Recent Posts

  • Link Building: Types of Devalued Links

    Posted Oct 8th, 2011 By in Link Building With | No Comments

    Link building is an important way to raise the page rank of your website. Unfortunately, it is also a tricky process that can leave your website with a lower rank, rather than the higher rank you were going for. This happens when you choose the wrong type of link building and build devalued links instead of valued ones.

    Types of Devalued Links

    There are different types of links. There are great links from authority websites, links that can help your page rank as long as you don’t abuse them and links that will hurt your website. The last type is the type that we will look at here.

    Link Exchanges or Farms

    Link farms are websites that host hundreds or thousands of links simply for the sake of providing a link. They have no relevant or useful content and many times the sites they host are not even related in topic.

    These sites are no longer useful for gaining page rank and can even hurt your site. They may also pose as link “directories,” so be careful when submitting your website to anything that already has many other links posted on it.

    Your site can also be devalued by having many reciprocal links. These are when you agree to link to another site and they agree to link to you. A popular way for webmasters to get a lot of reciprocal links is the use of link exchanges. Search engines have caught on to this practice and now devalue many websites that engage in this type of activity.

    Forum or Blog Spamming

    You should sign your blog comments with your real name, instead of putting links in the author field. These types of links look like link spam to Google and other search engines and in response they will devalue your website.

    Likewise, you should join forums in an effort to help others. It is okay to have your website address in the signature field, but don’t list your website address in every actual post. This will have the same effect as blog spamming.

    While we’re at it, don’t promote your website in every comment or post. This is still a form of forum spamming, even if Google can’t “see” it. Readers will see right through you and you may miss a chance at some legitimate traffic.

    The Best Links

    The best types of links that your website can get are natural links from authority sites with a high page rank that have been around for several years. The best way to get these types of links is to provide useful information that others will naturally want to share.

    If you can get a website like this to the first page of Google, you will begin receiving natural links. If you find that you aren’t getting natural links, you can also participate in guest posting on related websites that already have a decent page rank.

    Guest Author:  The team at Fatwallet have presented this information. Discover money saving deals, HP coupons, and forums at Fatwallet.com.

     

  • On the Go SEO with Your iPad

    Posted Sep 14th, 2011 By in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) With | No Comments

    In the world of search engine optimization, an organized optimizer rules. By constantly staying on top of your work and new innovations, you can pull together some great results. With the flexibility of the iPad 2, you have a great new tool to do so. The iPad’s unique design, and ability to connect through a 3G network, allows you to successfully perform SEO work on the go. Along with an amazing, user friendly design, the iPad also features a number of applications that are strictly for SEO. The iPad also is an affective way to cross check the effectiveness or your website to an enormously growing population of mobile users. Using the iPad on the go for SEO, is becoming more and more essential.

    One of the most important parts of performing essential SEO tasks, is staying organized. With great organization comes even better communication. This can be between clients, co-workers, or potential customers. You must always stay connected with your contacts, to ensure quality customer service, and to stay ahead on your work. You can easily do this with the iPad 2, and its 3G capabilities. You can even use multiple accounts to organize personal, and business emails to be more efficient. This opens up your business capabilities in a number of different ways. First, you will never be playing catch up. Second you can be sure that you will never miss an opportunity. This is very important when you are in the SEO business.

    While you may not have all the useful tools on your iPad that your computer may bring, there are many SEO applications that can help. One of the main problems with using in an iPad is the browser. Browsers are portrayed in a mobile version. This can be highly annoying, especially if you are using the SEO Quake bar frequently. One great way to combat this browser issue is to download the “Atomic Web” browser. This application is only $.99, and is worth every penny. This allows you to “trick” the website into thinking you are using a browser like Firefox, Opera, or Chrome. This can be a very useful tool when you are interacting with various web pages. Another great application for SEO on the iPad is “Website SEO Analyzer.” This app lets you do a number of things that eliminate the need for your SEO Quake bar. You can check page rank, alexa rank, and even Meta data. It will also let you see the page size and the page load time. All of these things are important when checking prospective candidates when you are performing link building services.

    The most important part when using the iPad for SEO is cross browser detection. With more and more people using mobile devices, you want to make sure that your website is operating the right way through all browsers. The number of users on tablet, and mobile devices is growing every single day. You do not want to missing out on these potential visitors because of a lack of knowledge. The iPad is the wave of the future. Although many have complained about the lack of Flash on iPads, Flash is 100% non-readable by Google. iPad may force you to use other options that make for more visibility through many browsers, and in turn lets Google index videos that may be lost in flash. This is going to be very important in future years. HTML 5 is going to become the norm due to the ease, and friendly aspects is contains. Although not all browsers use the “video” tag yet for HTML 5, this lets you get a head start in the SEO world. Google, and Apple are both very big fans of HTML 5.  You can use HTML 5 in the browsers that read it, and perform if/else functions and revert to flash for those who do not. This will allow you to be a multi-faceted website, and also allows Google to index your site appropriately.

    The iPad allows you to perform essential SEO techniques while you are on the go. Using your iPad for SEO can keep you on task, can help you manage your time better, and is a very important tool considering the future of SEO. With a 3G network, an iPad is a great way to stay ahead on your projects, and beat the competition. If you want to keep your SEO business strong, an iPad can also help you to find the best way to optimize your site for the growing number of mobile users. That is something that you do not want to miss out on. Using your iPad, or any other tablet will soon be essential for all SEO businesses.

  • The Best Way to Blog for SEO – A Beginner’s Guide

    Posted Aug 30th, 2011 By in Blogging, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) With | 1 Comment

    Are you clueless on how to blog for SEO? This beginner’s guide will take you through simple steps on how to get your blog posts in tip top shape for when the search bots come crawling.

    Why Blog for SEO?

    There’s two very good reasons you should do this, which lead me to put together this beginner’s guide on how to blog for SEO.

    1. Since you’re already taking the time to write the blog, so you might as well know how to blog for SEO.

    2. It will help drive extra traffic to your blog in the long term – which is why you’re blogging right?

    How to Blog for SEO

    First you should plan out your blog post. It might seem like extra work, but believe me it will make the whole process a lot easier. You can download the plan I used to prepare this blog for SEO here.

    Topic – First you’ll need to decide on the topic you’ll be blogging about. Ideally it should be a trending topic or something you know is popular with your target audience. There’s no point writing about something no one’s interested in.

    Keywords – Probably the most important consideration when tailoring your blog for seo is the keywords you’ll use. Once you’ve decided on your topic, the best way to select keywords is to head on over to the google keyword tool, which will show you a bunch of suggestions for the topic you enter. Ideally try to choose 2 or 3 phrases which have high search traffic and low competition. If you downloaded the plan I used for this post, you’ll see that the phrases I’ve selected are ‘blog for seo’, ‘how to blog’ and ‘beginner’s guide’, which all have low competition and searches in the thousands. (more…)

  • 21 Twitter Conversation Tips

    Posted Jan 8th, 2010 By in Social Networking, Twitter With | 22 Comments

    There’s nothing like a good social media conversation to ensure that you gain plenty of followers. However, most people just don’t understand how to make the best use of Twitter. Engaging in intelligent conversation is the best way to build trust, gain followers and establish yourself as a guru online. With that in mind, I’ve compiled some tips to help you do all that on this popular social media platform. dreamstime_11436196

    1. Be positive. People shy away from the negative, so stay upbeat and you’ll find more are drawn to you. Also, you’ll get more positive tweets, which is definitely a plus.

