Friday, March 26, 2010

What a good breakfast

We had a great turnout for the New Media Breakfast in Glasgow this morning with a fantastic insight to Search Engine Optimisation and Pay-Per-Click advertising from Tim Barlow from Attacat
.
Tim has done a great blog post on the event and taken the time to post some of the many Twitter  messages sent before, during and after the event.

Please take a moment to read Tim's blog post here.

Tim will be doing the same presentation at the Edinburgh New Media Breakfast on the 15th April at The Tower Restaurant in Edinburgh.  If you would like to come along please book here

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Want to know the truth about Search Optimisation?

I had a very pleasant lunch yesterday with Tim Barlow and some of the team at Attacat, a great bunch with lots of knowledge, expertise, and enthusiasm. Naturally, the conversation was focused around social media and search optimisation and it occurred to me that perhaps companies could be so wrapped up in adopting new 'sexy' social media tools that they forget about search optimisation.

Search is still the primary method by which someone will find your web site and it shouldn't be overlooked. In fact, you could argue that it is more important than ever; the increase in businesses using social media platforms in addition to their tradition web site could mean it's getting more difficult to be noticed on search engines.

I also think it's a particular area of new media that gets a bad name; everyday I get emails promising me a No.1 listing on Google, how can they possibly promise this? People ask many questions about search optimisation:

• What do search optmisation companies actually do?
• Why do I have to keep optimising my site?
• Can anyone guarantee a No.1 listing?
• How do I decide what to spend on search optimisation?
• Can I do it myself or should I use an agency?

Hopefully we can answer some of these questions for you; Tim Barlow is the next New Media Breakfast speaker, on 26th March in Glasgow and the 15th April in Edinburgh. Tim will give a completely honest and open presentation about search optimisation and, you will have the opportunity to ask him these and any other questions about search optimisation and pay-per-click advertising.

If you would like to attend the New Media Breakfast in Glasgow or Edinburgh please select one of the links below to see full details and booking arrangements




Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Social Media Podcast No.16 now available on iTunes


Google Execs get jail sentence, Gadgets Galore and where to get a Social Media Policy free

Iain Murray from Chardfm makes his debut as our Gadget advisor, we're still trying to give him a name so please let us know your ideas at gordon@podcastmatters.co.uk Iain discusses lots of great gadgets, web sites and mobile apps.

John Mackenzie, Partner at Pinsent Masons the law firm behind out-law.com joins us to talk about the recent ruling in the Italian Courts which led to three Google Execcutives being handed suspended jail sentences. John explains the law behind this case and why it could be a landmark ruling.

Steve Cook from Empire HR http://www.empirehr.com tells us why it's so important for organisations to have a Social Media Policy and the implications for the companies that don't give out proper guidelines to employees.

Download or subscribe to the podcast here

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

New Media Breakfast Glasgow 26th March - Search Optimisation and Pay Per Click

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION AND PAY PER CLICK MARKETING with TIM BARLOW, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ATTACAT
8am on 26th March 2010 at No.29, Glasgow

Search engine optimisation and pay per click marketing may be grabbing less headlines in the internet marketing world these days. However, they are still very relevant for businesses and gaining in relevance all the time. Search needs to be an integral part of any online marketing plan.

We'll examine the various different elements that make up the Google search experience and how businesses should go about seeking to appear in each different type of listing including:

• Sponsored links
• Regular "natural" results
• Maps/Local
• Shopping Results
• Video

We'll also examine some of the current trends towards more personalised results and social search.

About the speaker:

Tim Barlow is the managing director of Attacat, the Edinburgh-based search engine and internet marketing firm. Tim has been involved in search engine promotion since 1999 when he managed the first Innogy website for National Power. In 2001, Tim launched Pastures-New, one of the UK's leading rental portals, gaining similar levels of traffic with a marketing budget of £100 a month as Rightmove were then achieving with a multi million pound TV campaign. Attacat was set up in 1994 to take advantage of Tim's knowledge.

