Jan
19
SCORE’s “10 ways to make your web site work harder for you”: Tips from the “Counselors to America’s Small Business.”
Internet and search-engine marketing
My Own Business: A nonprofit offers a free online course that covers everything from setting up a website to operating on eBay
Google’s guidelines for webmasters: Help the search-engine giant find, index and rank your site.
NFIB’s “Getting Your Site Found Through Web Searches“: Tips from “the voice of small business.”
Duct Tape Marketing: A book with tips on small-business marketing and coaching.
Blogs, Podcasts and YouTube
YouTube: Thinking about broadcasting yourself?
About.com’s “How to create and promote a podcast”: 4 steps to putting together a podcast.
Wikipedia on Podcasts: Check out the free online encyclopedia’s useful breakdown of all things podcast.
Build a Great Site
U.S. Small Business Administration: The SBA offers an Internet and eCommerce primer.
Business 2.0’s “Blogging for Dollars”: It’s not just a hobby - some small sites are making big money. Here’s how to turn your passion into an online empire.
Robin Good’s “Ten Ways You Can Use YouTube To Promote Your Online Content”:
Single Throw Internet Marketing: Strategies that may be able to increase the quality of your sales leads.
The Meadow, Salt News: Good small-business example of a Web site and blog reciprocally driving traffic.
Jan
19
Gene Marks 01.17.08, 1:20 PM ET
Small-business owners have monkeyed around with mass e-mail campaigns for years. We started out with software like Outlook, ACT!, and GoldMine, which merged and lobbed generic messages to groups of customers and prospects.
More recently, many of us have turned to e-mail-marketing vendors to hone our electronic attacks. These services manage campaigns by allowing recipients to opt out and feeding the interested with more information. Better yet, these easy-to-use, database-driven tools–many customizable, down to the logos and graphics–are also cheap: usually under $100 per month to blast thousands of e-mails.
But just because e-mail campaigns are becoming more common doesn’t mean their architects are getting better at crafting them. The big problem: relevance–as in, the lack of it.
This isn’t rocket science. When Staples (nasdaq: SPLS - news - people ) sends a message plugging free shipping, that’s a lot less compelling than a special offer on printer cartridges you’ve purchased before. Likewise, learning that Borders (nyse: BGP - news - people ) is offering 30% off best-sellers is nice, but how about 30% off titles by your favorite author or on a subject you’re interested in?
Of course, the fact that you can operate a car doesn’t mean you can drive it very well (just ask Britney Spears). The same goes for e-mail campaigns: Blasting a product ad to millions isn’t particularly effective–unless you’re hawking mortgages, stock tips or Viagra.
“The more relevant [the] message to the recipients’ interests, the more likely [it will] rise above the other messages,” says Eric S. Groves, a senior vice president at Constant Contact.
Groves should know. His firm provides e-mail marketing services to over 150,000 small companies. It also offers free guidance, including live Webinars, recorded tutorials, white papers and a newsletter called “Hints & Tips.” As for performance, Constant Contact manages to successfully deliver 97 out of every 100 e-mails, according to Return Path, an independent e-mail tracking firm.
It’s not that sending the right message to the appropriate people is hard–it’s that too few business owners take the time to do it.
Mark Sperling is one of them. His company, Girls Learn To Ride, teaches women extreme sports, like skateboarding, BMX, motocross and other activities most of us would avoid. Sperling knows his customers have a variety of interests: A snowboarder might not be thrilled to know about the best waves on the West Coast, and a teenager couldn’t care less about spa treatments for older athletes.
That’s why Sperling takes the time to carve up his audience before trying to reach them. “We have segmented lists,” he says. “That way, we can send out relevant e-mails [about] upcoming events in a sport that matches the profile of the athlete.” The same logic applies to different product lines.
Sperling sends out six to eight messages a month. These include a newsletter, which goes to his entire database; a weekly news e-mail for those who ask to receive it; “event update” or custom e-mails segmented by age, location or sports interest; and periodic surveys. Costs: about $150 a month to Constant Contact. Sperling also pays a few bucks to cover the time his in-house staff spends tailoring the messages. Result: Click-through rates have jumped 10% to 35%.
