Content marketing gurus and SEO mavens alike were in a tizzy earlier this week as Google rolled out its Penguin update. Penguin, like Panda, is an algorithm update aimed at catching webspam. Sometimes these updates, which Google routinely does, do really have an impact on online marketers outside the SEO world. But Penguin is unique. Being smaller than Panda, its focus is more direct and strict. And if blogging for business or article marketing is your thing, you could get bounced by Penguin and not even know it. Luckily, there are ways for your blog to play nicely with Penguin and they come straight from Google’s mouth.

Google’s top 8 things to avoid via WebProNews on Penguin are:

1. Avoid hidden text or hidden links.
2. Don’t use cloaking or sneaky redirects.
3. Don’t send automated queries to Google.
4. Don’t load pages with irrelevant keywords.
5. Don’t create multiple pages, subdomains or domains with substantially duplicate content.
6. Don’t create pages with malicious behavior, such as phishing or installing viruses, trojans or other badware.
7. Avoid “doorway” pages created just for search engines or other “cookie cutter” approaches such as affiliate programs with little or no original content.
8. If your site participates in an affiliate program, make sure that your site adds value. Provide unique and relevant content that gives users a reason to visit your site first.

These are all great tips — especially the keyword stuffing — Penguin or no Penguin. We’ve seen clients eager to jam as many keywords into a blog or article as possible and it never seemed like a good idea. Now we know it isn’t. Things like sneaky redirects, hidden links and multiple pages of duplicate content have always been looked down on by Google and now Penguin is better way combat it. In short, Google is getting smarter all the time and updates like Penguin are on a mission to take out bad, spammy content.

The good news is that these updates actually help those of us who create original, non-shady content. By playing along with Penguin, instead of against it, your content can now be found faster and read by more people!

Tech oddities! Branding delights! Social media marvels! Step right up and enjoy the little online marketing circus we like to call “Five Things You Might Have Missed!”

1.) Meet the Social Pizza: What’s more social than sharing a few slices of pizza? How about actually creating a pizza on social media? Domino’s in Australia is calling on Facebook fans to create the ultimate social media pizza pie. Through March 25th, Domino’s fans down under will have the opportunity to vote on favorite sauce, crust and topping combinations, with the winning concoctions featured on Domino’s menu. Amateur pizza chefs will also get a shot at $1,000 bucks for coming up with a great pizza name.

2.) Skin Vibrations: Here’s one from the “What the Tech?” files. Nokia is reportedly working on a patent to help smartphone holders literally feel when they receive a call. A small patch of fabric or a tattoo can be attached to the skin and will vibrate when an incoming call is received. While still in the developement stage, the vibrating tattoo officially ushers in the era of humans being literally attached to their phones.

3.) Main Events: Like the rest of Facebook, Facebook Events got a big-time makeover this week. Unlike Timeline and some of the other updates, however, this one is bound to make plenty of people happy. Easy for brands and individuals alike to use and keep organized, the new Facebook Events is the must-use use tool of the spring on the planet’s biggest social media mecca. Check out Social Media Examiner’s in-depth look at Facebook Events to learn about all the new features.

4.) Holy Phileas Fogg! So they might not be able to make your skin vibrate today, but Nokia claims its battery can last on a trip around the world. Inspired by the 140th anniversary of Around the World in 80 Days, Nokia sent its phone to 12 cities and 4 continents with a single charged battery and no charger. The results are a globe-trotting, good-time viral hit.

5.) Help for Your Ugly Office: We close out our list with a drool worthy digital contest from Turnstone. Those makers of pricey but awesome office accoutrements, Turnstone is giving away 5 office makeovers to startups with great ideas and amazing stories. Wannabes are encouraged to pitch their dream office ideas to Turnstone via video. After a judging committee sifts through the submissions, Turnstone will post the best videos and users will vote for their favorite. It’s a cool contest with a great prize from a brand that encourages vision and personality.

With the heavy political mudslinging, depressingly overzealous marketing campaigns and lame social media sniping of late, we think it’s time we all lighten the funk up. After all, it’s spring and there’s tons of companies and individuals using online marketing in surprising, hilarious and inspired ways. Here’s a handful of some of our current favorites on a little list we like to call “Five Things You Might Have Missed:”

1.) That Viral Video Smells güd: Makers of yummy body and skin care Burt’s Bees came up with a “scentsational” way for fans to get a whiff of its new line, güd. Scratch and sniff cards were shoved in fashion magazines like Lucky where readers were prompted to visit Burt’s YouTube channel. There, viewers are treated to sparkling animated video with “scratch-along” numbers that give them that olfactory sense of inhaling whatever scent is on the screen. Smells like genius to us!

