Why OAO should replace SEO: The Future Of Optimization

In this Follow Through Friday episode of the Simple and Smart SEO Show, I'm discussing the concept of owned asset optimization, inspired by a conversation with Jonas Sickler from Terakeet.

This episode highlights practical SEO strategies and the importance of creating and distributing owned assets that align with business objectives, particularly:

• The importance of aligning social media strategies with business goals, rather than merely following platform guidelines. 
• The Mach-6 framework of owned, managed, and leveraged assets, focusing on how brands can optimize their digital properties for better marketing outcomes. 
• I also reflects on the benefits of controlling one's website content and the limitations of relying on third-party platforms like Amazon. 

00:00 Introduction to Follow Through Fridays
00:24 Understanding Owned Asset Optimization
00:46 Social Media Strategies for Business Goals
02:40 Pinterest Best Practices and Business Perspective
04:23 The Importance of Owned Assets
05:46 Implementing the Terakeet Mach-6 Framework
08:16 Leveraging Amazon for Product Distribution
09:49 Exploring the Managed and Leveraged Levels
11:19 Analyzing Search Engine Results for Your Brand
14:49 Conclusion and Invitation to Join the SEO Squad

Check out the Mach-6 Framework on Terakeet's website!

Transcript

Follow Through Fridays - Owned Asset Optimization

[00:00:00] Crystal: welcome back to the simple and smart SEO show podcast. I'm your host, Crystal Waddell. This is follow through Fridays, my second favorite episode of the week, where I take the amazing advice that was shared by one of our guests experts. 

[00:00:13] And implement it on my own website. 

[00:00:16] Woo. I volunteer tribute so that you can see that you can do it as well.

Excitement for Owned Asset Optimization

[00:00:21] Crystal: This one. I am so excited to implement. Okay. This is the follow through Friday episode about owned asset optimization, which Jonas Sickler from Terakeet came on to discuss with us.

[00:00:33] And. Oh my gosh, like owned asset optimization. I'm just like, ah, it's so great. 

Business Goals and Social Media Strategy

[00:00:38] Crystal: I've come to realize that marketers don't approach marketing from the business owner perspective. And I want to give you an example of this.

[00:00:46] Okay. So if you think about social media platforms and how people teach us to use social media platforms. 

[00:00:51] It's okay, pay attention to the time that people are on. 

[00:00:55] And, post this many times a day and your graphics should be this size and blah, blah, blah, all this stuff. Okay.

[00:01:00] Which I'm not saying that is completely irrelevant, but what is most important is what are you doing on that platform that's going to help you reach your business goals?

[00:01:12] So to answer that question. First, it's okay, let's say that I have a business goal of where I want to sell more photo props. 

[00:01:20] Okay, cool. Then manipulating that business goal for Instagram is to share the owned assets that I have. 

[00:01:27] Which are like product photos or blog posts or any other resources or assets that I've created for collage and wood.

[00:01:35] com. I want to use and leverage Instagram to share that information. 

[00:01:39] My priority is not like how Instagram wants to build its business. 

[00:01:44] My priority is how I want to build my business. 

[00:01:47] I talked about this in a different episode, but, like social media is a great way of, capitalizing on trends and trending topics.

[00:01:54] So for instance, to stay with this, Example of photo props. 

[00:01:59] People when they're graduating and the end of the year or even right now pre senior year. 

[00:02:04] This is a really hot time for senior photographers to purchase photo props. So to get in front of them right now. If I could, if more than 1 percent or 3 percent of my audience saw my organic content.

[00:02:15] But the idea is if I wanted to get in front of them right now, going organic on social would make sense for that business goal. 

[00:02:22] But just to do it because Instagram says to do it and to do it like this XYZ. 

[00:02:27] That doesn't always align with our business goals. And so even though it's so gratifying to get that double tap, once I realized that, my emotional connection to social media really got healthier.

[00:02:39] And the other.

Pinterest and Product Promotion

[00:02:40] Crystal: Platform that I learned this on was Pinterest, and I still fight with people about this on Pinterest. And when I say fight, I just mean, have, intense fellowship or whatever. 

[00:02:49] But the thing is, Pinterest has a bunch of best practices, right? 

[00:02:52] And people are very concerned with the best practices of Pinterest.

[00:02:55] And, it's just like SEO. There's a few fundamental things that you need to get right. 

[00:02:59] Like keywords, it would be good to talk about what, Using the picture, right? 

[00:03:04] Text overlay in Pinterest is good. Using a keyword in your title, adding a description that is descriptive of your image is good.

[00:03:12] Having a website that people can click the pin and exit to your exact product or service is also good. 