For all that smart targeting, it’s still hard to get people to open e-mails unless they recognize the sender immediately. According to a 2002 survey from DoubleClick, 60% of respondents cite the “From” line as the most important factor motivating them to open e-mails.
If a brand name is more memorable than a personal name, use it in the “From” line. Avoid using generic addresses like sales@ or info@. Also, keep the “From” name consistent and recognizable in all of your e-mails.
The “From” line is important, but the subject line is where you set the trap. The key is attracting attention with imagery and specificity. Example: A subject line that reads “Five Plants Deer Won’t Eat” is more compelling than “Monthly Newsletter.”
Remember: When it comes to e-mail marketing, it’s all about quality, not quantity. Take the time to do it right.
Gene Marks is owner of the Marks Group, a technology consulting firm, and author of The Streetwise Small Business Book of Lists.
Jan
19
By Susan G. Hauser
October 18 2007: 10:11 AM EDT
(FSB) — When Mark Bitterman, who calls himself a “selmelier,” was trying to pump up sales at his gourmet salt shop, he knew standard marketing techniques such as radio ads and direct mail wouldn’t be enough.
Seeking to capture the imagination of educated, adventurous gourmand prospective customers, he instead set out to draw more people to his Web site and his Portland, Ore., shop by writing an informative, entertaining and provocative blog, “Salt News.”
Bitterman knows that people, including reporters, visit both the site and the blog, and many eventually come through the doors to see the 60 or so varieties of salt.
“You can’t tell if it gets you new traffic or if it just shapes the expectations of those who come to the shop,” he adds.
There are probably as many varieties of marketing a business and increasing sales as there are versions of high-end salt. But you can’t expect to compete as a small business today without choosing from a growing arsenal of online marketing tools. Here are four smart ways to get your business noticed on the Internet.
1. Create a simple, effective Web site.
Does your Web site describe your product or service in a succinct, compelling and visual fashion? Does it answer potential customers’ needs in, say, less than 10 seconds?
“Once they click to your Web site, you have between 5 and 8 seconds to convince them you can help,” says Larry Bailin, CEO of SingleThrow Internet Marketing in Wall, N.J., and author of the soon-to-be-published Mommy, Where Do Customers Come From? (Larstan Publishing).
Your home page should include the bare essentials, Bailin says. “People are looking for exactly what they typed in, with calls to action,” he says. “It’s critical that you address their issues on your home page. Get to the point and get rid of anything that doesn’t need to be there.”
Your Web site should be easy to navigate and right on target, and a “Contact Us” button should be prominent.
Also, make sure your site appears high on search engines’ results pages. By including keywords and terms in the code, your site will appear higher up on Google and others. These days, any good web designer will be able to handle such search engine marketing as part of the design and programming package. Still, it’s up to you to know the best way to describe your product and service to potential customers and then turn them into qualified sales leads.
“Don’t think too much about the bells and whistles,” warns Bailin. “Think about the connection that you’re going to make and the way you’re going to help people. Make it clear to them and you’ll win every time.”
2. Become a blogger.
Entrepreneurs who blog can reach a new audience by writing in a conversational way and showing the human and personal side of their business, according to William Beutler, senior online analyst for New Media Strategies, a Web 2.0 marketing firm in Arlington, Va.
“Make your industry interesting to people by writing in a conversational manner,” he says. “Give people a glimpse into a world they don’t know.”
Beutler believes new businesses can benefit greatly from blogging. “There’s still an untapped audience in a lot of industries that are just starting to grow,” he says. “You have the potential to establish yourself as an expert in the field just by being the first person to write something interesting about your field.”
3. Try podcasting.
Podcasting is a relatively simple technology that is being taken quite seriously by some Fortune 500 companies. And all you really need to get started is a decent microphone, a digital recorder and editing software.
