As any marketing manager knows, marketing budgets took a real hammering last year. It is sometimes seen as an easy first cut to make - reports show that around 60% of all marketing budgets were reduced in 2009. Some confidence has been restored this year, with marketing managers showing more optimism to invest, but the need to show restraint and resourcefulness will be a recurring theme until the end of this year I suspect.
Businesses are always under pressure to do more for less, to reduce cost per sale, ultimately to protect sales margins. Ironically, this period of downturn has also been mirrored by the exponential rise of social media which has opened up a raft of new opportunities for marketers to engage with their stakeholders. So, how can marketing managers first tune-up their websites ready for social media and the benefits for search engine optimisation (SEO) and also take full advantage of opportunities from ‘free’ social media without burning through their time and budget?
Before you dive in on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook, there are some foundations you need to put in place first to get ready for social media and that means looking at your website. Your website is your shop window on the web, the place you want your social media traffic to go. Directing visitors back to your website is where you can capitalise on sales leads (or sales if you have an ecommerce site) and also benefit from 'organic' SEO.
Like any good marketing activity, planning is essential. Your strategy for your website and your social media activity has to tie in and support your overall business strategy. Is your targeting correct – if you are unsure, this is the time to use tools such as brainstorming or mind-mapping to research and evaluate the audiences you need to reach.
Organic SEO means letting the strength of your web site content, news flows, in bound links (links from other websites) and social media activity help drive up your website hits, search results and rankings, rather than spending more money with SEO agencies or Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns. Companies spend a great deal of money with SEO specialists to help inch up the search engine page rankings, but we now know that the best way to do this is by using relevant, researched, keyword rich content. Your SEO agency and social media efforts need to be intertwined. If your SEO agency has not mentioned anything about social media you need to ask why. With a concerted campaign to push organic SEO, your SEO and PPC spend should ease; at the very least you will arrest its rise.
Search engine friendly
First base for your website is having a site that is search engine friendly such as a content management system (CMS) that makes your site open for quick and easy consumption by search engines such as Google. If Google cannot easily read your site, then you are not being indexed by Google which means you are not even on the radar. This does not mean an expensive upgrade. Open source CMS’ such as Wordpress or Joomla are ideal. They can easily incorporate all your social media tools such as blogs, RSS feeds, Twitter feeds, bookmarking and so on. Including a simple site map of your web site, with a ‘sitemap.xml’ file provides an instant index for search engines to use to crawl through your website.
Steer clear of overusing Java-based scripts and Macromedia Flash graphics especially for the front pages of your website, as the search engines cannot read it as they would have to run the application first. Sites can be optimised for SEO by ensuring keyword-rich text is included extensively into web page content. Registering for free website directories such as The Open Directory is another 'must-do' on your SEO task list.
Article Source : http://www.mycustomer.com/topic/marketing/social-media-marketing-and-seo-how-have-success-shoestring/109868
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Social Media Marketing... The Challenge of Herding Cats
Sure, social media -1:1 marketing and communications - sounds glamorous. It's like the romance, the freedom, the adventure of the old West. It’s just you and him [or her]. Long hours in the online saddle, what could be better?
Ask the folks who have been doing it for years - customer/tech support - it’s a lot like the EDS herding cats commercial.
According to Digital Brand Expressions, less than 41 percent of companies have a cohesive, strategic social media plan. Fewer yet have policies/protocols for handling/managing the activity.
So anyone who can swing onto the keyboard/touchpad saddle declares that he/she is a social media expert. They’re not really a herd of cats. They’re a collection of individual cats. And as any cat lover knows [we’re not one of them], cats are independent thinkers/players.
They can do what you want or they can turn on you in the flick of an eyelash; and gawd, are those claws sharp! Social media is where people got together to:
* share advice/assistance with people of like interests
* talk to each other about their experiences in using products/services
* chat, carry on, whatever
* discuss common interests:
* photography/scrapbooking
* playing games
* raising kids, family issues
* boss/employee problems/solutions
As PC/CE/communications products/services got more complex and converged, they became indispensible. It has also become more difficult to separate fact from fiction, hype from reality, blind love/lust from true satisfaction.
For producers, providers, the challenge is to:
* reach, educate, influence, persuade prospects
* efficiently/effectively provide product/service application/support information
* produce happy customers who influence other prospects
* keep customers/prospects involved in the company, its products/services
* encourage favorable reviews, testimonials
* obtain application/market inputs, proactive product/service improvement ideas
* quickly, effectively solve customer/product issues to retain proactive customers
* build a solid backlog of customer loyalty/goodwill for the dark days
And they must do all this efficiently, cost-effectively.
The Web’s social media watering holes have made it possible for people to get more purchasing assistance beyond their own reading and the geek next door.
Suddenly, guidance, assistance - more than you ever wanted to know is only a few clicks away.
Growing Choices
Technology Priorities according to poll by Internet Retailer
The world of social media just keeps expanding, enabling people to connect with their online communities. They are also prime opportunities for companies, products, staff members to connect with customers and prospects/suspects.