    2. Offer information. Giving out useful tidbits will endear followers to you and result in more retweets. Think about what your followers could use and then give them what they need.

    3. Respond to others. When you see an interesting tweet, comment on it. This is the best way to start a conversation and is far more effective than waiting for someone to respond to you.

    4. Stay firm. No one likes someone who wobbles between two opposing views, so don’t be afraid to state where you stand. It might not be popular with everyone, but you’ll gain respect.

    5. Avoid public arguments. If you’re going to be talking heatedly, keep it private with emails or DMs. No need to share with the world!

    6. Know when to DM. Replying to someone will still appear publicly, but a direct message will only be seen by that person. It’s best to DM any private information (email addresses, etc.).

    7. Keep track of information. Is one of your Twitter contacts pregnant? Make note of her due date and check in once and a while. People love it when others remember things that are important to them.

    8. Help others out. If someone is having a problem and you have a solution, let them know. If you can’t help, retweet the message so someone else can help.

    9. Be funny. Who doesn’t love humor? Just be careful, humor doesn’t always translate well over the internet.

    10. Stay active. Make sure you are tweeting on a daily basis. Most people will ignore someone who only pops up once in a while. (more…)

  • 15 Categories of Social Media

    Posted Feb 8th, 2010 By in Social Media With | 45 Comments

    The most popular social media question is:  “Where do I start with social media if I want to use it for my business?”  The very first step is to understand the entire social media landscape before jumping on the bandwagon.  This is paramount if you want to succeed with using social media for your business!

    The social web consists of many categories and is not just about social networking.  I have created the below diagram to help you understand the types of social media categories.  The categories you decide to use for your business will depend on your business goals and what you are trying to achieve with social media.

    Of course, there is a cross between many of these categories.  For example, I placed Twitter under micro-blogging, but it also belongs under social networking; I placed Facebook under social networking but it is also the largest photo-sharing site.

    The key to success with social media is to not put your eggs in one basket.  Once you have a clear understanding of the social web, the next step is know how to integrate some or all these categories together so you can leverage and maximize your efforts with social media.

    Please note, in this diagram I am giving a comprehensive look at the categories of social media.  The tools in each category are only an example.  There are literally thousands of tools out there that would fall into each category and would not be possible to fit into a single diagram.  Please feel free to add tools that you think belong under specific categories in the comment section below.

    The logos and images shown are trademarks of each site.  Let’s hope the sites don’t mind that I borrowed them! :)

    Social Media Landscape Image

    Social Media Landscape Image

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  • Top 50 Social Media Mistakes Made by Small Businesses

    Posted Feb 28th, 2010 By in Social Media With | 20 Comments

    social media mistakesAn increasingly number of small businesses (SMBs) are starting to use social media to attract new customers.  A recent Small Business Success Index™ report sponsored by Network Solutions and the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business shows:

    - Social media adoption by small businesses has doubled from 12 percent to 24 percent in the last year

    - 75% surveyed have a company page on a social networking site

    - 61% use social media for identifying and attracting new customers

    - 57% have built a network through a site like LinkedIn

    - 45% expect social media to be profitable in the next twelve months

    Despite the increase in social media activity among small businesses and the increase of social media education, I still see many mistakes being made by SMBs.  Here are the top 50 mistakes I observe on a daily basis (in no particular order):

    1. Lack of planning (Huge one!)
    2. Lack of clear and measurable objectives
    3. Not learning about social media
    4. Lack of knowledge about target audience
    5. No commitment
    6. Lack of consistency
    7. Not realizing that there is a time dedication
    8. Worrying too much about negative comments and brand haters
    9. Focusing too much about the technology aspect
    10. Passing the buck to assistants and interns
    11. Spreading themselves too thin by creating profiles everywhere
    12. Not completing profiles
    13. Uploading pictures of pets or children for avatars
    14. Fake friending just to pitch
    15. Only talking about oneself, brand or products
    16. Hard selling
    17. Using the same tactics on every site
    18. Responding to every negative comment
    19. Not thinking before commenting
    20. Not measuring (Another huge one!)
    21. Giving up on social media too easily
    22. Forgetting it’s about 2-way dialogue
    23. Setting profiles and forgetting them
    24. Thinking social media is a magic solution to their business problems
    25. Jumping on without having a hub (web site or blog)
    26. Neglecting to put links back to their web site or blog
    27. Not taking a enough time to do research and listen/observe
    28. No systems in place
    29. Not focusing on core tasks
    30. Not separating business and personal social media time
    31. Putting eggs all in one basket
    32. Continuing with tactics that are clearly not working for them
    33. Not taking the time to put a social media schedule in place
    34. Not setting time boundaries
    35. Not paying attention to customer needs
    36. Not providing value
    37. Not knowing how to integrate with other marketing/advertising efforts
    38. Not knowing how to use all the social media categories together
    39. Focusing too much on number of fans/followers/friends
    40. Not making enough effort to seek out the right sites for their target audience
    41. Neglected (not updating) websites or blogs
    42. Using generic or auto responses
    43. Spamming people with private messages, DMs or e-mails
    44. Using social media as a replacement strategy
    45. Not willing to experiment
    46. Being close-minded about adding strangers to network
    47. Not learning from mistakes
    48. Bribing bloggers and others to write about products and services
    49. Not spending time finding evangelists and influencers
    50. Forgetting that building relationships can be lots of fun

    Some of the above mistakes, I already mentioned in a previous blog post:  Are You Making These 10 Social Media Business Blunders?

    Have you seen any other social media mistakes that I forgot to mention?  Please list them in the comments below.

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  • 99 Favorite Social Media Quotes and Tips

    Posted Apr 6th, 2010 By in Social Media, Social Networking With | 52 Comments

    Hot Social Media Quotes

    Hot Social Media Quotes

    Here are 99 of my favorite social media quotes.  Yes, it is a long post, but it is a fast read, and I am sure you will love every quote!  I would like for us to grow this list together.  Please post any other social media quotes that you absolutely love and want to share with others in the comments below.  BTW, these are in no particular order.  Enjoy!