Podcasts allow you to make the most of your inner impresario, plus, your show and the subscriber audience it may lure can give you an edge over competitors.
“Podcasting is still unique enough in many industries that it can allow you to stand out a bit,” says John Jantsch, a Kansas City, Mo., marketing coach and author of Duct Tape Marketing: The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide (Thomas Nelson).
“Podcasting makes a ton of sense for many small businesses for several reasons,” says Jantsch. “A voice, rather than simple words on a paper can convey emotion and personality. It’s much easier to connect to that.”
Jantsch offers this tip for the podcaster trying to bring attention to his business: “Invite a key strategic partner to be a guest on the podcast and you’re likely to get the attention of high-level experts, authors and even prospects.”
4. Smile, you’re on YouTube!
YouTube is not just for classic media clips, cute pet tricks and bizarre dorm antics anymore. With a YouTube link on your Web site and vice versa, you have a new marketing tool. But don’t be so crass as to post blatant infomercials about your small business.
“What you want to post is something that the people on YouTube will find interesting or useful and will therefore watch,” says Michael Miller, the Indianapolis-based author of YouTube 4 U (Que Publishing).
In his book, Miller cites the example of a pottery business that posted a how-to video on throwing pots on a pottery wheel. “That’s what gets them in the door and then you direct them to your Web site from there.”
Jan
19
By Verne Harnish, CEO, Gazelles, Inc.
and David Rippe, founder, Celestia
October 31 2007: 10:00 AM EDT
(FSB Online) — Dear FSB: I am chief content officer at Chillibreeze.com. It is a small content development startup founded by Ralph Budelman of Chicago. Based in Bangalore, India, it caters to the content needs of a global clientele.We have a unique business model. All of us, including our CEO, work from home. We have a network of 2,000 Indian writers, scattered around the world. Most of our writers are stay-at-home moms, who have given up lucrative careers so they can get more time with their families. To date we haven’t marketed our company actively. We have a website that is ranked high on search engines and is bringing clients to us. However, as we expand, we would like to market ourselves more.
What marketing channels would be best for us? We are looking for low-cost, high yield options. How can we reach our target audience: those who want to outsource their content development to India? And while we aren’t looking for venture capital, we are open to strategic collaborations with bigger companies. How can we get the ball rolling on that?
- Nishi Viswanathan, M.D., Austin, Texas
Dear Dr. Viswanathan: For great ideas on how to market your business, read everything Seth Godin has written, particularly Purple Cow and All Marketers are Liars. Also check out his blog at allmarketersareliars.com.
A good way to spread the word about your business is to identify a handful of influencers in your industry and to approach them directly. These may be writers at major publications or CEOs of important companies. Be bold. Go to jigsaw.com and look up their contact information. Send them an e-mail telling them that you have an important service that will help them to do their work. It may pave the way to a future deal.
Starting a blog will also draw attention to your business. Go to Gazelles.com and check out the article “Blog, Wiki, Squidoo.” Given your writing skills, you might also consider creating and selling a book that establishes you as an authority in your field. It can be a valuable calling card in your industry.If you are serious about marketing, you will want to develop a strategic marketing communications plan that covers the next 30, 60 and 90 days and beyond. It should identify your target audiences; specify what you will offer to each of them; detail how you will brand your products for those potential clients; describe your message to them; indicate where those audiences go for industry news, information and resources; set out an agenda for reaching out to both the media and potential customers; and identify the metrics you will use to evaluate your results.
If you are serious about marketing, you will want to develop a strategic marketing communications plan that covers the next 30, 60 and 90 days and beyond. It should identify your target audiences; specify what you will offer to each of them; detail how you will brand your products for those potential clients; describe your message to them; indicate where those audiences go for industry news, information and resources; set out an agenda for reaching out to both the media and potential customers; and identify the metrics you will use to evaluate your results.