Information, recommendations - good, bad and ugly - are everywhere. Right now, hundreds of millions of consumers worldwide are using social networks, blogs, microblogs, online forums and video-sharing sites.
The growth and influence of social media over product reputations/purchases hasn’t escaped the watchful eyes of corporate, marketing and communications management. But a Digital Brand Expressions worldwide survey showed that 50 percent plus of the firms - large and small - didn’t have a defined social media strategy.
"Everyone" wants to have authority over social media efforts. Marketing, PR, sales, HR, customer relations, IT all have their ideas on how they will manage the social media activities. But few want to be responsible/accountable!
Independent Assistance
Online Purchase Process
Good and bad recommendations, ideas, assistance is available on the Web to help people choose just the right product/service, use it and when necessary get real user and "expert" advice/assistance.
Marketing Objectives for Targeting Social Media
Social communities provide plenty of opportunities for marketing organizations to learn more about customers, find out what products/features they want next and strengthen relationships with customers and partners.
The challenge is that there are probably three billion people online, and believe it or not - more than three million social media options:
* blogs
* micro-blogs [Twitter, Yammer]
* Wikis
* Public consumer Nets [Facebook, MySpace]
* Private social net tools [Lithium, Mzinga]
* Public news, information, fun sites [DigitalMediaNet, YouTube, CNet, etc]
* Consumer websites [AllBabelTech, JocGeek, BitYard, more]
There really aren’t any best practices or established business models for social media activities, so companies just need to get some experience - and quickly.
Most of the social media landscape is of little or no interest to producers/providers unless we address the "One-to-One-to-Many" Principle, as IDC illustrated in the image below:
The One-to-One-to-Many Principle by IDCSocial media enables experienced professionals to build sound relationships with individual customers who spread the word to their contacts.
This grassroots network will also spread negative information about companies, products, services just as rapidly…if not more rapidly.
And since it’s been labeled media, it’s only logical to give the task to the kids who went to school for that sorta’ stuff. That’s okay, as long as things go smoothly.
However, if lightning can spook a herd of cattle [or cats], negative comments about companies, policies/programs, products/services can hit just as quickly and with more devastating effects. It costs time and money to win back customers and many never return.
But… one social media complaint lightning bolt can cause a stampede. That’s why it’s important to be proactive in the social media arena.
Busy Landscape
Sea of servicesWhile every company agrees they have to be involved in the social media landscape, most firms don’t have organization-wide policies and programs on what can/should be done by staff members, how the efforts will be monitored/measured and who is responsible for the social media activities.
Social media includes everything the company does in reaching out, touching, working with people in the firm’s many/varied publics.
The company’s product information and support Web site areas are good - albeit less glamorous - places to start.
Until recently the information was provided with words and diagrams but as people go online to watch videos, progressive companies have been able to add content to their Web sites.
Here is where consumers visit to:
* discover products, services
* refine choices
* decide on a product, service
* gain assurance, inspiration
* execute, find where to purchase
* get support, answers
Online Video Viewers as a Percent of Internet Users
The number of people who turn to their computer or smartphone for their video content is growing rapidly. Online and on-the-go video includes news, information, entertainment, education and business.
Short videos - product demonstrations, applications, installation, troubleshooting, technical discussions - are finally being added.
In addition, they’ve gone viral and are being used by channel partners, linked by blogs and other social media sites and shared by viewers everywhere.
Methods for Sharing Online Video Companies are finding that their corporate videos - product discussion, use, problem solving - can go viral across the iNet as quickly as the latest video joke.
Community members are finding it is faster, easier and more reliable to send or distribute a complete video or link to others in their group.
New compact cameras like the Flip can be used to produce real-people mini-stories quickly, easily, economically. Products like muvee’s Reveal 8 do most of the work automatically.
For departments on a tight budget, low-cost cameras, simple business environment locations, homegrown talent and automated video production software can be used to produce interesting, informative product/service videos that can be uploaded to the company’s Website and social media locations. The key is to tell the story quickly, effectively… then stop.
Interesting, informational, short videos - even with minor mistakes -- are more believable than polished ads. The software helps you explain products, develop SEO [search engine optimization] links and visually assist customers in efficiently, effectively using your products/services.
Using staff members taking viewers through the product/service story not only adds credibility, it encourages people to share the videos and links with others. Viral videos not only quickly tell the product, application story, they also reduce customer frustrations when they’re trying to explain their problem on the phone or online.
They are also finding their way into interest area blogs where authorities want to highlight a solution or respond to an application/support question. Since the digital environment is changing rapidly, there are no "best practice" social media models you can follow.
But you do - or should - know that pushing messages at the consumer doesn’t work. Product explanation, how-to, technical videos helps the consumer feel connected to the company, the brand because they allow person to share information, ideas, rather than being advertised to/pitched/sold. Monitoring the consumer’s feedback/inputs on the videos and the information presented is all part of the changing social media environment.
Explaining the whats, whys, hows of the company’s products and strategy/direction - and listening to inputs - should be your first small step in social media engagements. It’s only a small step forward but it’s a start in build reputation equity.
