entitled “Captitalising on Current and Future Trends, To Experience Unrivaled Success in the Male Grooming and Fragrance Market.

Back in 2004 when I spoke about my vision for the future of marketing I had already been immersed in the online world for eleven years and my audience who were senior marketing executives for some of the worlds most glamorous fragrance and male grooming brands were all very professional, classically trained traditional marketing experts, and unfortunately my vision of a global community of consumers connecting and advocating brands fell on deaf ears, but I never gave up and continued to speak about what was later to become “Social Media”

Keynote Social Media Speaker

More recently, Wednesday 14th March 2012, I was very proud to be the Keynote Social Media Speaker for the National Safer Roads Partnership Conference in Manchester presenting to an impressive audience of road safety professionals, associated organisations and champions all dedicated to making our roads safer for all. I will write more on the subject of Road Safety and Social Media as the story unfolds.

My role as an Online Business Development Consultant leads me down the Social Media Speaking path almost on a weekly basis from events as wide ranging as as the Business Start up Show to smaller classroom teaching and even individual 1-to-1 training and mentoring.

Social Media in Business

Mostly, the Online Marketing Academy works with UK businesses large and small to develop general Social Media and Digital Marketing Strategies. Integrating social media architecture and engagement into the wider online business development strategy and marketing mix is essential.

Social Media Speaker – Client Testimonial
“Mick’s talk at our conference in Manchester this year was dynamic, engaging and gave an interesting and easy to digest account of how we can improve our presence in the new digital world. Feedback from conference attendees was extremely positive, with many having improved their knowledge of social and digital marketing dramatically in just a 40 minute period! We look forward to working with Mick and the Online Marketing Academy in the near future.”

Katherine Barrett, Content Committee, National Safer Roads Partnerships’ Conference 2012

Why Social Media?

If you would like to read more about why social media is important for business please read our Social Media section.

Encyclopedia Britannica was first published Edinburgh in 1768 and although publication moved to the United States in 1901 the Encyclopedia was a British Institution, and it maintained British spelling to the present day.

Encyclopedia Britannica and the Online version is owned by Swiss investor Jacqui Eli Safra, who (incidentally) owns Spring Mountain Vineyards in California. Anyway enough of my envy…

Encyclopedia Britannica announces no more printed versions…

In March 2012 the owners of Encyclopedia Britannica announced that they would no longer publish printed editions and will focus solely on the Online version. The first edition of Encyclopedia Britannica between 1768 and 1771 as three volumes and the last printed edition was a 32 volume set in 2010.

Considering the size of the publication and economic pressures there is I suppose, no surprise that at around $1,400.00 for a 32 volume set, the decision to quit the print version was made when the digital version is so much more accessible to everyone, and very much more affordable at £49.95 for an annual subscription.

Digital Products for a Digital World

I can’t help thinking that the passing of such a learned printed publication is a sad occasion, what is to become of the printed word ? Where will books be in another 200 years ?

OK, they are rhetorical questions and I have to admit that it is quite some time since I have read a printed book and choose to read most everything on the screens of my PC, Laptop, iPad or iPhone but having said that I am feeling nostalgic for the smell and feel of paper in my hands…

Digital publications are growing at the same rate as the digital world, and digital marketing companies such as ours are benefiting from this evolution in digital marketing and digital publications.

Wishing Encyclopedia Britannica Well..

I have purchased an annual subscription and will report back from time to time with reviews on the online version of Encyclopedia Britannica..

Here is what Encyclopedia Britannica promise…

I am confident that they will deliver..

How you will benefit:
• Presented with the correct facts in an uncertain, shifting world
• Have confidence in the knowledge provided by more than 4,000 worldwide expert contributors
• Culture-neutral and unbiased
• Complex topics explained in an uncomplicated manner
• The key back-story to this mornings news
• Value for money – less than 11 pence per day

Britannica Online is a unique multipurpose resource created to satisfy and enhance the learning and research needs of all of its users. Whether it is for project work, research, or for swift access to information, Britannica Online provides a secure, accurate and up-to-date reference resource that allows its users to find what they are looking for quickly and efficiently. Search results are displayed simply, in order of relevance.

Britannica Online combines three databases to supply users with a vast array of detailed articles, images, videos and animations suitable for all levels of research. Current news links keep users up-to-date with events around the world.

Key product features:
• Unrivalled quality of text managed by experienced editors
• Constantly refreshed and updated
• Clutter-free and relevant search results
• Up-to-date with links to current events
• Britannica-checked, trusted web links
• Over 23,000 graphics and multimedia assets
• Homework and research tools
• Atlas and maps
• Interactive games, videos and images
• Dictionary and Thesaurus and much more!

Encyclopedia Britannica Subscriptions
** I am not in any way affiliated to Encyclopedia Britannica, I’m just a big fan…