    1. “How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable?” – Seth Godin, Seth’s Blog
    2. “Networking is not about hunting. It is about farming. It’s about cultivating relationships. Don’t engage in ‘premature solicitation’. You’ll be a better networker if you remember that.” – Dr. Ivan Misner, NY bestselling author & founder of BNI
    3. “The only way to put out a social-media fire is with social-media water.” – Ramon DeLeon, managing partner of six Domino’s stores in Chicago
    4. “Social Media is about sociology and psychology more than technology.” – Brain Solis Principal of FutureWorks
    5. “Think like a publisher, not a marketer.” – David Meerman Scott, DavidMeermanScott.com
    6. “At Twitter, mobile is in our DNA … For us, it’s all about mobile, and it always has been.” – Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter
    7. “Social media isn’t the end-all-be-all, but it offers marketers unparalleled opportunity to participate in relevant ways. It also provides a launchpad for other marketing tactics. Social media is not an island. It’s a high-power engine on the larger marketing ship.” – Matt Dickman, technomarketer.typepad.com
    8. “Privacy is dead, and social media hold the smoking gun.” – Pete Cashmore, Mashable CEO
    9. “You will make mistakes. If you are sincere about helping the community, the authenticity will show and your mistakes will be forgiven.” – Zia Yusuf, executive vice president for SAP’s global ecosystem and partner group
    10. “There’s no need to re-create everything from scratch … Look at some of the early adopters, see what they’ve done and see if it makes sense for your organization. And then think about what you need to do to customize it.” – Dave Fletcher, Utah chief technology officer
    11. “Whether something brings them joy or pain, when people share and engage in communities, they form bonds and relationships with others who acknowledge their situation.” – Liana Evans, from post on Search Engine Watch
    12. “Social networks aren’t about Web sites. They’re about experiences.” – Mike DiLorenzo, NHL social media marketing director
    13. “What used to be cigarette breaks could turn into ‘social media breaks’ as long as there is a clear signal and IT isn’t looking.” – David Armano
    14. “Businesses used to have a small suggestion box near the door that mostly housed dust bunnies and an occasional piece of gum. Rarely would someone get back to you. But people can now make a post from an iPhone or a BlackBerry while they’re sitting in your restaurant.” – Charles Nelson, President of Sprinkles Cupcakes president
    15. “More companies are discovering that an über-connected workplace is not just about implementing a new set of tools — it is also about embracing a cultural shift to create an open environment where employees are encouraged to share, innovate and collaborate virtually.” – Karie Willyerd & Jeanne C. Meister, HarvardBusiness.org
    16. “Twitter represents a collective collaboration that manifests our ability to unconsciously connect kindred voices through the experiences that move us. As such, Twitter is a human seismograph.” – Brian Solis, Principal of FutureWorks
    17. “In some ways, [Facebook] levels the playing field of friendship stratification. In the real world, you have very close friends and then there are those you just say “Hi” to when you pass them on the street.” – Jason Kaufman, research science fellow at Harvard University
    18. “Conversations among the members of your marketplace happen whether you like it or not. Good marketing encourages the right sort of conversations.” – Seth Godin, Seth’s Blog
    19. “Those who ignore the party/conversation/network when they are content and decide to drop in when they need the network may not succeed. It’s pretty easy to spot those that are just joining the network purely to take – not to give. Therefore, be part of the party/conversation/network before you need anything from anyone.” – Jeremiah Owyang, Web-Strategist.com
    20. “The secret isn’t growing a huge fan base. We have 100,000 Facebook fans, but those fans have all come to us organically. We believe the more organic the growth, the more loyal the fans, the more likely they will be repeat customers.” – Cam Balzer, vice president of marketing at Threadless (more…)

  • The 21 Essential C’s of Social Media

    Posted Apr 15th, 2010 By in Social Media, Social Networking With | 15 Comments

    To succeed with social media, you must be open-minded enough to embrace its many essential elements. Here are the 21 essential C’s of social media listed in alphabetical order:

    1. Caring

    The essence of social media is caring.  Consumers want companies they do business with to show that they care enough to listen to their comments, complaints, opinions, ideas, etc.  They want to feel important and appreciated.  Customers know when you genuinely care, and they are willing and ready to reciprocate.

    2. Change

    The rules of marketing, public relations, advertising, and communication tools are changing at the speed of light. In order to succeed with social media, you must be ready to embrace, adapt to, and influence change.

    3. Character

    Character is your online identity or brand, which is an extremely important element. Consumers want to know who the human behind the brand is.  Social media helps to humanize your brand.  People want to do business with a person (YOU), not an object.  Being authentic and letting your true personality shine through social media makes a huge difference to your audience.   The more they know about your personality, the more they feel comfortable to do business with you.  So, don’t think people can’t see that just because you are hiding behind a computer.

    4. Clarity

    When you are trying to communicate your message online, clarity is number one.  Confused consumers want someone that can clarify things for them.  They do not buy if messages are ambiguous or complicated.  They buy when you have simply and clearly solved their problem.

    5. Collaboration

    Social media enables us to tap into the collective wisdom of our audience (crowdsourcing, which is another “C” of social media).  Many social media tools are designed to help us work jointly with our customers, employees, partners, investors as well as competitors.

    6. Commitment

    Too many people are saying social media is free.  Since when did true time commitment and dedication to our businesses become free?  Social media is not rocket science, but you have only scratched the surface if you jumped on the social media bandwagon without a plan.  To stay on track and have social media not be a time-waster for you, it takes a solid plan as well as serious commitment to stick to that plan and make adjustments as needed.

    7. Communication

    Communication has always been an essential element for enhancing relationships offline or online.  You are now able to communicate with your audience across the globe faster than ever before due to social media. Remember, marketing on the social web is not about getting your stories out through one-way communication, but rather two-way communication. (more…)

  • 6 Essential Mindset Shifts for Social Media Success

    Posted May 19th, 2010 By in Business, Social Media, Social Networking With | 10 Comments

    Some businesses do now understand that adopting social media means changing their mindset on how they do business; however, I am surprised to see how many are still not aware what type of shift needs to take place, or are not willing to make the changes needed to succeed.

    On a daily basis, I hear many excuses from CEO’s and businesses owners on why they don’t want to use social media — “It is too time-consuming; we don’t have the resources; we don’t understand how it’s supposed to help the business; social media is for teens and techies; we don’t enjoy it; we have no idea where to start.”  Do these sound familiar?

    CEO’s and business owners must understand the philosophy which drives social media.  It is essential to first adopt the social media mindset by recognizing that the rules of marketing, advertising, public relations, and communication have changed.  It is also necessary to be open-minded and make changes in the way you communicate with customers because the social media revolution will not be going away. mind-set

    When deciding to incorporate social media in your business, using social media tools should be the last thing you think about (See the Looking Beyond Social Media Hype post).  In order to experience maximum benefit from social media, the process begins with a complete mindset shift.

    Here are the six essential mindset shifts that need to happen before a business participates in any form of social media: (more…)

  • Ask Mirna: What criteria do you suggest people use to select a social media expert?

    Posted Oct 17th, 2010 By in Ask Mirna, Business, Social Media With | 5 Comments

    Question: There are so many pseudo social media experts out there, each with his or her “solution,” that it’s become overwhelming to identify the real McCoys. What criteria do you suggest people use? – Jim Taggart, LeadershipWorldConnect

    Answer: Thank you for asking a very important question, and for trusting me to answer it for you. I am asked this same question at least once a week.  Unfortunately, the real social media experts are buried under all the hype of the fake experts because the real ones don’t have time to go calling themselves experts so they can pitch you on why you should have 100K Twitter followers, and why you should hire them to do the job. The true authorities in any industry are not hard-selling 24/7. They are too busy strategizing, sharing, learning, educating, creating, experimenting, executing, testing, growing, and helping others thrive.

    It is difficult for me to answer this question without being too controversial or self-promotional.  However, my intent is to always educate and create awareness. Thus, the answer is not only based on my opinion, but also years of business experience and thousands of hours of research and execution to back it up.

    So, how do you weed out the pundits from the fakes?

    First, let’s define expert.  Here is how Wikipedia defines the word:

    “An expert is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by their peers or the public in a specific well-distinguished domain.”