Herding cats and the social media community have a lot in common. Ride slow, watch/listen to the herd, be ready for the unexpected. It’s a tough, long, rewarding trip.
But at the end of trail, you get a warm bath, good food and a few hours to rest before there’s another herd to round up.
Article Source : http://www.brightsideofnews.com/news/2010/7/5/social-media-marketing-the-challenge-of-herding-cats.aspx
Ask the folks who have been doing it for years - customer/tech support - it’s a lot like the EDS herding cats commercial.
According to Digital Brand Expressions, less than 41 percent of companies have a cohesive, strategic social media plan. Fewer yet have policies/protocols for handling/managing the activity.
So anyone who can swing onto the keyboard/touchpad saddle declares that he/she is a social media expert. They’re not really a herd of cats. They’re a collection of individual cats. And as any cat lover knows [we’re not one of them], cats are independent thinkers/players.
They can do what you want or they can turn on you in the flick of an eyelash; and gawd, are those claws sharp! Social media is where people got together to:
* share advice/assistance with people of like interests
* talk to each other about their experiences in using products/services
* chat, carry on, whatever
* discuss common interests:
* photography/scrapbooking
* playing games
* raising kids, family issues
* boss/employee problems/solutions
As PC/CE/communications products/services got more complex and converged, they became indispensible. It has also become more difficult to separate fact from fiction, hype from reality, blind love/lust from true satisfaction.
For producers, providers, the challenge is to:
* reach, educate, influence, persuade prospects
* efficiently/effectively provide product/service application/support information
* produce happy customers who influence other prospects
* keep customers/prospects involved in the company, its products/services
* encourage favorable reviews, testimonials
* obtain application/market inputs, proactive product/service improvement ideas
* quickly, effectively solve customer/product issues to retain proactive customers
* build a solid backlog of customer loyalty/goodwill for the dark days
And they must do all this efficiently, cost-effectively.
The Web’s social media watering holes have made it possible for people to get more purchasing assistance beyond their own reading and the geek next door.
Suddenly, guidance, assistance - more than you ever wanted to know is only a few clicks away.
Growing Choices
Technology Priorities according to poll by Internet Retailer
The world of social media just keeps expanding, enabling people to connect with their online communities. They are also prime opportunities for companies, products, staff members to connect with customers and prospects/suspects.
Information, recommendations - good, bad and ugly - are everywhere. Right now, hundreds of millions of consumers worldwide are using social networks, blogs, microblogs, online forums and video-sharing sites.
The growth and influence of social media over product reputations/purchases hasn’t escaped the watchful eyes of corporate, marketing and communications management. But a Digital Brand Expressions worldwide survey showed that 50 percent plus of the firms - large and small - didn’t have a defined social media strategy.
"Everyone" wants to have authority over social media efforts. Marketing, PR, sales, HR, customer relations, IT all have their ideas on how they will manage the social media activities. But few want to be responsible/accountable!
Independent Assistance
Online Purchase Process
Good and bad recommendations, ideas, assistance is available on the Web to help people choose just the right product/service, use it and when necessary get real user and "expert" advice/assistance.
Marketing Objectives for Targeting Social Media
Social communities provide plenty of opportunities for marketing organizations to learn more about customers, find out what products/features they want next and strengthen relationships with customers and partners.
The challenge is that there are probably three billion people online, and believe it or not - more than three million social media options:
* blogs
* micro-blogs [Twitter, Yammer]
* Wikis
* Public consumer Nets [Facebook, MySpace]
* Private social net tools [Lithium, Mzinga]
* Public news, information, fun sites [DigitalMediaNet, YouTube, CNet, etc]
* Consumer websites [AllBabelTech, JocGeek, BitYard, more]
There really aren’t any best practices or established business models for social media activities, so companies just need to get some experience - and quickly.
Most of the social media landscape is of little or no interest to producers/providers unless we address the "One-to-One-to-Many" Principle, as IDC illustrated in the image below:
The One-to-One-to-Many Principle by IDCSocial media enables experienced professionals to build sound relationships with individual customers who spread the word to their contacts.
This grassroots network will also spread negative information about companies, products, services just as rapidly…if not more rapidly.
And since it’s been labeled media, it’s only logical to give the task to the kids who went to school for that sorta’ stuff. That’s okay, as long as things go smoothly.
However, if lightning can spook a herd of cattle [or cats], negative comments about companies, policies/programs, products/services can hit just as quickly and with more devastating effects. It costs time and money to win back customers and many never return.
But… one social media complaint lightning bolt can cause a stampede. That’s why it’s important to be proactive in the social media arena.
Busy Landscape
Sea of servicesWhile every company agrees they have to be involved in the social media landscape, most firms don’t have organization-wide policies and programs on what can/should be done by staff members, how the efforts will be monitored/measured and who is responsible for the social media activities.
Social media includes everything the company does in reaching out, touching, working with people in the firm’s many/varied publics.
The company’s product information and support Web site areas are good - albeit less glamorous - places to start.