Be sure to market your firm to the professional services industry, including medical and high tech firms. Develop a robust web campaign that targets organizations that have a high need for technical documentation, marketing materials, web copy, white papers and other materials that you and your team have the skills to produce. You may want to consider investing in advertisements on other sites, getting listed in business directories such as business.com, inclusion in keyword searches and other ways of spreading the word. You might also reach out directly to the vice presidents of marketing at mid- to large-sized companies that spend a large amount of money creating content.
A good public relations campaign is also essential. Use some of your copywriters to create press releases about your company that you can release through free news services, such as prweb.com. If you can catch the attention of industry trade publications, the publicity will be invaluable.
Jan
19
By Mina Kimes
January 17 2008: 5:00 PM EST
FORTUNE Small Business) — Dear FSB: I’ve developed a health drink with an array of vitamins, minerals, and omegas that I’m currently selling over the Internet. I think it’ll be the next big thing in nutrition - how can I introduce my product on a large scale?
- Bruce McMullin, Salt Lake City
Dear Bruce: So you think you have a killer app? You need a marketing plan.
For advice, we turned to Scott Vincent Borba, owner of Borba, based in Woodland Hills, Calif. Bora sells beverages, cosmetics, and candy infused with vitamins and extracts that improve skin. In June 2006, Borba told FSB readers how he got his product into high-end retailers and Jamba Juice by making 15 cold calls a day. Today, Borba has a global distribution deal with Anheuser Busch (BUD, Fortune 500) and a partnership with QVC.
“You have to give them a reason to believe” was his first comment. When selling a beverage that promises health benefits, he says, substantiate your claims. “Put the data on your packaging - the university studies, the research. And if you’re touting the array of ingredients in your drink, list them all on your packaging, but emphasize the top-of-the-line ingredients - you have to dive into the unique things, beyond the omegas.”
How can I cash in on my brain child?
Once you’ve backed up your product’s promises with evidence, you decide how you’re going to market it.
“Pricing is incredibly important. If you’re going to sell it at a high cost, it’s a luxury item that’ll only get into niche stores,” Borba says. Borba suggests converting the drink into a single-serve, pre-packed beverage to make it affordable for the mass market.
After the product is correctly packaged and priced, the next step is to follow Borba’s example - make cold calls.
“Remember, 95 percent of the people you speak with will say no immediately,” he says. “You need one person to say yes - but make sure it’s the right person.”
To figure the best sales channel for your drink, think about corporations that link up with your healthy brand identity. Consider companies such as Dannon, whose products focus on well-being. Borba also suggests that you consider unconventional places to pitch your product, such as national spa chains.
Finally, don’t forget the customer’s palette. “If people can’t guzzle it, they’re not going to buy it over and over,” he says. “Even if it reduces stress and makes you healthy, no one’s going to drink it if it doesn’t taste good!” 
Have a food product that grabbed the attention of supermarkets and consumers? Talk about your struggles to bring your product to the masses here.
Jan
19
I can hear everyone out there saying “of course I am working my Internet Marketing business. What a ridiculous question” Not so ridiculous a question If we take a closer look at your daily work habits. Notice I included myself? That is because I learned a valuable lesson about my work habits.
What was the main reason, besides money, that you decide to go into Internet Marketing? Most people will tell you Internet Marketing gives them freedom to be their own boss, and to be able to do what they want to do. So has your being the boss given you the freedom you wanted? Well if not then why not?
One morning I woke up to discover that I was so far behind with my Internet Marketing business that I thought I was ahead of everyone else. That is when I had to sit down and do some serious thinking and take some serious action.
I marched myself into my office and promptly fired myself. Well who else could fire me for creating such a mess of my on line business? Once you finish reading this you may decide that you need to fire yourself too.
When people decide to undertake Internet Marketing many do not realize that it is important to set up structure, to be very disciplined, and have patience and persistence if they want to succeed. The vast majority of people have no idea what it takes to earn digital gold working on line. And they have no concept about running a business, and Internet Marketing is a business not a hobby.