2.) ATMmmmm: Los Angeles-based cupcakery Sprinkles gave its Beverly Hills branch a one-of-a-kind ATM-type of machine that dispenses the company’s famous cupcakes, Sprinkles merchandise and even recipes. The machine itself is a candy-colored feast for the eyes, sure to inspire drivers to pull over and make late-night withdrawals.

3.) Tweeting with Friends: Scrabble, that O.G. uber competitive word game, is launching a new product called Scrabble Trickster. To celebrate, it’s taking the fun and games to Twitter. In what can only be described as “why didn’t we think of that sooner?” Twitter marketing, Scrabble is offering a chance for followers to play the game in real-time with other tweeps and even giving away some prizes to the winners. We love Scrabble and adore brands that tap into the light-hearted side of Twitter, so this campaign is a winner.

4.) How do you say WTF in Japanese?: Dying to see a singing supermodel drinking tea handed to her by some weird hooded dude? Then this list-making video starring Miranda Kerr is just the ticket. We can’t promise that you’ll be inspired to mix in such bold images in your own viral marketing, but we can promise you’ll be amused for 16 seconds.

5.) Does Craftsmen Make Those?: And, finally, Sears recently yanked this t-shirt off its website. Duh. For a company that features family-friendly ads and corny all-American imagery, this t-shirt doesn’t really gel.

If you happened to be watching HGTV on Fat Tuesday during a House Hunters marathon hosted by Michael Ian Black and thought to yourself “that guy is everywhere,” you are not alone. Black, who rose to fame in the ’90s on cult cable comedies like Viva Variety and The State, is suddenly a hot commodity and can be seen online in a new series of ads for Expedia, on television and on nearly every talk show. And it’s all because the comedian knows how to flawlessly work social media marketing.

To date, Michael Ian Black has nearly 2 million Twitter followers and he keeps the masses entertained by tweeting endlessly. During his Mardi Gras gig, Black played House Hunters bingo with Twitter followers, mocked drunken parade goers and even took time out to promote his soon-to-be-released book, You’re Not Doing it Right. Black takes the Twitter engagement a step further by regularly re-tweeting responses from his followers, something even B-list comedians don’t do. Black has carefully crafted himself as a pop culture commentator — and what better place to discuss that topic than social media?

The actor and author has submerged himself in social media since 2009 and can also be found on Tumblr and even MySpace. Now, his book is already having bang up pre-sales on Amazon and he’s chatting with the likes of Esquire magazine. Black has gone from being that guy from some ’90s shows to a real social media-made celebrity. And while we can’t all expect our tweets to land our brands on television, Black’s story is proof that social media marketing works when you mix hard work with humor, personality and one-on-one engagement.

Social media experts like ourselves have been predicting the arrival of the branded social network for years. But the truth is many have tried but few brands have been able to inspire the kind of ongoing conversation and interaction needed to keep a social network alive. Yet Lego’s new attempt at branded social media might be just the thing to catapult the platform into mainstream popularity.

ReBrick is a little bit social, a little bit Pinterest, and 100 percent Lego. Lego is already one of the most photographed and shared brands on the Internet, so why not create a hub that serves as an exchange of all things awesomely Lego? And that is exactly what ReBrick intends to do. As a toy and iconic brand, Lego has always been about creating, so ReBrick highlights the best in Lego creations instead of the latest in Lego products. Mainly the project hopes to unite the millions of existing Lego-based communities that are spread all over the web. “Lego has a very strong and vibrant community, with hundreds of thousands of videos and many millions of pictures on online,” said Peter Espersen, Lego’s online community leader in an interview with Click Z News. “But they’re all distributed across hundreds of blogs and thousands of websites. It’s about giving fans the credit that they deserve and putting an amplifier to the interesting stuff they’re doing so everyone around the web can find it.” For Lego fans, ReBrick could prove to be the all-in-one stop for great ideas and creations from all over the web. For social media marketing gurus, the expansion of branded social networks could prove to be a challenge.