    Having extensive knowledge about a topic beyond the average person makes you an expert.  Your skills training and credentials make you an expert.  Your years of experience and education make you an expert.  However, given the above definition, the word expert should not be a self-proclaimed title. This title should be earned and given by peers after a person has logged tens of thousands of hours, and the results should speak for themselves.

    Hence, your social media expert is NOT:

    • Someone who shows you how to use the latest feature on Facebook
    • An individual who tells you to just create pages on the major social networks
    • Your web designer or programmer
    • Your previous mortgage broker who has moved on to social media because it is the next hot industry
    • Your virtual assistant
    • Someone who is simply online
    • Someone who has five different types of businesses going at once to see which one makes the fastest buck

    Am I an expert in social media because I live and breathe the Web every day? It’s possible. However, I wouldn’t use that term.  I am a student of my work. I am constantly learning, experimenting, and educating.  My expertise and knowledge are put to the test every time I have a new challenge, a client, or a new project. If I can’t prove that I have some expertise when the situation calls, it doesn’t matter what I call or describe myself. (more…)

  • How to Write Re-tweetable Tweets in 5 Minutes or Less

    Posted Nov 1st, 2010 By in Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter With | 4 Comments

    Twitter can be an amazing way to reach your ideal clients and build a relationship that makes them want to do business with you.  Twitter sends 13x more traffic with fewer followers than Facebook…If you do it right.

    But how do you know what to tweet?

    You DON’T want to end up with a Twitter account full of meaningless twatter no one cares about.  You know the tweets I’m talking about…

    “Meeting my girlfriends for a grilled cheese sandwich and fries.”  “Can this day get any worse?  I hate the rain.”

    Do your clients really want to read that stuff?  Probably not.

    What kind of tweets do you want to write?  The kind that make people click through to your website.  The kind that transition them from Twitter follower to paying client.  You want to write re-tweetable tweets.

    71% of tweets produce NO RESPONSE.  Only 23% get replies and a mere 6% get retweeted.

    But some Twitter superstars get re-tweeted all the time.  What’s their secret?

    The easiest way to write re-tweetable tweets if by letting other people do the hard work for you.

    Here’s what I mean…

    Thousands of people in your industry are blogging about topics your followers would love to know about.  All you have to do is locate those blogs and share them with your followers. (more…)

  • Tech-Savvy Job Seeker Tries to Grab Zappos’ Attention with a Social Media Campaign

    Posted Feb 23rd, 2011 By in Social Media With | 9 Comments

    In a recent SmartBrief poll analysis, I mentioned one of the growing trends of the future will be recruiters and staffing firms scouting prospects through social networks. Do job seekers need to get social too because of this shift?

    In today’s competitive job market, job seekers are certainly jumping on the social bandwagon and doing whatever it takes to get the attention of recruiters by launching short-term social media campaigns to set themselves apart from other candidates.

    It is becoming the norm for people to go beyond sending their resume to a company.   Many job seekers are using innovative tactics to capture interest and create buzz.  Some of these tactics include sending video cover letters, uploading video pitches to YouTube, designing creative infographs instead of text resumes, purchasing Facebook social ads, or even tweeting their way into a job.

    A tech-savvy job seeker, Meetu Singhal of Las Vegas took the creative approach and recently launched a social media campaign on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to try to obtain a job interview for a social media position at Zappos.

    I was able to get the inside scoop from Meetu.  Let’s see what she had to say:

    1. What is your professional background?

    I have extensive experience in marketing and communication – conventional and online media. With an overall experience of 11 years and the last five years in providing consulting services to U.S. and Canada based start-ups on online marketing, social media marketing, conversational marketing, community building, crowdsourcing, e-commerce, and analytics.

    I have a deep understanding of the latest web technologies and how to leverage such technologies for social commerce is what I bring to the table.

    2. When did you first discover you had a passion for social media?

    In 2006, I was recovering from some health complications and surgery, and I was working from home for a U.S.-based start-up that was engaged in building community for professionals in the Insurance and Finance industries. My duties included setting up virtual conference events, webinars, email marketing, etc.

    After just a few days of working there, I realized that there was a need for doing something that will enable them to generate content collaboratively, and that is when my social media journey began.  I helped the founders launch their online presence by setting set up their community blog, podcasts, etc.  As you know in 2006, not too many people knew how to set up a blog or how to engage a community for that matter.

    Later, I was a part of creating an online community for thought leaders, which can now be seen at www.33voices.com. (more…)

  • 4 No-Cost Link Building Techniques That Get Results Fast

    Posted Mar 29th, 2011 By in Link Building, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) With | 19 Comments

    Are you trying to build backlinks on a budget?  Just because you don’t have tons of cash to throw around on fancy SEO services, your website does not have to get stuck on page 5 of the search engines.

    Here are four of the top no-cost link building techniques that get results fast:

    Blog Commenting

    Blog commenting is a fairly fast and painless link building technique, but most people do it incorrectly because they spam blogs.  Whether you do it yourself or pay someone else, blog spamming doesn’t make sense and won’t get the results you want.  The problem with useless spammy comments is that they don’t get approved.  This leaves you with zero backlinks.

    Here’s the right way to do it:

    Post a thought provoking, informative comment that might pique the interest of readers.

    The benefit, you ask?

    For starters, your comment is much more likely to get approved if you actually provide value.  This will increase the number of readers who click-through to your site.  You want people to see your comments and think, “Hey, that’s a great point.  I wonder what else he/she has to say…” *Click*.

    If you can establish yourself as an authority in your comment, the people that click-through to your site are already mentally prepped to have more trust and respect for your opinions.  This means they’ll stick around longer, subscribe, maybe even make a purchase, or share your site on Facebook, Twitter, etc.

    The only other part to the blog commenting equation is finding blogs to comment on.  There are two ways that I consider the best options for finding blogs to comment on.

    The first is to use Drop My Link.  You can search for specific types of blogs such as KeywordLuv blogs and add your keyword in the search.  This will help you find a lot of relevant blogs to comment on.  I suggest searching for KeywordLuv blogs first since they allow anchor text, they are “do follow”, and they add a link to your most recent post if you have a blog.  It’s definitely a big win situation.

    For the other blog-finding tactic, I suggest using the SEOQuake plugin for Firefox to sort each page of results by PageRank (PR).  A page doesn’t have to have a high PR to be worthwhile to comment on, but it definitely helps.

    In summary, using the above techniques will help you quickly find blogs that are relevant, allow anchor text,  are “do follow”, possibly have high PR, and  allow backlinks that attract visitors plus you get an extra link to your blog…and oh yeah… it’s all at no cost. (more…)

  • Poll: What hours of the day are you social networking the most?

    Posted Apr 5th, 2011 By in Polls, Social Networking With | 2 Comments

    Please choose your time zone. More than one choice may be selected.

     

  • Excellent Etiquette Suggestions for Maintaining a Professional Image While Communicating Behind the Computer Screen

    Posted Apr 14th, 2011 By in Business, Email Marketing, Social Networking With | 2 Comments

    Some people think just because they are behind the computer, etiquette rules do not apply. But, online image and etiquette are just as important and may make a huge difference with how you build and nurture relationships.

    The Internet can be one of the most ambiguous channels of communication. However, it is also one of the fastest and greatest ways to communicate. Nowadays, many of us find it hard to survive without email or social networking sites.