Until recently the information was provided with words and diagrams but as people go online to watch videos, progressive companies have been able to add content to their Web sites.
Here is where consumers visit to:
* discover products, services
* refine choices
* decide on a product, service
* gain assurance, inspiration
* execute, find where to purchase
* get support, answers
Online Video Viewers as a Percent of Internet Users
The number of people who turn to their computer or smartphone for their video content is growing rapidly. Online and on-the-go video includes news, information, entertainment, education and business.
Short videos - product demonstrations, applications, installation, troubleshooting, technical discussions - are finally being added.
In addition, they’ve gone viral and are being used by channel partners, linked by blogs and other social media sites and shared by viewers everywhere.
Methods for Sharing Online Video Companies are finding that their corporate videos - product discussion, use, problem solving - can go viral across the iNet as quickly as the latest video joke.
Community members are finding it is faster, easier and more reliable to send or distribute a complete video or link to others in their group.
New compact cameras like the Flip can be used to produce real-people mini-stories quickly, easily, economically. Products like muvee’s Reveal 8 do most of the work automatically.
For departments on a tight budget, low-cost cameras, simple business environment locations, homegrown talent and automated video production software can be used to produce interesting, informative product/service videos that can be uploaded to the company’s Website and social media locations. The key is to tell the story quickly, effectively… then stop.
Interesting, informational, short videos - even with minor mistakes -- are more believable than polished ads. The software helps you explain products, develop SEO [search engine optimization] links and visually assist customers in efficiently, effectively using your products/services.
Using staff members taking viewers through the product/service story not only adds credibility, it encourages people to share the videos and links with others. Viral videos not only quickly tell the product, application story, they also reduce customer frustrations when they’re trying to explain their problem on the phone or online.
They are also finding their way into interest area blogs where authorities want to highlight a solution or respond to an application/support question. Since the digital environment is changing rapidly, there are no "best practice" social media models you can follow.
But you do - or should - know that pushing messages at the consumer doesn’t work. Product explanation, how-to, technical videos helps the consumer feel connected to the company, the brand because they allow person to share information, ideas, rather than being advertised to/pitched/sold. Monitoring the consumer’s feedback/inputs on the videos and the information presented is all part of the changing social media environment.
Explaining the whats, whys, hows of the company’s products and strategy/direction - and listening to inputs - should be your first small step in social media engagements. It’s only a small step forward but it’s a start in build reputation equity.
Herding cats and the social media community have a lot in common. Ride slow, watch/listen to the herd, be ready for the unexpected. It’s a tough, long, rewarding trip.
But at the end of trail, you get a warm bath, good food and a few hours to rest before there’s another herd to round up.
Article Source : http://www.brightsideofnews.com/news/2010/7/5/social-media-marketing-the-challenge-of-herding-cats.aspx
Sunday, July 4, 2010
USA - The recession's not over till its over
U.S. consumer confidence dropped sharply in June, as concerns over the sustainability of economic recovery and the outlook for jobs brought one closely watched indicator's three-month streak of consecutive gains to an end.
Separately, U.S. home prices rose in April from a month earlier, according to the S&P Case-Shiller home-price indexes, boosted by the expiration of the federal first-time home-buyer tax credit. They had fallen for six straight months before the most-recent increase.
The Conference Board, a private research group, said its index of consumer confidence for June dropped to 52.9 compared with the 62.7 seen in May, a figure that was revised down from a previously reported 63.3. The current month's reading was far below economists' expectations for 62.5, according to a survey conducted by Dow Jones Newswires.
The present situation index, a gauge of consumers' assessment of current economic conditions, fell to 25.5 from a 29.8 the prior month. May's result was previously reported as 30.2.
Meanwhile, consumer expectations for the state of economic activity over the next six months plunged to 71.2 from 84.6 in May, previously reported as 85.3.
The drop in the expectations index more than halved the steep 22.4 point-gain it had seen in the three months since February, an increase that had put it to its highest level since an 89.2 reading in August 2007, just before the last recession began.
"Increasing uncertainty and apprehension about the future state of the economy and labor market, no doubt a result of the recent slowdown in job growth, are the primary reasons for the sharp reversal in confidence," said Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board Consumer Research Center. "Until the pace of job growth picks up, consumer confidence is not likely to pick up."
The June survey was conducted after the release at the beginning of the month of May payrolls data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that showed a far-lower-than-expected rate of jobs growth in the private sector.
This was reflected in an increase in the percentage of respondents who think jobs are "hard to get" to 44.8% from an upwardly revised 43.9% in May. Meanwhile, those who think jobs are "plentiful" continued to fall, dropping to 4.3% from 4.6% in May.
Expectations about labor markets in the future also deteriorated. The percentage of consumers expecting more jobs in the months ahead dropped from 20.2% in May to 16.0% in June, below even its April reading of 17.7%. The proportion expecting fewer jobs rose to 11.4% from 10.6% last month.