The bottom line is that many people are not managing their Internet Marketing business or their personal lives efficiently and effectively. Being efficient and effective means utilizing you time and resources for greater productivity.
Below I have listed 10 things that can boost your productivity immensely.
1) Take Time to Plan:
At the end of each day write down exactly what needs to be done the next day.
2) Set Priorities:
Prioritize your to do list. This is so the most important things get done first. This puts your Internet Marketing business on a straight path and not wandering through the garden.
3) Do the Hardest Task First:
This allows you to have a clear mind and lots of energy to devote to the task. Get the tough stuff out of the way first and the rest of the task will get done easily. If you keep moving the hardest task back it will just become more challenging to get done.
4) Reward Yourself:
Once you have put that difficult task behind you congratulate yourself and give yourself a reward. It could be as small as a cup of coffee and 15 minutes relaxation or a larger one such as a massage. Your choice, you are the boss.
5) Always Remember Your Value:
Your time is worth money. Completing required tasks in a timely manner earns you money. But if you do not use your time effectively you will earn less money.
6) You Need to be Selfish:
Again your time is valuable and equates to money. Do not let anyone distract you from your tasks or you will earn less money.
7) Be Accountable to Someone:
I know you are the boss. However it is hard for people to be objective about themselves. It is important that you chose another person or a Master Mind group who want to see you succeed and be accountable to them. This is extremely helpful when you want to succeed as we all need support.
One Touch Only Please:
This is a big one, it boils down to working ON or working IN your Internet Marketing business. Lots of people work on their business and not in it and do not know the difference. When you are working on you business you will find yourself moving papers around, prettying up your website and a hundred other peripheral things that do not in any way grow your on line business. When you work in your on line business you will add content to your web site, open your bills and pay them immediately, focus on reading and responding to your business correspondence immediately and you will have set specific times to start and complete all tasks.
9) Don’t Take Yourself So Seriously:
You can not sit by yourself all day long, day in and day out just working in your business. You need to take time out to play also, otherwise you will rebel against yourself and find that you are procrastinating. It is just that little kid in you being mad because you never allow her/him out to play. Lets not forget that playing is therapeutic and a very creative activity.
10) Don’t Let Yourself Get Overtired:
When you become tired you automatically become less productive and less creative. Fatigue also plays havoc on your immune system thus you can get sick and start missing days of work. Get enough quality sleep on a daily basis and you will always be on to of your game and ready for any challenge.
Now you have 10 sure fire ways to help you really be your own best employee. Take a week and review your work habits, just the way you have been operating. Get out a pen and paper, okay crayons are fine too, and keep a running record of what you get done in a day. That means everything in personal and business and the time spent on it. Do not cheat otherwise you will not get a true picture of how you operate.
When the week is over review your performance. How did it measure up? If you were working for XYZ company would you still have the job or be fired? If XYZ just fired you it is time to march yourself into your office and fire you also. List all the reasons for the firing, out loud or in writing, why are you being fired specifically. Now sit down and rehire yourself, but write out exactly what your condition of employment will be. This is what will help you grow your Internet Marketing business on a daily basis.
Congratulations! You have just hired the best employee on the planet for your Internet Marketing business. Now get down to work and hit the Internet and find your digital gold.
Sharon Doucet is a Certified MasterMind Consultant, studying The New Think and Grow Rich with Ted Ciuba, For Free access and to learn how you can earn thousands of dollars giving away FREE New Think and Grow Rich MasterMind courses, visit: http://systematicsuccess.com/jvm2/s514/99ed/2259
Jan
19
One of my close friends has just gotten into deep trouble at work. The reason? His MySpace blog, in which he shared information that was a LITTLE too personal, and a LITTLE too not-happy-with-work. One of his colleagues apparently forwarded a not-so-complementary post to one of his bosses, and well - you know how it goes.
As more folks take up the torch and start documenting their lives online, employers are starting to take notice, and more people are getting into trouble at work over things that they say or do in their online lives. As far back as 2005, ABC News posted a story about just this type of thing.