[00:03:18] But where people and I really started to butt heads is this idea that I need to pin other people's content. 

[00:03:25] And so again, from the business owner perspective and of the limited time perspective. 

[00:03:31] Over the last six years, I've always thought, why would I want to do that?

[00:03:35] Like no offense, I'm not trying to build someone else's business. It's I get it. Pinterest, Instagram, all these places are giving me a free platform to use. 

[00:03:43] To, gain exposure for my brand, but there's nothing in there that says I need to promote other people as well. 

[00:03:50] I barely have enough time to promote my own stuff. 

[00:03:52] So my, my process on Pinterest has always been product promotion. 

[00:03:58] I'm selling senior night gifts. I'm, showcasing the photo collages that we make. 

[00:04:03] I'm showcasing our product photos. And all of those are brand assets. 

[00:04:08] So those are assets that start with my website. My content. My products at collage and wood. com. And then we distribute them across other platforms. 

[00:04:18] What was the other word I heard someone say? Platform agnostic. 

Understanding Owned Asset Optimization

[00:04:23] Crystal: Owned asset optimization is a platform agnostic way of creating content because it's business first. 

[00:04:31] You're thinking about what you need to create in order for people to know that you exist. And for you to be able to tell people that you exist. And to be able to show up consistently online, right?

[00:04:40] Nowhere in there is there a consideration for algorithm. 

[00:04:44] Now, as you get bigger and you have more money for marketing, then you can play the games a little bit more.

[00:04:49] But at the end of the day, when you're sharing a message that resonates with your user. And the people who want to use your products the algorithm is really irrelevant, and I think to take that approach has served me well, because when Instagram changes things or Facebook changes things or. anybody, I'm not emotionally affected because I'm just doing what I'm doing to share about my business. 

[00:05:13] So that's what I love so much about owned asset optimization. It it finally gave a definition and a structure to this belief system I had about how to promote your business online.

[00:05:22] I'm so grateful for the Mach-6 framework that Jonas shared from Terakeet. 

[00:05:27] I'll put the link in the show notes.

[00:05:29] Rather than just talk about what this is i'm actually going to show you so if you're watching this on YouTube you'll obviously get to see the screen. 

[00:05:36] If you're listening to this, you might want to check out my youtube channel over at knowledge vomit I'll put the link to the video in the show notes as well. 

[00:05:44] Because that's where I put my videos. 

The Terakeet Mach-6 Framework

[00:05:46] Crystal: And Okay, so the terakeet Mach six framework has three degrees of ownership and control.

[00:05:53] And so they talk about owned, managed and leveraged, which I love those words. 

[00:05:58] Now managed was something that I hadn't really dove into. 

[00:06:01] But owned and brands have full control. I am all about that. 

[00:06:04] And owned assets are digital brand properties that companies have complete creative and technical control over.

[00:06:10] And so what's really interesting is I never thought about like brand stories and like your brand guide and your logo and your brand colors. 

[00:06:19] All of those types of things, like your customer stories, all of that.

[00:06:21] Those are, Owned assets, and those are owned assets that we actually have talked about in the SEO squad about how to incorporate those stories into our website.

[00:06:30] Not only is that smart for just for branding purposes, but also for SEO purposes. 

[00:06:36] Because when you're telling your customer story on, The website, other customers like that person are going to be searching for information similar to what that other person went through. 

[00:06:46] And it gives them a chance to connect and know that they're in the right spot.

[00:06:49] I'm calling this reassurance marketing, like reassurance SEO, because that's really what we're doing is once they get to our website, we are reassuring them that they are in the right place. 

[00:06:58] And that we can help them with what they need. 

[00:07:01] Some other things that Jonas went over this as well. 

[00:07:03] Your company values any proprietary data.

[00:07:06] If you have an app or, something like that. 

[00:07:08] That is all you. That's your owned asset and you can use it all over the place. 

[00:07:13] And so then they go up to the ground level and they say, this is your crown jewel, the vehicle that brings your brand story to the right people.

[00:07:20] It's your website. 

[00:07:22] So your website is where your owned asset optimization strategy breaks through to connect with your customers. 

[00:07:27] Absolutely. 100 percent agree with that. I love this so much. And I would also say your website and your blog. 

[00:07:34] Even though your blog is usually a part of your website. But yeah, definitely love that.

[00:07:38] Then the next tier up is where they include like content on your website. Pillar content, blog posts, tools and downloads, corporate communications. 

[00:07:46] And for people like me, and maybe you, if you sell products, your products, your categories. 