April Home Prices Jump
Home prices rebounded some last summer, following stock-market gains, after dropping off sharply for several years. But they began sliding month to month again in the fall. The expiration of the first-time home-buyer tax credit has drained some of the housing market's demand the past two months, and mounting concern over European finances and May's "flash crash" have prompted skepticism about the economy.
Housing analysts have recently grown gloomier about the outlook for home prices as sales slump, with a survey released last week by MacroMarkets LLC finding that 56% of 106 economists and analysts surveyed expecting home prices to decline this year, up from 40% a month ago.
The Case-Shiller 10-city index climbed 0.7% compared with March, while the 20-city index rose 0.8%. The indexes "do show some improvement with higher annual increases than in March's report," said David M. Blitzer, chairman of S&P's index committee, though he noted that "many of the gains are modest and somewhat concentrated in California."
The indexes showed prices in 10 major metropolitan areas jumped 4.6% in April from a year earlier, while the index for 20 major metropolitan areas increased 3.8% year over year. On that basis, San Francisco saw the biggest jump in prices, rising 18%, with San Diego up 12% and Minneapolis rising 9.5%. The biggest decliner remained Las Vegas, which dropped 8.5%.
Month-to-month gainers were headlined by Washington, D.C., which rose 2.4%. Only two of the 20 major metropolitan areas, Miami and New York, saw month-to-month declines.
Article Source : http://www.meattradenewsdaily.co.uk/news/070710/usa___the_recessions_not_over_till_its_over.aspx
Separately, U.S. home prices rose in April from a month earlier, according to the S&P Case-Shiller home-price indexes, boosted by the expiration of the federal first-time home-buyer tax credit. They had fallen for six straight months before the most-recent increase.
The Conference Board, a private research group, said its index of consumer confidence for June dropped to 52.9 compared with the 62.7 seen in May, a figure that was revised down from a previously reported 63.3. The current month's reading was far below economists' expectations for 62.5, according to a survey conducted by Dow Jones Newswires.
The present situation index, a gauge of consumers' assessment of current economic conditions, fell to 25.5 from a 29.8 the prior month. May's result was previously reported as 30.2.
Meanwhile, consumer expectations for the state of economic activity over the next six months plunged to 71.2 from 84.6 in May, previously reported as 85.3.
The drop in the expectations index more than halved the steep 22.4 point-gain it had seen in the three months since February, an increase that had put it to its highest level since an 89.2 reading in August 2007, just before the last recession began.
"Increasing uncertainty and apprehension about the future state of the economy and labor market, no doubt a result of the recent slowdown in job growth, are the primary reasons for the sharp reversal in confidence," said Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board Consumer Research Center. "Until the pace of job growth picks up, consumer confidence is not likely to pick up."
The June survey was conducted after the release at the beginning of the month of May payrolls data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that showed a far-lower-than-expected rate of jobs growth in the private sector.
This was reflected in an increase in the percentage of respondents who think jobs are "hard to get" to 44.8% from an upwardly revised 43.9% in May. Meanwhile, those who think jobs are "plentiful" continued to fall, dropping to 4.3% from 4.6% in May.
Expectations about labor markets in the future also deteriorated. The percentage of consumers expecting more jobs in the months ahead dropped from 20.2% in May to 16.0% in June, below even its April reading of 17.7%. The proportion expecting fewer jobs rose to 11.4% from 10.6% last month.
April Home Prices Jump
Home prices rebounded some last summer, following stock-market gains, after dropping off sharply for several years. But they began sliding month to month again in the fall. The expiration of the first-time home-buyer tax credit has drained some of the housing market's demand the past two months, and mounting concern over European finances and May's "flash crash" have prompted skepticism about the economy.
Housing analysts have recently grown gloomier about the outlook for home prices as sales slump, with a survey released last week by MacroMarkets LLC finding that 56% of 106 economists and analysts surveyed expecting home prices to decline this year, up from 40% a month ago.
The Case-Shiller 10-city index climbed 0.7% compared with March, while the 20-city index rose 0.8%. The indexes "do show some improvement with higher annual increases than in March's report," said David M. Blitzer, chairman of S&P's index committee, though he noted that "many of the gains are modest and somewhat concentrated in California."
The indexes showed prices in 10 major metropolitan areas jumped 4.6% in April from a year earlier, while the index for 20 major metropolitan areas increased 3.8% year over year. On that basis, San Francisco saw the biggest jump in prices, rising 18%, with San Diego up 12% and Minneapolis rising 9.5%. The biggest decliner remained Las Vegas, which dropped 8.5%.
Month-to-month gainers were headlined by Washington, D.C., which rose 2.4%. Only two of the 20 major metropolitan areas, Miami and New York, saw month-to-month declines.
Article Source : http://www.meattradenewsdaily.co.uk/news/070710/usa___the_recessions_not_over_till_its_over.aspx
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Latest trends in Blogging for 2010
Blogging has probably become one of the hot topics of today where everyone is keen to try and start their own blog online. You can also call it a part of marketing skills for an online company which is also very essential for online popularity. You can find almost every online website having their own blogs which promotes their products or services. Although it has been followed for a couple of years, it has in fact become a latest trend and a great strategy for online promotion.