Granted, it takes a mega-brand like Lego to conquer its own social media platform but as niche networks expand, the need for the general social media management might diminish a tad. Custom-made social networks that speak directly to a vivid and enthusiastic audience are undoubtedly the wave of the future. And only time will tell how this will change the face of social media marketing.

It’s no secret that MySpace, once high on every social media management guru’s list, has experienced a well-documented fall out of popularity. But the site might just have a comeback left in it, if Justin Timberlake has anything to say about it.

Last week, Timberlake, MySpace’s new co-owner, pulled an Ashton when he showed up at a press conference to tout the awesomeness that will be MySpace TV. In one of those churned-out celebrity endorsement speeches, JT told an audience last Wednesday, “We’re ready to take television and entertainment to the next step by upgrading it to the social networking experience. Why text or email your friends to talk about your favorite programs after they’ve aired when you could be sharing the experience with real-time interactivity from anywhere across the globe?”

The folks at GetGlue could argue that they already offer that kind of thing and Facebook devotees are most likely questioning the upgrade in the first place. But the ace up MySpace’s sleeve are the technological goodies to offer an immediate and communal experience that none of its competitors can top. MySpace TV will first draw on the site’s some 42 million songs and 100,000 music videos for programming and then branch out to produce reality and sports television with its partner Panasonic. Sounds like a new version of MTV — without the Snooki.

Timberlake promises MySpace will be the bridge between social networking and television.

“As the plot of your favorite drama unfolds, the joke of your favorite SNL character plays or even the last-second shot of your favorite team swishes the net, we’re giving you the opportunity to connect your friends to your moments as they’re actually occurring,” he adds. “This is the evolution of one of our greatest inventions, the television.”

Yet it remains to be seen if Timberlake (whose last hit record was popular right around the first time people cared about MySpace) and Panasonic can put the brand back on the map. What do you think, readers? Can MySpace pull a Cher and make a big comeback? Does the concept of social real-time television have real marketing possibilities? Tell us all about it in the comments section!

When you’re blogging for business, comments on that blog are highly coveted. Comments help a blog’s search engine ranking and help bring people back to your site to continue a conversation. Sure, there’s a lot of spam you have to sift through, but in the end, bloggers want readers to respond to what they’ve written. Bloggers are writers and writers are egomaniacs and they want people to react to what they’ve written. I can say all this because I’ll freely admit to my own egotism as quick as I’ll tell you I’m a professional writer. But what’s the secret to getting comments?

SEO gurus and self-proclaimed social media marketing know-it-alls would like you to believe there is a precise formula for getting comments. Don’t believe them for a second. Those of us who work in the blogging trenches day after day know that the secret to blog comments is good content and interaction. The easiest thing you can do to get more comments on your blog is go read similar blogs in your field and make comments. Sounds simple, I know… but finding the right blogs to comments on takes time and research. After you’ve located your blogging comrades, open your mouth and give them feedback. Again, easy — but the results are amazing. Bloggers, especially longtime bloggers, know that the platform is a social one and by commenting back on your blog, they’ll be increasing their chances for new readers, too.

The added bonus of reading blogs by folks in your same industry? You might actually learn something while you’re meeting people who have the same career as you. It’s like a non-stop networking event, all without having to get dressed up and choke down bad appetizers. Establishing a healthy and informed back and forth with other bloggers also lets your non-blogging readers know that your blog has an opinion and you’re not too high and mighty to talk to readers. Comments are also a great place to answer questions about your company and what you do.

Yet the greatest weapon you have to get more comments is you. Your bad self, that fountain of personality in the mirror who sprinkles his or her genius on every blog is what will make readers comment. So share the love — put “you” in your content and in your comments and just sit back and watch the readers weigh in!

Holidays gotcha down? Work stressing you out? Well, kick your feet up, sit back and enjoy the hottest and oddest online marketing news stories in a little concoction we call our “Five Things You Might Have Missed” list!

1.) Rockin’ Around the Facebook Tree: Singapore, social media and Heineken aren’t things you traditionally think of at Christmas, but that’s about to change. The Heineken Super Social Christmas Tree in Clarke Quay, Singapore, is a digital art installation of 48 massive LCD screens that display photos and messages from app users who pop by the tree. It’s social media meets art with holiday flare.

