Agency posts positive third quarter growth in its 40^th year

NEW BRIGHTON, MINN. (Nov. 12, 2012) – Risdall Marketing Group (Risdall) added nearly a dozen new accounts in the third quarter, further diversifying its client base in its 40^th year in business. Among the 11 new clients are Eemax, the nation’s leading manufacturer and distributor of electric tankless water heaters, Conservation Beyond Borders, a nonprofit organization dedicated to biodiversity and landscape conservation, and Venture Academy, Minnesota’s first digital blended learning school for grades 6-12, opening in 2013.

“At Risdall, we pride ourselves on offering clients integrated solutions. Our public relations team, in particular, saw a busy third quarter, and their success was bolstered by support from our 14 other divisions,” said John Risdall, Risdall vice chairman and CEO. “Our clients gain recognition from their audiences through Risdall’s innovative approach and expertise in the digital field.”

Risdall’s new and expanded accounts include:

• Codex Corporation – Public relations
• Conservation Beyond Borders – Web design and development, and public relations
• Crown College - Social media, SEO and PPC services
• Eemax - Product launch, positioning and public relations
• PRA Location Services – Web development and public relations
• Venture Academy – Public relations

About Risdall Marketing Group

Driven by its profound understanding of the digital space, Risdall Marketing Group creates and establishes brands with an integrated and entrepreneurial approach. Now in its 40^th year of business, Risdall is a full-service agency organized in 15 specialized divisions, including the largest web/online marketing agency in Minnesota, the 7^th largest ad agency and the 6^th largest PR firm. As a whole, Risdall ranks as the 23^rd largest independent agency in the U.S. It won two Health Care Clio Awards in 2010 and regularly ranks as one of the most awarded digital marketing agencies in the world by the Web Marketing Association. The agency was founded in 1972 by John Risdall, now the longest tenured agency head in the Twin Cities. Visit www.risdall.com.

Since I started working in the online marketing space back in 1998, the methods used to achieve site rankings in search engines have changed dramatically.

Of course, at the core of a search engine optimization effort are keywords, and not just having them, but having the right ones in the right places. However, SEO is so much more than that now, and all too often companies focus on only a few components of search engine optimization and leave entire pieces of the effort untouched. So, if you’re a business struggling to choose a good partner to manage your online marketing, and specifically your SEO, use the following criteria to drive your decision.

Let’s start by breaking down SEO into four core components, grouping different elements together (we’ll dig into each area further in future posts).

1. Keyword Research. Great keyword research goes far beyond simply using a free keyword tool, like the one provided by Google. Results produced by this type of tool add minimal value beyond what you could have done on your own. The most effective keyword research incorporates your goals, current content, social, the ability to create additional content, as well as your competition and other well-ranking sites. Selecting the right keywords is the fundamental building block of your search marketing effort.

2. The technical SEO component. This one is missed by many search vendors who focus solely on the visible components of search. Technical SEO digs into the nuts and bolts of your website to ensure all the data from your site is readable by the search engines. Technical SEO looks at things like file naming structures, site architecture, sitemap files, redirects, canonical tags and a whole bunch of other things that most marketing folks want nothing to do with, but that are absolutely key to ensuring all the great work you did building a beautiful website pays off. The technical SEO piece is often one of the most overlooked.

3. Content. Not only having a lot of it, but having good, relevant, unique and fresh content that incorporates all those important keywords. Content comes in many forms, including anything from blogs to page copy to white papers and much more. In order for the search engines to find your site relevant for any given search query, they have to find the specific keywords used in the content you provide.

4. Off-site SEO work. This includes all of the things you do away from your website to tell the search engines your site is relevant and worth a look, like social media profiles, video and image libraries, directory listings, links from other websites, participation in online communities, shareable tools, etc.

Search engine optimization is absolutely vital to any website looking to grow qualified visits and takes time and resources to do well. The first step in initiating any SEO partnership is to know the vendor’s capabilities in each of these four core areas and exactly how each plays a role in your online visibility.

- Josh Dahmes, President, Risdall Online Marketing Group

I have been invited by a local radio station to talk about marketing communications in the business world. The radio audience is comprised of small- to medium-sized business owners and presents a neat opportunity to share RMG’s expertise and  promote the unique capabilities of each of our 15 divisions. On the personal side, it’s fun to address issues that have surfaced in my 30 year career.

One of  the topics I plan to cover is blogging. How do you keep it current, relevant and fresh?

