The problem with the word quality is that most people use it as a substitute for strategy.

Everyone wants to be #1 on Google when potential customers search for their products or services. After working with digital agencies, SEO specialists and other wizards of the web, here’s what I’ve learned about making that happen (aside from putting numbers in the headlines of your blog posts).

1. Write for people

Yes, Google’s algorithm is crawling your site, analyzing your text and determining your ranking. But it’s not buying your product. If people get to your site and find a bunch of hackneyed terminology, stilted grammar, and words strung together only for the purpose of attracting Google’s digital eye, it won’t create a very compelling story. People love stories. Tell one.

2. Write real

Write using the words your customers do. Every industry has its jargon. If you spend too much time trying to sound smart using esoteric insider terminology in an effort to sell your remote access wireless temperature control technology, you’ll miss a bunch of people who want to buy a thermostat.

3. Write short

Say what you need to say and get out. One topic per page. That’s it.

4. Write a lot

Search engines are constantly crawling the web for new content. Frequent updates will help keep you on top.

5. Write with style

Using keywords doesn’t preclude you from using interesting words. It also doesn’t mean you can string them together in a way that gives your site personality, wit, and charm. Great writing is what gets people to share your content and come back for more.

Ultimately, it’s as simple as this: Keywords get customers to your site. The quality of your writing will keep them coming back and ultimately convince them to buy.

And just in case anyone needs reminding, making the sale is the real reason we’re all doing this.

Eleven hours ago, Oreo and Kraft stepped into the second most polarizing political debate in the country with this post on Facebook.

As a company that supports diversity, gay rights and marriage equality, we’re thrilled.

As marketers, we’re surprised.

Kraft, Oreo’s corporate parent, is about as mass as a mass marketer can get. Coming out in support of a divisive issue like this will generate a lot of animosity from a significant portion of the population.

We can almost guarantee there will be boycotts of Kraft products announced by groups like Focus on the Family and denouncements of the company in sermons at pulpits across the country in the coming weeks.

By coming out so boldly in favor of a position that many people find abhorrent, they are putting a significant part of their business at risk.

Knowing Kraft, we are sure they didn’t do this without doing their research. And we’d be surprised if this ad wasn’t approved at the highest levels of the corporation.

As the conversation builds around this post, one thing’s for sure – it clearly demonstrates how powerful advertising can be.

And for that I applaud Kraft and Draft/FCB, the agency behind this ad.

I’ll admit it. I’ve kinda gotten into this twitter thing. I’m no Rainn Wilson, but I have over 400 followers. I follow a few hundred interesting people. I also participate in a couple of tweet chats a week on branding and innovation.

It’s been about a year and here’s what I’ve learned works when it comes to building a community and even attracting business on Twitter.

1. Give

This is open source communication. You only get something of value from Twitter when you give something of value first. Give your knowledge away. Give your opinions. Give your experience. Give your advice. At 140 characters, it’s not too big a burden to give what you can.

2. Accept

Take what others are willing to give. Read the articles they share. View their videos. Listen to their advice. There’s a lot to learn from these short bursts of communications if you’re willing to listen.

3. Ask

Have a question on a project? Need to find an expert on thermodynamics? Want a recommendation for a great restaurant in Kuala Lumpur? No matter what you need to know, there’s probably someone in your network who either has the answer or is connected to someone who does.

4. Share

Share articles. Retweet interesting tweets. Post the occasional photo. Don’t be afraid to share some things that aren’t strictly business. Your followers want to know the person behind the avatar.

5. Thank

Take a moment to thank those who retweet your content, those who answer your questions, those who follow you and those who you follow. Do it publicly so everyone knows who’s adding value to the community.

Twitter isn’t a silver bullet to help you build your business, but it’s a great place to learn, connect and share ideas with people who you may never otherwise interact with. It makes the world smaller and more efficient. And sometimes, as is the case with @Rainnwilson’s tweets, it’s good for a laugh.

You can’t have a conversation about marketing these days without someone bringing up the need to create “Brand Advocates.”

As the term suggests advocates are people who are not employed by your company yet talk positively about your brand in conversations with their friends either in person or online in fora like blogging, Facebook, Linked In and Twitter.

Advocates are a wonderful asset. The perceived third-party nature of their endorsements enhances the credibility of their reviews and recommendations, making them more effective than traditional marketing tactics. We all have friends who tell us how great their iPhones are, how much they love their Ford, how easy it is to use TurboTax, etc. As marketers we all know how valuable advocates can be.

The question is, “how do you create brand advocates?”

It’s simple really: create a product, service or experience worth talking about. That’s it.

Solve a problem in a remarkable way. Create a polarizing design. Offer service that goes above and beyond anyone’s expectations. Those are a few of the paths to creating customers who not only use your products, but are happy tell the world about it.

You don’t create brand advocates by offering rebates, sweepstakes, BOGOs or other marketing incentives.

If you have to pay people to say nice things about your product, they’re not advocates, they’re whores.