Although most of the online business owners have their own website they still don’t know how to use the right way to extract maximum possible results through a blog. Therefore you should first know your target audience and your goal oriented approach for your business and the benefits would start flowing by the creation of a blog. The technical content must press for higher burden for which you can create search engine friendly blogs.
The other most important and latest aspect associated with blogging is analysis of right network traffic. This means that you should have the knowledge or information about the incoming traffic such as its location, where do they come from and also their behavior would help the overall success of your blog.
In case you are serious in making money by blogging about different strategies then you should try and focus on the latest or hot topics that can generate huge traffic to your blog. This is one of the most common and probably the latest method to sell ad space on your own blog. So, if you own a blog that is known online and benefits from high quality web traffic then online advertising would surely create wonders. According to the experts in blogging, the new bloggers should stress more on dedicated blogging and should be focused on their topic of interest. This means that you can select a specific area of business but don’t generalize about the issue this is because people who are really interested in your services or product should also get to your website to purchase them.
However the email marketing potential bloggers should be very careful as there is name and the prospects of email being done through this method. The blogs serve several other purposes which make it easier for visitors to register or visit your website through RSS feeds. Moreover today, blogs serves as a multifunctional platform for users and web pages which have the potential to take you business to higher level.
Although most of the online business owners have their own website they still don’t know how to use the right way to extract maximum possible results through a blog. Therefore you should first know your target audience and your goal oriented approach for your business and the benefits would start flowing by the creation of a blog. The technical content must press for higher burden for which you can create search engine friendly blogs.
The other most important and latest aspect associated with blogging is analysis of right network traffic. This means that you should have the knowledge or information about the incoming traffic such as its location, where do they come from and also their behavior would help the overall success of your blog.
In case you are serious in making money by blogging about different strategies then you should try and focus on the latest or hot topics that can generate huge traffic to your blog. This is one of the most common and probably the latest method to sell ad space on your own blog. So, if you own a blog that is known online and benefits from high quality web traffic then online advertising would surely create wonders. According to the experts in blogging, the new bloggers should stress more on dedicated blogging and should be focused on their topic of interest. This means that you can select a specific area of business but don’t generalize about the issue this is because people who are really interested in your services or product should also get to your website to purchase them.
However the email marketing potential bloggers should be very careful as there is name and the prospects of email being done through this method. The blogs serve several other purposes which make it easier for visitors to register or visit your website through RSS feeds. Moreover today, blogs serves as a multifunctional platform for users and web pages which have the potential to take you business to higher level.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
What’s hot and what’s not in SEO trends in the year 2010?
As year 2010 pass-by, businesses and companies involved in online marketing look out for new trends in Search Engine Optimization in order to gear up self business online. All business owners look out to track back maximum traffic online through SEO services. Advancements are observed and appreciated by all users in all sections of business. SEO advancements too were expected in the year 2010 by all its users. There has been a higher contribution of SEO marketing in this year so far and it is bound to increase further. Now it’s time to apply all new trends in SEO that has emerged with success in the year 2010.
Site Speed
Site speed is considered to be one of the latest trends used in new SEO rankings for 2010 year. Search engines aim at helping the viewers in searching required data as quickly as possible. Site speed determines how quickly the site loads.
Mobile rankings
Search engine Google has come up with a new trend in SEO through mobile search services. Google mobile search services are linked up with three features, search by voice, by location, and search by sight. Voice search is linked with voice recognition services, location search is connected with Google maps and sight search is associated with Google Goggles. Search by sight through Google Goggles is like an image search appliance that enables users to search for any object or business through an image, instead of text.
Online video
Previous year was dominated by a search engine namely YouTube and this year too its dominance is continued. Videos are used to increase business site rankings through SEO.
Social media marketing
Social media marketing has definitely been one of the biggest SEO contributors around the year 2010 and remains to gear up for more. Availing links from any social media websites whether blogs, micro blogs, forums, content, daily status, or anything, as long as it is SEO friendly it is effective. Gaining on-page links, from communities and others has been in profits. Businesses performed social marketing on social networking sites like Orkut, Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress, Tagged, Linked-In, MySpace, and others.
Back Links
Back links generated from low PR sites proved to be effective this year. Back links directly points out at directory submissions, link exchange, link farms and others.
Some others
Some other minor yet imperative trends used in SEO in the year 2010 include page load time, domain age, bounce rate, and others. SEO market is developing on a fast track. Expecting something new is natural! Using old SEO strategies won’t be that effective this year. In the year 2010 it is time to be smarter by way of new SEO trends.
Site Speed
Site speed is considered to be one of the latest trends used in new SEO rankings for 2010 year. Search engines aim at helping the viewers in searching required data as quickly as possible. Site speed determines how quickly the site loads.
Mobile rankings
Search engine Google has come up with a new trend in SEO through mobile search services. Google mobile search services are linked up with three features, search by voice, by location, and search by sight. Voice search is linked with voice recognition services, location search is connected with Google maps and sight search is associated with Google Goggles. Search by sight through Google Goggles is like an image search appliance that enables users to search for any object or business through an image, instead of text.