    Networking online is an art; building mutually long term relationships requires the same quality of professional courtesy and dual respect as any other means of communication. Inner wellness can be expressed in many forms through social networking sites and email.

    Netiquette is a code of ethics for the Internet. Unlike the code of professional conduct of accountants, lawyers or doctors, which is supported by legislation, the code of conduct for the Internet requires high levels of self discipline that is ultimately dependent upon our inner quality. When no one can see what we are doing, what else do we have, but our soul, to keep our decorous behavior?

    The suggestions below are a basis of good universal code of conduct for email and online networking:

    Email

    - Never contain too much personal opinion, emotional elements, cartoons, slogans or jokes when sending formal business email.

    - Learn to use the emoticon chart (below) as they are all appropriate for informal business emails to keep us up to date:

    :> or :-> = Devilish grin
    :] or :-] = Friendly
    :( or :-( = Frowning

    :/ or :-/ = Frustrated 
    :) or :-) = Smiling

    :O or :-O = Surprised
    ;) or ;-) = Winking
    :} or :-} = Wry smile

    - Do not show a humorous character that may be offensive to others as we have no way to support our humor with proper body language or to see if our message is being interpreted correctly. Even self depreciating humor could cause others to see you as a low esteemed person. (more…)

  • Proud to be Nominated for Orange County’s Seventeenth Annual Women in Business Awards

    Posted May 10th, 2011 By in Business With | No Comments

    WOW! I am so excited and tremendously honored to be selected as a nominee for The Annual Women in Business Awards for the 2nd year in a row!

    This premier awards program was designed by the Orange County Business Journal (OCBJ) to recognize the accomplishments of the community’s outstanding business and professional women.

    The 17th Annual Women in Business Awards will be held on Wednesday, May 25, at the Hyatt Regency Irvine, featuring keynote speaker Terry Sjodin, Principal & Founder of Sjodin Communications.

    A warm congratulation to all the beautiful ladies of Orange County who are nominated this year. It is a true privilege to be amongst all of you, and I salute your success. You inspire me!

    Also, thank you so much to all my supporters! I would not be able to move forward with my business without you!

     

  • The Important Psychological Components of Social Media

    Posted May 12th, 2011 By in Social Media With | No Comments

    When it comes to social media, psychology has a lot to do with the success or failure of a business. This greatly affects how business owners market their services. Social media communities are increasing in popularity, and there is no end in sight to this trend. Because social media is prevalent in marketing, there are ways to take advantage of the psychology connection.

    The Success of Social Media

    Social media channels flourish because society needs them. They allow individuals to connect with others on personal levels. This provides a person with a sense of belonging. The concept of group membership is what social media is born from. Contributing to an important group discussion can make a person feel important and valued as a part of a community.

    Creating interesting and enchanting content is the key to success in social media. The most effective content reaches people on emotional levels. An individual should feel a sense of connection to the product or service being presented. Marketing information should be engaging, relevant, and uncomplicated. It should also be displayed in a clear, simple, and logical manner. (more…)

  • 62 Ecommerce Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Tips & Ideas

    Posted May 16th, 2011 By in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) With | 4 Comments

    One of the reasons I like ecommerce SEO is that there is a tremendous amount of opportunities to increase the optimization quality of an online store. Unlike service businesses or online brochure websites which typically only have a few pages, a catalog of products creates a great opportunity to increase the amount of content and provide relevance for the search engines.

    Here at Best Rank, we spend a lot of time educating clients about optimization and how they can use it to gain a competitive advantage in their marketplace.  Having a specialty in ecommerce, my conversations are often about tips and advice on what online store owners can do to improve their rankings and increase traffic. There are plenty of resources for learning SEO online, but not a lot specific to ecommerce.

    For those interested in getting their hands dirty, I have created a list of 62 Ecommerce Search Engine Optimization Tips & Ideas. Of course there are tips here that apply to non-ecommerce sites as well, but ecommerce SEO does deserve its own list.

    The list is in no particular order. If you have some tips or feedback you want to add, please feel free to comment .

    1. Do a search in Google using site:www.yourdomain.com. This allows you to see what pages of your website are being indexed and how they look. The results should be keyword rich and have call to action for users to click.

    2. Do a site: search in Google for your competitors. While you are looking at your own indexing, look at your competition. Are their search engine results better optimized or better written? Don’t let them win.

    3. Use Google’s Keyword Tool to find keywords. If you have an Adwords account you are probably familiar with Google’s Keyword Tool. If not, you can use Google’s External Keyword Tool Be sure set the match type on [exact] so you are looking at the number of searches for that specific keyword.

    4. Don’t forget text on your homepage. Graphics are attractive and are great for users. Be sure that there is some html text on the homepage as well. If you have to put it near the footer, fine. Just make sure it is somewhere.

    5. Be sure your homepage title uses your 3 most important keywords. I prefer to limit any given page to focus on 3 keywords. Some people like 4 and some people 2. Your homepage optimization is really important to tell the engines what your site is going to focus on. (more…)

  • 4 Must Read Tips Before Launching Your First Text Message Marketing Campaign

    Posted Jun 10th, 2011 By in Mobile With | No Comments

    Text message marketing campaigns can be fantastically effective for several reasons:

    • Quick and easy to prepare and send
    • One of the lowest cost forms of direct marketing
    • Response rates can be measured
    • They have unbeatable delivery and open (i.e., read by recipients) rates

    However, the very benefits offered by text message marketing also mean they have to be used with care.  Below are some highly effective tips to consider before you send your first text message marketing campaign.

    Get a clear opt-in

    Most people consider their mobile phone to be an extension of their personal space. This makes a text message very intrusive. Make sure your sign-up process is clear and unambiguous. Tell people that they will receive marketing texts from your business, what they’ll be about and roughly how frequently.

    Avoid subscriber fatigue

    Because they’re so potentially intrusive, most customers have a lower patience threshold when it comes to receiving marketing text messages. Use them sparingly, and only when you have something genuinely valuable for the customer. Treat each campaign as if it’s your last, and your business survival depends on it.

    Track response rates

    This means you can adjust campaigns to suit what your customers actually want. It involves having customers treat a text message as a coupon, e.g., to benefit from a 2 for 1 deal they have to display the text in-store. You can either just record the total number of vouchers redeemed, or you can identify every individual coupon redeemed using a merge field. The merge field would be a unique ID that you assign to each individual mobile phone number. This would be automatically displayed in the body of every single text message. A bit more work, but a great way to add segmentation to your marketing list.

    Record unsubscribes

    Every text message must give customers the option to opt out, quickly and easily. If you don’t have your text message and customer database systems automatically joined up, you’ll have to record unsubscribes manually. One low cost option is to set up a mobile phone number to receive just unsubscribe messages. Or, your text delivery service may be able to help set you up with an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed to a web page or email address of your choice. Either way, you must remember to manually update your customer records.

    Have you launched your first text message campaign?  What other text messaging tips can you share with readers?

    Guest Author: After many years of business experience, George Drever has learned the hard way what does and doesn’t work when building a profitable marketing list and creating compelling email and text message campaigns.  He strongly believes an opted-in customer database is the most under-used asset in business.  His consultancy website helps small businesses avoid the same steep learning curve he encountered in getting the most out of direct marketing.