[00:07:52] Your product photos are All of that type of stuff. So the good news about all of these things is that you have complete control over what, when, and where these owned assets get published.

[00:08:02] And this is where you can most directly connect with and support consumers with an expanded range of resources. 

[00:08:08] And there has been no time in my life where that is more true. 

[00:08:11] Than when I'm comparing that feeling of being in control of my website, but it is. Versus the lack of control that you have if you sell on Amazon. 

[00:08:19] Because you're not selling to, you're not selling to customers.

[00:08:23] When you sell through Amazon, you're actually selling to Amazon because those are Amazon's customers. 

Leveraging Amazon for Business

[00:08:29] Crystal: And after Jonas came on the show, I had this epiphany. I was like, speaking of leveraging platforms correctly. 

[00:08:35] Everything about the Amazon process is frustrating. And I realized I was like, I was trying to turn Amazon into Etsy.

[00:08:42] Amazon is not Etsy. Amazon is something completely different. 

[00:08:45] So instead of trying to serve customers on Amazon, I was like, how can I serve Amazon as my customer? 

[00:08:52] And guess what? It was very clear. I need to streamline my product offerings on Amazon. 

[00:08:57] To where I'm only selling the photo props on there and a certain size of giant number. 

[00:09:03] Which is like a foot and a half, 18 inch giant numbers.

[00:09:06] And so I'm going to now send them to the Amazon fulfillment center. Where my customer, Amazon. 

[00:09:12] Will happily buy them. Send them out to people that buy from them. 

[00:09:16] I never thought about it like that.

[00:09:17] I was always so concerned about having control over what happened with my products. 

[00:09:22] That I never wanted to let that go. But in fact, I'm excited about being able to let that go because. 

[00:09:27] Once I send all of my assets to them, They take it from there. They handle the customer service. They handle the shipping, all of that stuff.

[00:09:36] I ship to one customer and they distribute it. And it's almost like having a social media tool, only it's a product distribution tool. 

[00:09:43] So anyway, the conversation with Jonas has completely changed my perspective on that. And I'm really grateful for it. 

[00:09:49] Now, the next level of the Mach-6 is that managed level, and that's where you have some control.

[00:09:54] And that's like PR events, social media, guest posting. Ads, emails. 

[00:09:59] And I was a little bit surprised that emails fell into that category. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please text me on this. 

[00:10:04] But I feel like I have the same amount of control over my emails as I do my website.

[00:10:08] So I would almost put that under owned, but everything else I agree with. And I think is amazing. 

[00:10:13] And, the definition for this tier two is that brands can control the content and when it gets published But remain at the mercy of the platform of the channel. 

[00:10:20] Like, if a social media site disappears tomorrow the investment goes with it. 

[00:10:25] Like whatever you've invested as a brand goes with it. 

[00:10:27] And yeah, i've experienced that on instagram, where they lock you out of your account for no reason. 

[00:10:31] And that is a horrible feeling and experience. And nothing I ever want to experience again. 

[00:10:36] And then there's tier three. 

[00:10:38] This is where I guess brands can't ultimately hit publish on these assets.

[00:10:41] They can influence, but not dictate, this particular content. This tier increases your reach, but also increases your risk because third parties like competitors can also influence the content of these assets.

[00:10:52] And things that fall under this are company profiles and ally websites, organic search, Wikipedia and content syndication.

[00:10:59] And yeah, I think that's interesting. 

[00:11:01] So the last level of the Mach-6 is where brands can influence. And this is what they call tier four.

[00:11:08] This is what they call tier four. 

[00:11:09] They say, the Wild West. Or is it? 

[00:11:11] Left unchecked, others may tell a negative or inaccurate brand story. 

[00:11:15] By building strong owned and managed assets you increase your influence.

[00:11:19] Where I feel like this is intersected with some things that I've talked about before: is with owning the search engine result page for your brand.

[00:11:26] Because I think it was Jonas that said that's like an online resume. And I was like, Oh my gosh, that is the best way to look at it. Because if you're to search for collage and wood, obviously I want my website, collage and wood. com to be the first thing to show up. What else shows up LinkedIn.

[00:11:42] shows up Etsy shows up, Amazon shows up, Pinterest shows up, TikTok probably shows up. You know what? 

[00:11:49] Let's just look, okay?

[00:11:51] I'm going to go new incognito window and I'm going to search for collage and wood. I'm gonna tell you what comes up. All right. So the first result on the left is my website. The other result on the right is. It looks like it's some sort of knowledge graph, which is cool.

[00:12:07] For my website.

[00:12:09] And it's also got the Facebook profiles, or the social media profiles of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. 