Self-taught in the art of search engine optimisation and internet marketing (there simply weren't formal courses in those days), Tim passionately believes that good SEO is not rocket science or a black art but simply the result of effective online marketing and web design. This approach has been proven time and again by Tim and his team achieving long lasting high ranks on competitive one and two word phrases for clients in a variety of fields.

Pay per click (such as Google AdWords) has been a long time specialism of Tim and Attacat. Indeed Tim was one of the very first Qualified Google Advertising Professionals in the world and Attacat has held the company version of the qualification since its inception. Attacat use pay per click (PPC) to drive £10s of millions of business for a variety of clients from classic
e-commerce sites to B2B businesses in niches you probably never knew existed.

Tim speaks regularly at both Edinburgh and Glasgow Chamber of Commerce events.

The New Media Breakfast Glasgow is on the 26th March at No.29,
Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow.

You can book your place below.


COMPLIMENTARY FOR 29 MEMBERS

This event is complimentary to 29 Members - If you are a member you
should email Malcolm to reserve your place.

I look forward to seeing you on the 26th.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Social Media on the move - 140 characters goes a long way

NEW MEDIA BREAKFAST EDINBURGH


19th March 2010 
at 
Tower Restaurant, Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. EH1 1JF


Twitter is on everybody's fingertips, status updates are fast becoming a way of life and the corporate world is getting in on the act; this month's New Media Breakfast will examine various web based sites that help you make full use of Twitter and other social media platforms whilst on the move.

We'll also take a look at some of the smartphone platforms such as: Symbian, Android, iPhone,Windows, Linux and Blackberry.


We are delighted to have Iain Murray, a regular attendee at the New Media Breakfast, to present on this extremely topical subject.

Iain is Managing Director of Chardfm Scotland’s fastest growing fm business, delivering multi-skilled fm services through a network of mobile engineers. The business made a significant investment in technology in 2009 which won them two national awards, the PFM Magazine and i-fm.net e-business award and national contractor of the year award from Mitchells & Butlers. During the same year Chardfm secured significant new business including the account to maintain the Co-operative Groups retail and banking outlets.

Iain has a track record of success in business, starting his first fm business in 1992, he has managed significant property portfolio’s including 68 care homes for Highfield Group. In 1999 Iain established Gardiner & Theobald Facilities Management for the G&T Group which grew to be the largest fm consultancy in the UK, delivering fm advice into the UK and NI governments, MOD, British Library and Cabinet Office. Iain left GTFM in 2004 to establish Jenkins & Marr Facilities Management which was sold to SMC Group plc. in 2006. In 2008 Iain joined Chardfm.

Iain is also the Chairman of the British Institute of Facilities Management the second largest fm Institute globally. His two year tenure finishes in June of this year after which he hoping to is join the Board of Global FM, the worldwide association of associations. Iain has been instrumental in moving the Institute towards more use of Social Media and regularly blogs and tweets during his Institute business. IFMA the American fm association recently published an article in their FMJ publication to their 50,000 readers on social media in business penned by Iain.

Iain is a member of the Entrepreneurial Exchange and is working on their behalf with Enlight the venture philanthropy part of the Exchange providing assistance to Skillforce.

Iain has been affectionately known to his friends as ‘gadget man’ for far too long, he has a passionate interest in technology and has a mantra of ‘if it improves productivity it’s not a gadget’, he started using Social Media in 2007 when he took the Chair of BIFM, blogging weekly until discovering and actively using Twitter, his business Chardfm has won awards for its deployment of technology and is actively using Social Media to develop new business. He has regularly tweeted at the New Media Breakfast’s.

To view this event on Connect, please visit Winning Entrepreneurs New Media Breakfast

Future New Media Breakfasts will take place on a monthly basis and there will be 1 topic covered, they will start at 8am and finish at 9:30am. I hope you will be able to join us for what will be an informative and participative breakfast and if you have any queries in the meantime then please contact Belinda Roberts