Social media is an important element in your company’s media mix. If you want to make an impact on your customers and significant stakeholders, you must be diligent about updating your blog.  Keeping your blog fresh is not always a priority. Emergencies flare up. Routine business issues take over. Before you know it, you haven’t updated your blog in several weeks.

Search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.) provide visitors with up-to-date content; blogs provide this. Plus they are less formal than static web content and the conversational tone is similar to the way people query search engines.

By keeping your blog current, you’ll never run out of useful tips, insights and relevant information to share with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn fans.

A blog is like a garden. It needs care when planting, a little fertilizer to promote growth and frequent watering to harvest a spectacular dialogue. Here are some helpful tips for nurturing your blog.

1. Keep your blogs brief – no more than 400 words.
2. Feature customers or solution providers in your blog.
3. Take the time to follow and read other blogs. Take a different angle on a topic that’s already been written.
4. Set a goal for yourself – try to blog at least once a week.
5. Bring in a Guest Blogger. As you can see from our agency blog, we have several people posting each month.
6. Create an editorial calendar. It makes the process of writing easier because you do all the planning in advance.

These are pretty simple tips. Following them will produce a highly effective social media yield. You just need to be diligent about tending to your garden.

- Tom Wilson, President, Risdall Marketing Group 

Agency wins more than two dozen awards across multiple industries, the third most awarded by the Web Marketing Association

NEW BRIGHTON, MINN. (Sept. 17, 2012) – Risdall Marketing Group (RMG) was one of the top winners for outstanding web development by the Web Marketing Association for the 7^th consecutive year. Presented with an impressive 28 WebAwards, RMG placed third in the overall competition and continues the momentum of performances in years past with its WebAward count now totaling 136 in seven years.

“Our hard work comes to fruition when we build a website that not only satisfies our client’s expectations, but also meets or exceeds industry standards,” said Joel Koenigs, president of technology for RMG. “At RMG we adhere to an internal standard of excellence that leverages our in-house strategy, creative, online marketing and development capabilities.”

Among the RMG websites honored, the agency received two coveted Best of Industry awards, including the Best Sports Website for Par Aide, as well as seven Outstanding Website awards and 19 Standard of Excellence awards across 13 different industries. (More than 2,000 entries from interactive agencies and web-development teams from 42 countries entered the annual competition.)

“It’s an honor to be continuously distinguished as one of the top web development agencies in the world by the Web Marketing Association,” said RMG vice chairman and CEO John Risdall. “RMG’s ability to combine acute knowledge of the digital space with full-service agency capabilities is what sets us apart from other agencies when it comes to delivering on our client’s bottom line.”

Each WebAward entry is reviewed by a panel of three to five expert judges who base scores on a set of seven criteria, including design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copywriting and ease of use. Judges include members of the media, advertising executives, site designers, creative directors, corporate marketing executives, content providers and webmasters.

The following is a partial list of RMG’s award-winning websites in 2012. To learn more, visit the WebAward website and search “Risdall.”

• Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union: Credit Union Standard of Excellence
• Conwed Plastics: Manufacturing Standard of Excellence
• Cap Carpet: Small Business Standard of Excellence
• Dart Trucking Jobs: Transportation Standard of Excellence
• Documentis: Information Services Standard of Excellence
• FasTest: Manufacturing Standard of Excellence
• Fishing Kids: Outstanding Website
• Hickory Tech Communications Solutions Provider: Telecommunication Standard of Excellence
• Intuitive Technology Group: Consulting Standard of Excellence
• Katun Website Redesign: Best Other Website
• Olson’s Sewer Service: Small Business Standard of Excellence
• Management Compensation Resources Website Redesign: Outstanding Website
• McKinley Consulting: Consulting Standard of Excellence
• Metro Metal Corporation: Environmental Standard of Excellence
• Multicare Associates: Outstanding Website
• Par Aide: Best Sports Website
• PE Universe/Gopher Sport: Education Standard of Excellence
• Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board: Outstanding Website
• Spanlink: Telecommunication Standard of Excellence
• Star Transportation: Outstanding Website
• The One Man Project: General Interest Standard of Excellence
• Twin Cities Charlie Awards: Food Industry Standard of Excellence
• UniPunch: Manufacturing Standard of Excellence
• Locator Technologies: Information Services Standard of Excellence
• Visit Eau Claire: Outstanding Website
• Zinpro: Science Standard of Excellence

• Winthrop and Weinstein, P.A. : Legal Standard of Excellence

About the WebAwards

Now in its 16th year, the WebAwards is the premier annual website competition that honors the best websites across 96 industries while setting the standard of excellence for all web development.