It sucks, yes, but it can be prevented, with a bit of foresight.
For one thing, it’s really not a good idea to insult your clients, coworkers or company in a blog post - especially if you’re in a high-profile position. Even if you don’t name names, it’s just not a good idea. In a world that gets smaller by the minute, you never know who you know who knows the person you’re talking about.
Also, it’s a good idea to monitor who gets to read your writing. In the case of a blogging software like MySpace or LiveJournal, you can actually set blog posts so that only specific people can read them. This isn’t foolproof (I believe they can still come up in Google searches), but it helps make sure that some of the saucier (or less professional) bits of you don’t get through to folks that you don’t want reading it.
Lastly, ask yourself before you write: who am I writing this for? How would I feel if my boss/mother/person I’m talking about read this? If it’s not something you’d want someone that close to you to read, don’t put it online. Personally, I suggest having both an online and a paper journal, or just sticking to the paper journal.While these notes are definitely more geared towards personal blogs, a lot of it holds true in business blogging as well - if you’re afraid of person X coming across a post you made in your business blog, it’s a good idea not to post it. This is another reason why I recommend having an informal “blog content plan” when you start your business blog - if you have an idea of what types of things that you want to share with people, it’s not only easier to write, it’s easier to figure out things that won’t be a good fit for the blog.
Jan
18
_
_
_
Back in October of 07 I started blogging on something I liked. I did not blog to make money I just wanted to share what was going on in my life. Once that Blog passed 500 hits a day I began to look at this a little bit different. I began to wonder how anyone could make money by posting about things they love. Was it really possible to generate a second source of income by doing something I enjoy.
I would say YES…you can…and I am…
Now I am still in my first year of doing this stuff and have a ton to learn, but the one thing i have learned is that there are a lot of used car salesman in online marketing. There are a lot of people who are out to make a buck and resell crap that has been sold for years on in click bank and other places.
But then there are those who are selling Lexus. It has taken me awhile to find legit people with real information who give you the real stuff to succeed on the internet. I have a mail box full of used car salesman…but i am just now finding those who are selling the Lexus.
As you get more experienced and learn some code you can begin to drive more traffic to your blog. But in order to learn you need to learn from those who are legit and not out there to milk your wallet with fake junk.
Brendan Picha is one of those guys who are legit and give you the real stuff to succeed, and recently he had a great post on the tools you need to get more people reading your blogs…
Now I am a word press guy so i am going to share his portion on word press…check it out and apply what his evangelizing…it will help you drive traffic to your sight…regardless if you are blogging for cash or thrills.
These are essential as Wordpress out of the box doesn’t come with all the bells & whistles you’ll need. The following is a list of those extensions and where they can be found. These are the extensions that I use on my blog so if I use them you know they have to be good 
Feedburner Feedsmith
Your Wordpress blog comes with two feeds, one for your content and one for you comments. People very rarely subscribe to the comments so we can ignore this one. What the Feedburner Feedsmith plugin does is automatically converts your wordpress feed into the Feedburner feed to maximize control and syndication of your content through feedburner.
Google Analytics Plugin
There are tons of different types of analytic software out there but most use Google Anayltics. This plugin will allow you to integrate the Google javascript snippet throughout the pages of your site automatically.
Automatic Google Sitemap Generator
This handy tool automatically rewrites your sitemap as many times a day as you need it to. You can also specify priority of content and how often that content should be checked for updates. It will automatically write and add the sitemap.xml and sitemap.xml.gz zipped file to your root directory.
Head META Description pluging
Head Meta Description provides an automatic meta description tag for your blog, inserting a dynamic description depending on the query-type (i.e. page you’re on). Very useful tool as Wordpress doesn’t do this automatically.
Optimal Title Plugin
This allows you to move your blogs name to the back of the title instead of having it written first.
Redirection Plugin
Instead of having to deal with .htaccess markup, you can simply install this plugin and you can manage all your redirects from within Wordpress
Robots META Plugin
This plugin will allow you the edit your robots.txt file from within Wordpress. Also has some additional functionality with allow/deny options.
