Emergence Media

Maker’s Manhattan = High ROI?

Introduction

In “The Intersection of Media & SEO“, Rand Fishkin discusses factors that led SEOMoz to be mentioned in the mainstream media (or to use industry jargon “offline social media optimization for MSM”). And apparently, it’s partially fueled by alcohol. ;)

Here’s a quick excerpt of the factors (I recommend reading the whole post):

1. Personal Relationships - Sharing time, drinks, experiences, and a professional relationship…
2. Industry Events - Without participation in events like SES, Pubcon, & others, the relationships and industry profile we’ve built would have been impossible…
3. Shareable Stories - Being able to give Brad [writer of Newsweek/Wired] the names of 3 of our clients that he could contact and write about probably cinched the deal.
4. Brand Recognition - Press research, like any other kind, will start with broad searches and get more narrow; being listed in the top results for industry-related queries and having mentions at major industry portals will go a long way towards getting the right people to find you.
5. Engaging Website - Every member of the press who’s ever contacted me has noted that they browsed around the website and directed specific questions about items they picked up (most often, they ask me about working with Gillian, my mom).
6. Phone Skills - Being able to make an emotional connection and speaking eloquently about your expertise/industry is critical to landing a piece. This isn’t just important for landing press that calls; it also builds the connections that can land you coverage ahead of time.

Rand Fishkin: “Sharing time, drinks, experiences”

Drinks you say? From Bloomberg:

Men who visit a bar at least once a month to drink socially bring home 7 percent more pay than abstainers, and women drinkers earn 14 percent more than non-drinkers, according to the study by economists Bethany Peters and Edward Stringham.

“Social drinking builds social capital,” Stringham, a professor at San Jose State University, said in a press release. “Social drinkers are out networking, building relationships, and adding contacts to their BlackBerries that result in bigger paychecks.”

I get a feeling our accounting dept. will get a ton of reimbursement requests soon… ;)

And here’s Rand’s response:

And they would be wise to pay up :)

Seriously - a drink or a meal shared with a professional colleague, especially in this industry, is worth 10X the price of the check. If you want a high ROI in SEO, go out to eat/drink.

Nice catch on the study, Daniel!

[This posting based on a comment post on SEOMoz]