About Risdall Marketing Group

Driven by its profound understanding of the digital space, Risdall Marketing Group creates and establishes brands with an integrated and entrepreneurial approach. Now in its 40^th year of business, Risdall is a full-service agency organized in 15 specialized divisions, including the largest web/online marketing agency in Minnesota, the 7^th largest ad agency and the 6^th largest PR firm. As a whole, Risdall ranks as the 23rd largest independent agency in the U.S.  It won two Health Care Clio Awards in 2010 and regularly ranks as one of the most awarded digital marketing agencies in the world by the Web Marketing Association. The agency was founded in 1972 by John Risdall, now the longest tenured agency head in the Twin Cities. Visit www.risdall.com.

Another “controversial” twitter story showed up in our streams today. This time, a Marc Jacobs intern decided to rant about how the CEO is a tyrant and working for him is miserable. The intern proceeded to tweet that he/she understands that this could have been  a lethal personal branding move, yet does not care because he/she plans to never return to that particular city and it was the last day on the job.

All in all, the tweets got deleted, it was considered to be on brand with Marc Jacobs and  in the end, hardly a disaster. Like the Chyrsler scandal, which was public pandaemonium and the Red Cross debacle, which ended up working out well for the brand, this Marc Jacobs twitter meltdown is one of many more to come that may or may not be a big deal.

Read “twitter meltdown” story here.

Being a consumer today allows for many different perks than it did 20 years ago. Today, consumers have the ability to voice their opinions about businesses in the online space, for the whole world to see.  As a business owner, it is uncomfortable not being able to reply back to these comments.  Well, the tables have turned. Google rolled out an update that allows business owners to respond to reviews posted to Google Place Pages of Google Maps.

The means of online communication today are very transparent and emphasize connectivity, so this feature seems like a great supplement for business owners. But at the same time, these business owners should be cautious with responses and consider listening to the conversations before jumping right in. These comments have a lengthy shelf life, so you can imagine the weight they hold. Let the chatter begin!

The third seminar in the 2010 Seminar Series focuses on Return on Investment. The seminar will cover how to set the right goals, use a variety of analytical tools, measure returns across an assortment of marketing channels and turn a company’s marketing budget into a powerful revenue generator.

The seminar will be on Thursday, July 29 from 8:30am – 12:00pm at Risdall Marketing Group in New Brighton. The agenda includes sessions in goal setting and forecasting, website analytics, tactical ROI and marketing ROI.

Cost to register is $250. For more information and to register, please visit http://risdall.com/seminarseries.

With all of the current regulations, governance’s and laws, how can anyone in a regulated industry engage in social media?  Risdall Marketing Group’s President of Integration, Jared Roy, is featured in Duets Blog where he discusses Social Media Engagement in Regulated Industries.  In this post, Jared enlightens readers on ways Health-care, pharmaceuticals, banking, insurance, spirits and publicly traded companies can not only tame, but leverage the beast we are all becoming very familiar with, Social Media.  Enjoy!

In the month of June, RMG has been doing a series of radio broadcasts on Search Marketing. Below is a script of my interview with Jim Poole on June 19 covering keyword research. This is a longer version than what you heard on WCCO as we had to cut down on the length in studio, but I thought you would want to see the whole recording.

Jim Poole: Last week you talked about keyword research and its importance to organic search. What would you say are the best keywords for SEO?
Jennifer Risdall: The best keywords are, of course, different for every website. But they do have some factors in common. Let’s look at some of those common factors.

1. Those terms or phrases that your audiences are using to find your products, services, company, or you. So, for instance, you want to think like your audiences. Do your users use industry jargon or common words when looking for your company or products or services?

2. Those terms that are relevant to a page on your website. These may be extremely targeted terms, such as red high top tennis shoes or very general terms such as tennis shoes. Most sites have a mix of both.

3. Those terms that help you to achieve your website goals. That’s right. There are certain terms that convert better than others. Keeping this in mind when reviewing your terms is important.

4. And lastly, those terms that pertain to your industry. These could be industry terms in general or it could be breaking news in your market. Regardless, make sure to keep up-to-date on terms, old and emerging as your industry changes.

There are a couple of other items to consider when looking for the best keywords for your site.

1. Do Competitive Research. Look at items like:
• What keywords are your competitors found for?
• Are these phrases relevant to you?
• Do users actually search by these keyword phrases?