ShareThis Plugin
This one isn’t necessary but it helps from an SEM standpoint. This pluging allows you or your readers to easily post your content to bookmarking or social news sites. You can add or subtract sites at will. Also allows your readers to email your posts.
Jan
18
Jonathan Legar recently posted an article on his blog titled “Boosting Rankings through Social Bookmarking” Currently I am using a lot of his tools that he promotes and I will keep reporting on how well I am doing with them. But in his blog he states…
Social Bookmarking sites currently have a lot of value in Google’s eyes. Google seems to love sites that rely on democracy to decide what deserves the highest rank (thus their own link-based algorithm). By submitting your pages to these sites, the links will often get crawled and applied to your ranking very quickly — often within a few days.
The only problem I had with this was that it takes forever to submit your stuff to these sights. Or at least I really wasn’t sure how to do this outside of setting up sights and submitting each article by hand…and to tell you the truth even on my other blog that is just getting started with a thousand hits a day…I hardly ever saw any tracking from these sights.
Grant I did not work it hard but still the work I did never netted a whole lot of results…
But i keep hearing from my heroes like Jonathan and Dash Dosh…about this social marketing…so I knew if I was going to make a run at this I better figure out how to find the time to make this part of my marketing strategy…
So here it is…a FREE LINK TO submit your web page to over 60 social sights
Brendan recently launched a new mass social bookmarking tool with some cool features I haven’t seen in other tools.
Post Toaster allows you to submit your content to up to 60+ bookmarking sites. It also provides an option to select only sites that are missing the nofollow attribute. Lastly, you can enter up to 4 different titles and 4 different descriptions and Post Toaster will randomly pair them in the submission links.
_____________
Jan
17
If you are going to learn how to sell anything online you will need to know about SEO marketing. SEO marketing assists marketers by increasing traffic to a web site, which obviously will increase sales.
So lets take a look at what marketing is.
Marketing has always been one of the most focused upon areas of a business enterprise. Marketing thus involves the use of different techniques to induce the want in the customers’ mind to purchase a particular product. The specific role of internet marketing is to drive targeted traffic to your website that in effect converts the visitors to the website into prospective buyers of your products and services.
So if you are an internet marketer, you need to do a lot of brainstorming to plan for website marketing. You do this by analyzing whether your marketing plan is working and making changes to your marketing plan as often as needed. The purpose is to continue strengthening and improving your marketing plan. Thus as an Internet marketer you must be willing to learn from others as well as from your past mistakes, which are usually the best teaching tools we have. Ultimately it is up to you how efficient you are in online marketing. Because there are tricks of the trade that produce results time after time. The top 5% know what to do and know the effect they will get each time they do it. They plan and set goals and reach those goals more times than not.
Online Marketing has turned out to be completely different than what I imagined it to be when I started. That is a quick overview of what marketing is, so lets explore what SEO is.
If you are going to do any marketing online you need to know what SEO is and how it helps you. SEO is about understanding the indirect correlation of things to execute on great ideas that no one else has envisioned by having a unique perspective on marketing. SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the ability to get your web, blog, article, or anything online noticed. You can noticed by paying for it, through some sort of PPC campaign, or you can get noticed by sweat equity. Both ways work but some ways are more effective for long term results.
In today’s market SEO is a very big business. SEO companies started showing up, when they began experimenting with the concept of search engine optimization, with the emphasis initially on the submission process alone. Regardless if you learn the trade or pay someone to do this for you, they all use the same tools, it is just some learn to use those tools more effectively. SEO strategies involve keyword density, link building, optimizing, etc which is the own of concentrating on the category or relevancy of a web site. SEO keywords are what drive traffic to a web page, which makes optimizing important.
Regardless with where you are in this great business called online marketing. You will need to learn as much as you can about SEO marketing; it is the life blood of everything we do. No doubt that SEO online marketing is its early stages, but I am confident that it will continue to grow for a very long time.