[00:12:14] And then when I scroll down there's some images related to collage and wood. And two of the images are actually like wood that has been turned into a collage, which is funny. 

[00:12:24] But then the third picture is a Collage And Wood picture of a senior model holding one of my photo props.

[00:12:31] Next up in the search engine results page itself in the blue links is Facebook for Collage And Wood, Pinterest for Collage And Wood. 

[00:12:39] Somehow Photo Barn got in there and they have collage boards print on wood. So they're outranking me for my own brand name right there. 

[00:12:46] But then comes Amazon. 

[00:12:48] Here comes X, and then Google generously tells people you could also buy from these people.

[00:12:55] And then it says people also search for, and oh my gosh, how cool! 

[00:12:59] I'm seeing three things that I didn't realize people also search for. Number one, collage and wood reviews. 

[00:13:04] Which I've just added to my website as a standalone page. 

[00:13:07] Collage And Wood senior night, which is my number one keyword that I want to be known for. 

[00:13:11] And Collage And Wood discount code.

[00:13:13] So it looks like that's a page that I need to make as well. Collage And Wood would discount code. 

[00:13:17] So that people can find the coupon that they're looking for because I give everybody a 10%. Coupon, that's no problem. 

[00:13:23] The other things that are here are wood collage art. 

[00:13:27] Which is probably those other wooden block collages that I saw in the picture. 

[00:13:31] Which if you're watching this on YouTube, you can see as well, or no, you can't see it because I'm incognito.

[00:13:36] But then there's senior gift ideas for sports. Yes, that's me. Softball graduation gifts. Yes, that's me too. And senior softball gift baskets, which is not a keyword that I typically try to rank for, but who knows? 

[00:13:48] Oh my gosh. Anne, if you're listening to this, that's us right there. That's us. 

[00:13:52] So we'll follow up with that.

[00:13:54] Anne is in the SEO squad and makes amazing gift baskets. Wow. Super cool. Woo. 

[00:13:59] Okay, so going back to tier four. 

[00:14:03] And the fact that is your online resume, right? What does the internet say about your brand? This includes affiliates, influencers. Reviews, word of mouth.

[00:14:11] User generated content and the news. 

[00:14:14] So Super, super interesting.

[00:14:17] I just love the way that Terakeet has organized this information. 

[00:14:21] And really, encourages business owners to take a deep breath.

[00:14:25] And just realize, Hey, like the internet is not happening to you. 

[00:14:30] You get to choose what and how you share about your business online. 

[00:14:34] And that's where the strategy comes in.

[00:14:36] So Terakeet's got some amazing resources.

[00:14:38] I want to thank Jonas Sickler for coming on. 

[00:14:41] Not only did he come on the show, but he also spent a little extra time with my SEO squad. 

[00:14:46] And that meant so much. So big shout out to Jonas for that. 

Conclusion and Invitation to SEO Squad

[00:14:49] Crystal: And speaking of the SEO squad, if you like this kind of thing. 

[00:14:53] And you like being, face to face actually having conversations, I would love to invite you to be a part of the SEO squad.

[00:14:58] There is a form for you to fill out. And once you fill it out, I'll schedule a time to chat with you just to make sure it's a good fit. The price is 48 a month. 

[00:15:07] There's no minimum commitment. 

[00:15:08] But if you enjoy being around like minded business owners and, sharing ideas and just learning different ways that you can leverage these optimization strategies that we talk about. 

[00:15:19] I think you'll love being a part of the squad. So check the show notes for the link to that, or you can go to simple and smart seo.

[00:15:26] com. I've got the application link there as well. And if you just enjoy listening to me in your ears or watching me on YouTube. 

[00:15:35] That is absolutely fine too. You can always send me a text message and let me know what you're implementing. 

[00:15:40] How it's working for you. If you have any questions, all that type of stuff, I would love to hear from you.

[00:15:44] If you can't tell, I can talk about this stuff all the time. 

[00:15:47] So anyway, that is This episode of follow through Fridays on the simple and smart SEO show podcast. 

[00:15:52] Remember, implement one SEO tactic or better yet write down what your business goals are.

[00:15:59] Like your business goals are for this month. 

[00:16:01] This moment that you're listening. 

[00:16:02] And then think about how you can create the Your owned assets to support your business goals on your website. 

[00:16:10] And then how you can distribute them on the internet. 

[00:16:13] And even if it's just what you can do on your own website, that's the most important place anyway.

[00:16:19] So good luck. I'm always cheering for you and no matter what, keep moving forward. 

[00:16:24] And until next time, I hope you have a great day and a great week and I will see you soon.