2.) Yes, Virginia, People Still Use Blogger: The much-mocked blogging platform Blogger got its Google+ makeover this week, and it’s about darn time! Easy to use and easier to find, Blogger needs to step into the WordPress/Tumblr era and hopefully these updates will be a step in the right direction.

3.) Russian Out for a Whopper: Burger-shaped turntables, tattoos, unicorns and sassy dancing counter girls are just a few of the delights you’ll find in this Russian Burger King ad that’s going viral faster than you can say “paper crown.” If U.S. Burger Kings were this cool, we might actually eat there.

4.) Artsy-Fartsy Gets Appsy-Snappsy: Despite what the media would lead you to believe, people actually like looking at art and now there’s an app that helps art lovers find local visual delights on their phones. ArtSpotter helps visitors to London find all of the noteworthy galleries, exhibits and museums on a handy-dandy map. The app just launched and hopefully it will spread to cities around the globe. Mobile marketing and apps have made the visual arts cool and accessible and we think that’s worth celebrating.

5.) That Warm, Fuzzy Holiday Feeling: Lastly, this list of things marketers can do to give back during the holidays makes our list because it’s nice to use this time of year to actually think of others and do good stuff. Plus, the efforts are easy on the wallet and things even work-from-home bloggers and marketers can manage.

Are we feeling a little bloated, tired and stressed out — and not because of the holidays? Many of us who live and breathe online marketing have a tendency to try to eat everything at the daily digital buffet and walk away feeling exhausted. We’ve talked about the digital diet trend here at Brandsplat before, but we think the holidays are a perfect time to revisit and revise our digital marketing diets.

Diets, by their very nature, are the act of cutting out stuff that isn’t good for us. So our digital marketing diets should eliminate the efforts that aren’t working. If, for example, like one of my clients, you have better luck on LinkedIn than with Facebook, by all means play to your strengths. This doesn’t mean you have dump Facebook altogether, but budget your time and effort so it makes sense.

Next on our diet and exercise list is make your blog start working out. If your blog is just sitting there eating Fritos and doing nothing, make it get up and get busy. In other words, if you have a blog that features all of your excellent advice and industry expertise, spread the word! Tweet links to your blog. Post it on LinkedIn and Facebook. Your custom content may be brilliant, but if nobody sees it, then what’s the point?

Once you’ve dumped the digital junk food, it’s time to introduce some healthy habits into your diet. The holidays are a fabulous time to get on the email marketing bandwagon. Why? Well, it’s inexpensive to implement and it’s a great tool to help keep your clients in the know during the season. Brands like Barnes & Noble and The Home Depot use it to tell folks about specials and new merchandise — and, thanks to smartphones, emails are read and received anywhere.

Lastly, get in the habit of saying “no” and saying “I need help.” Say no to marketing techniques that you don’t have time for or you instinctively know aren’t right for your company. And say “I need help” to blogging, social media and digital marketing experts who can help you with the areas that are mysterious or difficult.

Happy dieting and healthy marketing!

Happy Thanksgiving! At the tender age of 85, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has decided to go under the knife. In celebration of the milestone, Macy’s has jumped head first into digital engagement, and the holiday classic is looking trendier than ever.

Maybe it’s the simplicity of a parade. Maybe its a parade’s family-friendly entertainment value. Or maybe it’s the simple fact that you can watch it on television for free. But the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is suddenly cooler this year. To celebrate 85 years, Macy’s has released a brand new website for the event, filled with eye-popping animation and interactive features like games and photos. The site features a full lineup of performers and balloons so parade fans can see when their favorites will be floating down Broadway.

In addition, Macy’s just released a handy, free Droid app that alerts folks at the parade of route changes, lineup and help getting around town. For people who can’t make the trek to NYC, the app provides an inside look at the parade with galleries, exclusive traffic light cams and historical and trivia information. Over on Facebook, Macy’s wants its friends to be part of the parade, so it has created The Parade Brigade. The app allows fans to post pictures and memories of the parade and the winner with the most votes will be featured as Macy’s profile picture for the week. Macy’s promises that it will use Twitter to keep viewers updated on backstage parade gossip and developing news stories while posting exclusive photos from the event. Since the Macy’s Twitter account already serves as a major line of communication between Macy’s and its shoppers, we expect the brand’s Twitter team to work overtime on Thanksgiving.

So grab a drumstick, enjoy the parade and be thankful there are so many ways brands of any size can use online marketing to reach new audiences!