     

  • 3 Mobile Marketing Musts for the Small Business Owner

    Posted Jun 21st, 2011 By in Mobile With | 1 Comment

    Sure, you can try your hand at mobile marketing as a small business owner, but what’s going to guarantee that you’ll be a success? How do you know that you’re not going to waste thousands of dollars of your advertising budget trying to reach your customers through text or smartphone apps?

    Fortunately, the answer is simple. As a small business owner, you can develop a clear mobile marketing strategy that will ensure that you avoid many common mistakes that competitors in your industry have likely made by now. When mobile marketing is approached correctly, you can reach your customers even more effectively, quickly update them about product news and specials, and boost your sales as a result.

    1. What phones are your customers using? This may be a no-brainer, but you need to find out what type of phones that your customer base uses on a regular basis. If your customers don’t have smartphones, then there’s no use in creating a smartphone app. On the flipside, if your customer base uses smartphones exclusively, then your best bet would be to create a smartphone app to market to your customers or to have a presence on a smartphone social media location-based app, like Yelp or Foursquare.

    Think about the fact that 33% of people in the US are using smartphones, and that number is only expected to increase. It’s likely that your customers are already using a smartphone, but it’s important to find out before planning your marketing strategy. (more…)

  • How to Make Quick Gains from Location Based Mobile Marketing

    Posted Jun 28th, 2011 By in Mobile With | No Comments

     

     

    Under the broad umbrella of mobile marketing is location based marketing. Savvy smartphone users everywhere can pull up local search results on their phones at any time. These same smartphone users rely upon location based apps and social networks to share, interact, meet, and even recommend certain places to their online friends.

    Some top location based networks for mobile users include:

    • Foursquare
    • Gowalla
    • Loopt
    • Yelp

    As a business owner, the first step in the process to maximize this mobile marketing platform is to understand how each location based social network works. Most users will rely on the above apps on their smartphones to check in to certain locations to alert their friends of their whereabouts. The same feature can also be used with Facebook Places.

    In order to get acclimated, download all of the above apps to your smartphone so that you can understand how each is best used.

    The next step in the process is to set clear goals for what you hope to accomplish with the use of location mobile marketing for your business. Perhaps you want to increase local traffic to your retail store, raise awareness about a new shop that has opened up, or even bring back repeat customers to support your business. (more…)

  • How to Succeed In Sales *Despite* The “Gift of Gab”

    Posted Jun 23rd, 2011 By in Business, Social Media, Social Networking With | 1 Comment

    One of my favorite authors, Bob Burg let me borrow this great post.  Remember, the same applies to social networking and anything else we do online as well.  God did give us two ears and one mouth for this reason!

    Yes, I heard it again; while a young kid talked endlessly, a person nearby, with a wink in his voice, commented that “he’ll be a good salesperson one day.”

    As I grow older and wiser (first one a definite; second one debatable) I find there are fewer and fewer phrases that elicit within me a visceral negative reaction. That statement always does though.

    I mean, think of it…it is based on the premise that a person who just incessantly talks and talks and talks…is a good salesperson.

    I’ve asked countless people, “do you tend to buy from salespeople who simply yap non-stop about their product?” They always – yes, always (and often emphatically) – tell me “no.”

    Yet, I still hear it. (more…)

  • Incredibly Effective SEO Tips for E-Commerce Sellers

    Posted Jul 2nd, 2011 By in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) With | 4 Comments

    Setting up your online shop for search engine optimization is a crucial part of making it a success. There are certain characteristics of web pages that the search engines view favorably, while there are other characteristics that they do not. Knowing what these are and tailoring your online shop presentation to be viewed favorably will land you higher in organic search results than a site or online shop that has not taken these important points into consideration.

    If you’re just now beginning to set up your online shop, this is the best time of all to review these points. If your online shop is already open, it’s certainly not too late to make some key updates to your website and its item listings.

    A few important points about SEO:

    First, the search engines don’t officially publish a rule book on how they evaluate web pages. However much has been researched and published on what they look for and many characteristics are clear. It’s also important to note that the search engines are constantly updating their algorithms and strategies in a quest to deliver the most relevant, high- quality search results. The points covered here are those that are not likely to change in the near future.

    It’s also important to remember that you are not just setting up your shop and its listings for the search engines, but equally important is for it to be attractive to online shoppers as well. Setting up your shop with both groups in mind is the ideal. (more…)

  • 4 Important Ingredients in a Successful Social Commerce Campaign

    Posted Jun 30th, 2011 By in Social Media, Social Networking With | 1 Comment

    What started as a mere trend several years ago has now evolved into its own culture. Social commerce is gaining popularity by leaps and bounds in the virtual world and shows no signs of slowing down. Selling products online was once reserved for major retailers with massive inventories and the selling power to reach the masses. Now, thanks to sites like eBay, web stores, and applications for social media platforms such as Facebook, anyone can market and sell their products online.

    Having a successful social commerce campaign hinges on a number of factors. It’s not something you should venture into blindly without having done at least some minimal research. Although once you get your ecommerce campaign up and running, it can run on autopilot to some extent. However, there are certain areas in which you always have to be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to selling your products online.

    Let’s take a look at the four most important ingredients in a successful social commerce campaign:

    A Multifaceted Approach

    Simply using one or two of the array of free social media tools available today won’t get you very far in your social commerce campaign. The key to making these tools work for your brand is not just using them, but using them in tandem with other avenues of marketing to gain maximum exposure. Add Facebook and Twitter widgets to your business website and blog. Add links to your website and blog to your Facebook Fan Page and Storefront and your Twitter account. Tweet about sales, promotions, new products and services. Blog about these events as well and announce the blog updates on your Fan Page. Let everything you do online reciprocate what you’ve already done, allowing the campaign to come full circle. (more…)

  • I Have a Video! Now What?

    Posted Jun 27th, 2011 By in Video Marketing, Viral Marketing With | No Comments

    If you’ve taken the big leap and joined the ranks of the online video marketers, congratulations! The first video is always the most difficult.

    But now that you’ve produced your first video, what’s next? How do you not only maximize the marketing from that video, but also create new video marketing opportunities? Unless you want to succumb to the dreaded “one and done” syndrome, you’ll want to create a strategic marketing plan for using video regularly in your business.

    As with any plan, you must begin with the end in mind. What are your business objectives for video? Is it to grow your list? Build your brand? Drive more web traffic? Enhance your credibility? Your goals will determine your direction.

    If you said “all of the above” to the video goals we just listed, here are some ideas for maintaining your video momentum…

    1. Create an “expert tips” series to share your expertise. Short, 1 – 2 minute “how to” videos are a great way to increase your credibility and expand your influence.

    2. If you’ve got a blog, add a videoblog post every couple of weeks. The search engines love video, and your readers will be treated to a dynamic change of pace from your traditional blog posts. Extra bonus: Video is much more personal and compelling than print alone!

    3. Get some face time. Use a personal video message or video email to go “face to face” with your clients or prospects. Sending a video greeting, birthday wishes or a thank you video have much more impact than yet another regular email. If you want to stand out and be memorable, use video! (more…)

  • Mobile Marketing Trend: Texting Is Mainstream

    Posted Jul 13th, 2011 By in Mobile With | 1 Comment

    If you’re a small business owner who already uses text message marketing, then you’re on the right track. But it’s still important to stay up-to-date with the latest mobile marketing trends to ensure that you too can stay ahead of the pack.