Online video
Previous year was dominated by a search engine namely YouTube and this year too its dominance is continued. Videos are used to increase business site rankings through SEO.
Social media marketing
Social media marketing has definitely been one of the biggest SEO contributors around the year 2010 and remains to gear up for more. Availing links from any social media websites whether blogs, micro blogs, forums, content, daily status, or anything, as long as it is SEO friendly it is effective. Gaining on-page links, from communities and others has been in profits. Businesses performed social marketing on social networking sites like Orkut, Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress, Tagged, Linked-In, MySpace, and others.
Back Links
Back links generated from low PR sites proved to be effective this year. Back links directly points out at directory submissions, link exchange, link farms and others.
Some others
Some other minor yet imperative trends used in SEO in the year 2010 include page load time, domain age, bounce rate, and others. SEO market is developing on a fast track. Expecting something new is natural! Using old SEO strategies won’t be that effective this year. In the year 2010 it is time to be smarter by way of new SEO trends.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Content Writing Guidelines
A – Z Of Content Writing
When it comes to Content Writing firstly you need to differentiate between writing for Web and for Print Media. Here are some useful tips in favor of writing for the Web.
Basic Format
For any type of article or website content you write, it is essential to take care of the basic format, layout, structure of paragraphs, sub headings, points, font style and size, start-and-end, and everything. Scattered content with mix-match fonts and styles will definitely make the reader switch over to some other page. Readers’ online like to jump from words to lines, from lines to paragraphs and further to pages. They like to read everything in short and remember things. Your content will be followed and reviewed thoroughly by readers only if it is Attractive, Informative, Effective, Eye-Catchy, Easy to Understand, Complete, and Educative. Words you write in articles must be able to attract the readers and drive them to take some action.
Website Content Writing includes writing for different websites in the form of Articles, Descriptions, SEO Content, PR, Reviews, General Articles, Blogs, Titles & Descriptions, Promotional Articles, Technical Articles, Creative Writing, and others. The style and basics of writing for each type of article or content differs. Some specifications are definitely given by the client so as to write content as per their requirements. Following are some basic points that will definitely improve the quality of any type of content you write.
Effective Content Writing- Easy Tips
• While writing any content you need to take care about basic format and the layout.
• Secondly dividing entire article into equal paragraphs will make it appear good, simple, readable, and eye catchy. For Example: If you are writing an article for 100 words, it can be written in a single paragraph, if for 500 words it can be in 5 paragraphs and so on.
• You need to give sub headings and points if asked. Headings and subheadings can be utilized as metadata. These attract all readers quickly!
• The start and end of any article should be attractive, whereas inner content needs to be informative so as to educate all readers.
• Writing content considering the target audience or ‘The Reader’ will make it meaningful. There is no point in writing any content that fails to attract readers. You need to always suggest some ideas and inform the readers about anything you write. For Example: Forcing them to do something, purchase a particular product, or applying for any loan policy through your articles is not a good practice. You should always give suggestions and try to convince readers, through your content about why a particular service is good to select.
• Keeping the content short and simple will always attract more number of readers. Keeping the content short doesn’t mean, eating-up vital information. Your content should be short, simple to understand as well as complete from all aspects.
• Content is to be written by focusing on the kind of reader or clients. As per the age, sex, place of living, personal interest, likes, and dislikes, and what actually the reader thinks, entire content is to be written. In short content is to be customer oriented.
• Writing active content definitely helps a lot in attracting readers. Active content simply means include fresh ideas, facts, true information, suggestion, latest facts and figures in creative & informative ways. Every sentence that you add in your content should lead to some solution that reader is looking out for.
• Content should include all major keywords that may attract readers. The frequency of use of keywords is generally mentioned in specifications for every content project. Keywords play an essential role with SEO services for tracking back millions of customers towards your websites. People definitely search through Search Engines by entering some keywords. If it’s matching any keywords present in your content, readers will definitely be tracked towards the website.
• Include short sentences, paragraphs, summaries, and facts of anything that you write.
• It is essential to keep the interest of readers positive. This can be done by asking questions in articles and suggesting some ideas or answers to support them.
• At the end you need to thoroughly go through the content once, twice, and edit it for any mistakes. Self-checking the content will increase its quality for sure.
What A Content Writer Should Do?
Researching the data available online to gain self knowledge will help the content writer a lot in generating accurate content. Writer should always understand what exactly the customer needs and add-up creativity in content so as to light-up interest in the minds of readers. If writer is doing well to avoid repetition and generate real quality content with command over grammar, no doubt the piece of writing will be unique and striking.
• Research
Research a lot to get to some interesting facts about what you need to write about. Compare all stuff and data researched and jot them down in your language.
• Knowledge
Increase self knowledge in order to proceed ahead in professional Content Writing accurately and effectively. If you are talented, like to refer to news all the time, keep a track of what’s hot and what’s not around in market, it will definitely help you to generate unique and latest content.