2. Also, conduct site research. Here you want to focus on your site statistics, such as:
• What keywords are driving traffic to your site now?
• How are these keywords converting? Are they converting?
• Also, make sure to look at and evaluate traffic patterns and paths through the site

Jim Poole: Are there certain tools you recommend to find these keyword terms?
Jennifer Risdall: There are many tools out there that you can use. We prefer a mixture of keyword research tools and those that help you think outside the box. When looking for keyword terms, you have to be creative and really dig to find the information that will afford you the best traffic and conversions. Some of our favorites are:

Wordtracker
KeywordDiscovery.com
Thesaurus.com

And a host of Google products, such as:

Google Keyword Research Tool
Google Trends
Google Analytics
Google Suggest

There are many, many other tools you can use – to find out what your competitors are doing and using, to look at synonyms, to look at industry terms. Some of your best research could be in your backyard – with sales people, customers, etc.

Jim Poole: So now you have a list of keyword terms that you want to target. How do you target these with your website?
Jennifer Risdall: Search engines look at pages based on relevancy and frequency. What this means is that the search engine is trying to determine if this page is relevant to the search term that the user has typed into its search box. How does it determine this? The search engine looks at the frequency of the keyword term within the page AND, and this is important, in the links and pages pointing to the page on your site.

Your keyword list gives you a blueprint of the content you should have on your website. When you look at it, you may say, “Whoa!” I can’t put all that on my website. That’s okay. This is your keyword universe. You need to assess what are the best terms for you to focus on from a marketing and business goals and conversion perspective and focus on these first. Then you can add content based on these keyword phrases as you have time and resources to do it.

Two tips to think about:

1. Search engines like you to update your content. So don’t think you will create the site and then let it sit there. This is a living, growing marketing tool for your company that you need to nurture often.
2. More relevant, unique content is a good thing. Search engines like it, your visitors return to see it and your new visitors will visit and realize you are the current, in-the-know expert that you are.

In the month of June, RMG has been doing a series of radio broadcasts on Search Marketing, specifically SEO. Below is a script of my interview with Jim Poole on June 5 covering how and why you drive traffic through search marketing. This is a longer version than what you heard on WCCO as we had to cut down on the length in studio, but I thought you would want to see the whole recording.

Jim Poole: Last week we talked about creating a website and tips to think about when doing this. So, now you have a website – how do you get your audiences to visit it?
Jennifer Risdall: Great question and one I hear often. First step is to know your audiences – where they are, what they do, how they find out about you and your services. I think Ted discussed this a bit. Then you look at the tools available to you.

One of my favorites is search marketing. Comscore tells us that search is still growing as people turn to online to find what they are looking for – the number of searches grew 16% in 2009 over 2008. And according to Yahoo’s ROBO study, 89% – 89%! – of consumers research products and services online. Whew! This is where your audiences are looking for your company, your products and/or your services. With search marketing, you have the opportunity to be right in front of them by ranking well in the search engines for those terms that YOUR users are searching for.

Jim Poole: How do you drive traffic through search marketing?
Jennifer Risdall: Search marketing has two primary types: paid or sponsored search and organic search. Both target keyword terms that users type in the search box. Paid search results are listed at the top or the right of the results page and to a certain degree you are able to control what your ads say and where they are placed. Organic search results are the main results on the results page and are determined by the search engine’s algorithm.

I will say that searchers do tend to prefer the organic listings to the paid – in the book, Marketing in the Age of Google, Vanessa Fox states that 85% of searchers click on organic over paid listings. The thought process is that the organic listings are not paid advertisements and are validated by a third party, Google. Whether true or not, the listing in organic results gives the site a more expert status.

Jim Poole: Is organic the way to go?
Jennifer Risdall: Both have advantages and disadvantages. Paid search is able to be up and running right away and can target hundreds, if not thousands of terms without changing your website. However, it is for the now and does not give you any long-term results. It can also be expensive. Eight to ten years ago there weren’t as many people and businesses bidding on keyword terms. As more and more companies understand the value of paid search, competition for keyword terms has increased and so has the amount per click.

Organic search has always been seen as the free way to advertise. That is really a misnomer in that you have to put in time to be ranked well within organic search results. This can be your time, an employee’s time or a search agency’s time but the time has to be put in. Google looks at millions of factors to rank web pages in its index. Your expert has to know what the factors are and how to make changes to your website, pages and links to help your site be found for the keyword terms your audiences are searching for.

It is definitely worth it. In 1996 when I first started working in this market I was constantly trying to show companies why they wanted to be on the first page in the search engines and directories. Now I don’t have to do that. Your audiences are using the search engines to find information about products and services that you offer. It is in your best interest to be where they are looking.