    Currently, there are four times as many mobile phones in the world as opposed to PC users. Roughly 20% of houses in the US are mobile only without a landline.

    When you consider that we send 130 billion text messages each month, mobile marketing can be incredibly lucrative for small and large businesses if it is approached correctly. This is precisely why so many businesses have embraced text message marketing wholeheartedly as the most popular form of mobile marketing. Which is why text messaging is now becoming more mainstream than ever before.

    To best grasp the concept, text messaging should be compared to e-mail marketing and can be used in the same way that you would create an e-mail campaign. Of course, instead of encouraging your customers to give you their e-mail address for a newsletter or a coupon, you’ll be asking for a mobile phone number to send the same type of condensed updates to a mobile phone.

    Yet mobile marketing provides an even greater benefit. You don’t have to go to the trouble of creating a fancy e-mail campaign with images and video because you’ll only be using 160 characters of a text message. Even if a customer doesn’t make a sale the first time, 97% of your customers will still read your text message because it’s so short. You can’t beat those odds!

    Businesses have been using text messages to reach out to customers for several years. A Comscore study has confirmed that 25% of all mobile phone users have signed up for anywhere from 1 to 10 text messaging programs on a monthly basis. This means that customers are ready and willing, and you can reach them with your marketing message at any time away from home.

    And the text marketing trend continues. People of all ages are using texts for communication, meaning that businesses can use text message marketing for all generations. More and more customers are searching for mobile coupons as our economy recovers from the recession and programs like Groupon rise in popularity. As a result, a number of retail stores, grocers, and restaurants have launched mobile coupon marketing programs to reach out to more customers.

    Last but not least, the result that can’t be beat in text marketing is the impressive ROI. A text message will normally get seven times the response rate as an e-mail, meaning that the same message sent out to the same group of customers via text versus e-mail will be much more successful to generate even more sales and revenue.

    Guest Author:  Bethany Ramos is an expert in Internet marketing and social media marketing, and she also co-owns her own e-commerce website, The Coffee Bump.

     

  • Retailers Use Mobile Marketing to Attract More Customers

    Posted Jul 21st, 2011 By in Mobile With | 2 Comments

    As a customer, you’ve probably experienced the benefits of mobile marketing to give you discounts, specials, and freebies from your favorite brand. Right? Well, as a business owner, you can use this same type of hands-on mobile marketing to reach customers more effectively than ever before.

    Even the most popular fast food chains like Subway, Pizza Hut, Burger King, and Wendy’s started marketing to customers with text marketing, iPhone apps, and mobile coupons just a few years ago. Many of these mobile apps will allow a customer to place an order online and pick up their food moments later. Simply brilliant.

    Even large retailers like Target, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy stay connected with customers via text for holiday specials and discounts and have introduced iPhone apps to give customers more options. Instead of visiting the official website, customers can read reviews, order products, and create a gift list directly through their mobile phone.

    As a business owner, you can take your mobile marketing campaign beyond just the standard text message. You can get creative with the following ideas:

    • Mobile Payments: Starbucks recently introduced Starbucks Card Mobile payments available at more than 1000 Safeway locations via the Android App. Customers can load up their Starbucks card on their mobile phone and use their phone to pay for their coffee at their convenience. This means that Starbucks mobile payment is now available on 90% of all smartphones to make it virtually impossible for a customer not to connect with Starbucks through their mobile device. (more…)

  • Does Google+ have a chance?

    Posted Jul 19th, 2011 By in Google, Polls, Social Networking With | 9 Comments

    Please vote and include any additional opinions in the comments below!

  • Is Google + Competing with Facebook?

    Posted Jul 25th, 2011 By in Google With | 4 Comments

    Hands-down, Google is the most popular website on earth. Yet they seem to be worried about their stiff competition coming in at a close second – none other than Facebook.

    This is precisely why Google has decided to introduce their own social network as Google +. Google has tried to make a number of different social media channels over the years, like Google Buzz and Google Wave. Yet nothing has caught on so far…

    But now we can consider Google + for a second. Google + makes no bones about the fact that it is supposed to be just like Facebook with a few enhancements. Maybe we could call it “Facebook with a facelift”? Instead of opening up Google + to the public, Google has decided to create a little bit of buzz, so to speak.

    Upon its introduction, you can’t sign up directly for Google + just yet. Initially, you have to be invited by someone else who is a member in the beta stage of this social network. But even with this type of exclusive appeal, Google + has managed to gather 10 million members as of July 2011. This is nowhere near the mega benchmark set by Facebook at 750 million members, but it seems to be off to a strong start.

    Google + versus Facebook

    At first glance, Google + looks like a copycat of Facebook. You can post your thoughts and updates, just like you can to the Facebook wall. There is also something called a Stream, which is exactly like the Newsfeed on Facebook. And to compete with the “Like” button on Facebook, Google + offers a +1 button so that you can show that you are a fan of a post, picture, video, or what have you.

    But the big, shiny difference between the two is that Google + has a little something called Circles.

    If you’ve ever had the thought when using Facebook that you’d love to say something a little more inappropriate, a little more private, or a little wackier than what you would share with all of your friends, Circles may be the answer. You can create circles of friends, family, acquaintances, and following, which is similar to Twitter. You can also create your own circles with specific members, like Grandparents or College Friends, where you can share private jokes or special stories to your heart’s content without boring everyone else on your Stream.

    And when you decide to share something, you are able to specify which circle that it is sent to. Of course, you can choose to send the information to all of your circles or just one to keep a bit of news private. This minimizes much of the fuss surrounding social media, like teachers getting fired for posting pictures of a drunken party or saying something inappropriate. If you want to post something that you don’t want your boss to see, then don’t post it to a public circle, plain and simple.

    Although this may be a subtle difference between Google + and Facebook, only time will tell how the Circles feature attracts users to this new social network.

    Guest Author:  Bethany Ramos is an expert in Internet marketing and social media marketing, and she also co-owns her own e-commerce website, The Coffee Bump.

     

     

  • Should You Follow Your Favorite Brands on Social Media Platforms?

    Posted Aug 1st, 2011 By in Social Media With | 3 Comments

    Social media marketing is a booming trend, so it’s no wonder that it’s easier than ever to find all of your favorite brands on popular websites like Twitter and Facebook. Businesses of all sizes are relying on social media to improve customer communication since social networking is much more efficient and cost effective than communicating via the telephone or e-mail.

    If you’re a customer that has a concern, question, or a comment, you can reach out to the majority of brands through social media in a matter of seconds. On top of that, since brands are relying on social media for marketing purposes, many top businesses are giving their customers rewards for following them on Twitter or liking them on Facebook.

    Here are a few top benefits you can receive from following your favorite brands in social media:

    1. You can be heard. Rather than sending an e-mail to a business or even participating in a survey, you can post your comment or tweet a response in just a few seconds. Since most businesses are new to the social media plunge, it’s likely that you’ll receive a response within a few hours or even a day to your question or concern.

    On top of that, since Twitter is a public website, a business won’t want other customers to see a public customer concern that hasn’t been dealt with. If you’re posting on a public social media website, a business is much more likely to respond to you than if you just send an e-mail.

    2. You can find out about special deals and contests. Brands are more excited than ever to use social media to promote specials, giveaways, and contests. Even mega brands like Verizon have leaned heavily on social media by using hashtags on Twitter to promote a series of giveaways to drum up sales from new customers.

    If you have a favorite brand, it literally pays to stay in the know and use social media to take advantage of discount offers you can’t find anywhere else.

    3. You can eliminate confusion. If you’re confused about a company’s new product or how to take advantage of a coupon, you can post a question on Facebook to receive a near immediate response. This is much more effective than visiting forums with answers from other Internet users.

    Why rely on another customer’s speculation or perspective when you can go to the horse’s mouth and get your answer directly from the brand through social media? Even better, you won’t have to worry about staying on hold with a company for minutes on end to get the help you need.

    4. You can become part of the bigger picture. Starbucks is one of the leading brands in social media, and they have taken the next step by introducing the forum My Starbucks Idea. The amazing thing about this forum is that customers are allowed to post their ideas and suggestions, and Starbucks actually listens.

    This is a brilliant strategy on behalf of Starbucks. Customers everywhere are impressed that they are being heard by a large corporation, and Starbucks is getting great ideas for free that they can use for product development.

    Guest Author:  Bethany Ramos is an expert in Internet marketing and social media marketing, and she also co-owns her own e-commerce website, The Coffee Bump.

     

  • 6 Tips for Creating Compelling White Papers for a B2B Audience

    Posted Aug 4th, 2011 By in Content Marketing With | 2 Comments

    White papers are more commonly used by B2B companies than B2C companies. This is because B2B companies are ready to dedicate their time to find out more about the solution and the product. Every B2B company needs a white paper to help market itself better.

    Some of the points you need to keep in mind while creating white papers are:

    1. Avoid direct selling – When you write a B2B white paper you need to forget about directly selling your services. B2B white papers only work when you sell your services in a subtle manner. You can write it persuasively, but you need to forget about using testimonials, call to actions that pressure readers, etc.

    You might think that this indirect way of selling will not work, but when it comes to white papers subtle selling works really well.

    2. Address it to a single person – Many writers think that when you write it for a business you’re writing for a whole bunch of people together and they need to address them as a group of people. It’s true that many people are going to read it, but they’re going to read it alone. You won’t have a group of people reading it together. This is the reason why you need to address your reader as a single person with a “you”.

    3. Keep it simple – It’s is common for businesses to use hard to read language in their white papers as they think that it reflects on the company. They think that making the white paper hard to read will make their company look sophisticated. But using complicated words could actually work against you.

    Your white paper is normally 6 to 14 pages long. It could take a lot of time for someone to read it and people who normally read white papers are busy decision makers. They are looking for white papers which are simple and quick to read. If they read a white paper that is hard to understand and keeps them visiting the search engines for answers and making it longer to read the white paper, they will just abandon reading it.

    This is the reason why you need to simplify the writing and look up meanings for every word and write it in a detailed manner. This will make it easy to read and more busy decision makers will read it completely, which will give it the opportunity to do its job of generating leads. (more…)

  • Astonishing U.S. Social Media Usage Statistics – Are Americans Social?

    Posted Aug 16th, 2011 By in Social Media, Social Networking With | 4 Comments

    I wanted to share this amazing infographic about social media usage in the United States.  Check out these astounding stats, share away, and leave your comments below.                                          

     

    Source:  AgentGenius is a rapidly growing real estate social media, tech, news, and opinion site built and designed by and for the on-the-go agent. Their mission is to be a positive force in the industry, led by people inside of real estate. They aim to keep you up to date on trends that we study closely in order to forecast what’s next on the horizon.

    What do you think of these astonishing stats?  Please leave your comments below.


  • A Quick Tutorial to Help You Navigate the New Facebook Interface

    Posted Nov 15th, 2011 By in Facebook, Social Networking With | No Comments

    If you’ve logged into Facebook in the past few weeks, you’ve probably noticed that it looks different. Dramatically different. So how are you supposed to navigate through your favorite social media website with these newly integrated features?

    To better understand the new Facebook and continue to connect with friends in social media, here is a quick tutorial that you can use to navigate through the changes:

    1. Understand the new Newsfeed. With the major changes made to the Facebook newsfeed recently, users have been complaining that they want their old newsfeed back. Most recently, Facebook has decided to come to a compromise. They’ve made a small change in the newsfeed to let users check out recent stories in reverse chronological order, just like in the old days of Facebook. The good news for Facebook users is that Facebook is listening to your feedback and will take action if enough people are unhappy. Facebook will now have a new drop-down menu for the newsfeed with either Recent Stories or Highlighted Stories first – user’s choice.

    2. Get acquainted with the Ticker. At the right side of the page, you will now find a real-time Ticker that tells you exactly what friends are doing, similar to the real-time updates on Twitter. This real-time Ticker is a live feed of all Facebook activity in your group of friends. All you have to do is click on any post in the Ticker to see activity and comment – without ever leaving your home page. If you find this annoying, you are not alone. Many Facebook users feel that the new Ticker makes the page too busy and distracting. But it also provides you with the opportunity to stay connected to all activities that your friends engage in every second of the day.

    3. Use the Subscribe Button. If you are like most of the world, you have quite a few Facebook friends that you would rather not hear from on your newsfeed. Maybe they talk too much about themselves, maybe they shamelessly promote their business, or maybe they post a picture after picture of their baby. Whatever the reason, using the new Subscribe button will let you determine how much information you want to see from a specific friend. You can use this Subscribe button to weed out friends you don’t want to hear from as often and keep tabs on close friends in the newsfeed.

    4. Change your friend settings. If you are going to send a friend request to a new friend, hover over the Friend Button on their profile first. This will give you options to add someone as a Close Friend or Acquaintance, determining how many of their posts that you will see in your feed.

    Guess Author:  Joel Newman is a freelance writer experienced in Internet marketing and social media marketing. For more information on top registry cleaners to speed up your PC, you can visit Joel Newman’s Registry Repair website.

     

  • How to Develop Successful Mobile Apps

    Posted Sep 7th, 2011 By in Mobile With | No Comments

    While there are already hundreds of thousands of mobile apps out there, this new medium is really still
    in its infancy, which means the door is wide open for new ideas. What makes a successful app? Why is
    Angry Birds the all-time highest seller on mobile platforms? There isn’t a perfect formula for creating the
    next smash hit, but there are a few common attributes all the best apps share.

    This is the golden age of the mobile app market. Most customers aren’t clamoring for more advanced
    and futuristic apps (devices yeah, apps no), they just want something useful and/or fun they can use on
    what they’ve got. If your great idea will only work on the iPhone 12, it’s probably not such a great idea.
    So here are some things that make an app successful.

    Make it useful

    The greatest apps to date have been those that do something we think we need, although we may not
    realize we need it until we see it. If your app makes people think to themselves, “Whoa! I can totally
    use that! Why didn’t I think of that!” you’ve probably got a winner. Whether it’s Genius Scan for taking
    better notes in class, or SwiftKey or Dropbox, if it makes life more efficient or allows me to do something
    on the run I previously had to do at a computer (or even worse, by hand), it has a market. (more…)

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