• Understand What Customer Needs
While writing content for any given topic you need to keep a direct track of what actually is required by readers. Writing anything that is off-the-track from customers’ needs is wastage of time and efforts. Simply understand the needs of customers and write content accordingly.
• Add Creativity
Simple looking content with no catchy words will disinterest readers for sure. For any type of content you write on any given topic for any website, you need to add some sort of creativity to magnetize readers. Simply add creativity with accuracy in the content and generate perfect articles.
• Command Over Grammar
What if you are successful in writing informative content through your articles but there are more grammatical mistakes? Such content is of no use at all! Content needs to be away from grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Readers will definitely search for something else if your content is not grammatically correct. Then it’s simply no use of being informative.
• Avoid Repetition
Just like grammatical mistakes, Content Writer must avoid repetition of information in the articles or content on any topic for any website. Just imagine yourself as a reader and you are reading a content, small paragraph online while searching any service. What if you find out 1 or 2 sentences repeated all over again in different styles in entire paragraph? You will find it boring and with lack of useful information! Same is the case with all online readers for whom you are writing the content.
• Generate Interest In The Minds Of Readers
Content Writer has got the best chance to generate interest in the minds of readers with set of words put together in contents. This is possible only if entire content and articles are precise with fresh information and a mix of creativeness. Keyword enriched articles with a taste of originality will do the trick.
Some Words To Avoid
At times Content Writers consider Web Content Writing as an easy job, but it isn’t. Writing content for self might be simple but writing it for million others, is definitely a big task. Content Writing is not just filling out pages with some words and increasing the word count. You need to impress all readers with whatever you write. First impression is definitely the last impression.
Extensive use of Buffer Words will increase the quantity of content for sure but not the Quality. Content Writers can be Professional Writers if they practice to write any type of content or articles with least Buffer Words. It doesn’t mean that you need not include a single buffer word in your articles. It simply means writers need to make minimum use of such words.
Following are some of the Buffer Words that can be used as minimum as possible in any content.
This That The Those These There Their Then Also
Many Most Much More Very When Where Whose What
They Might Some Will Still Them
NOTE: No doubt, such words are to be used wherever they are required the most, else sentences will look incomplete, meaningless.
Content Writing is one of the best carrier options today, but you need to be a master to succeed in writing on any topic.
When it comes to Content Writing firstly you need to differentiate between writing for Web and for Print Media. Here are some useful tips in favor of writing for the Web.
Basic Format
For any type of article or website content you write, it is essential to take care of the basic format, layout, structure of paragraphs, sub headings, points, font style and size, start-and-end, and everything. Scattered content with mix-match fonts and styles will definitely make the reader switch over to some other page. Readers’ online like to jump from words to lines, from lines to paragraphs and further to pages. They like to read everything in short and remember things. Your content will be followed and reviewed thoroughly by readers only if it is Attractive, Informative, Effective, Eye-Catchy, Easy to Understand, Complete, and Educative. Words you write in articles must be able to attract the readers and drive them to take some action.
Website Content Writing includes writing for different websites in the form of Articles, Descriptions, SEO Content, PR, Reviews, General Articles, Blogs, Titles & Descriptions, Promotional Articles, Technical Articles, Creative Writing, and others. The style and basics of writing for each type of article or content differs. Some specifications are definitely given by the client so as to write content as per their requirements. Following are some basic points that will definitely improve the quality of any type of content you write.
Effective Content Writing- Easy Tips
• While writing any content you need to take care about basic format and the layout.
• Secondly dividing entire article into equal paragraphs will make it appear good, simple, readable, and eye catchy. For Example: If you are writing an article for 100 words, it can be written in a single paragraph, if for 500 words it can be in 5 paragraphs and so on.
• You need to give sub headings and points if asked. Headings and subheadings can be utilized as metadata. These attract all readers quickly!
• The start and end of any article should be attractive, whereas inner content needs to be informative so as to educate all readers.
• Writing content considering the target audience or ‘The Reader’ will make it meaningful. There is no point in writing any content that fails to attract readers. You need to always suggest some ideas and inform the readers about anything you write. For Example: Forcing them to do something, purchase a particular product, or applying for any loan policy through your articles is not a good practice. You should always give suggestions and try to convince readers, through your content about why a particular service is good to select.
• Keeping the content short and simple will always attract more number of readers. Keeping the content short doesn’t mean, eating-up vital information. Your content should be short, simple to understand as well as complete from all aspects.
• Content is to be written by focusing on the kind of reader or clients. As per the age, sex, place of living, personal interest, likes, and dislikes, and what actually the reader thinks, entire content is to be written. In short content is to be customer oriented.
• Writing active content definitely helps a lot in attracting readers. Active content simply means include fresh ideas, facts, true information, suggestion, latest facts and figures in creative & informative ways. Every sentence that you add in your content should lead to some solution that reader is looking out for.
• Content should include all major keywords that may attract readers. The frequency of use of keywords is generally mentioned in specifications for every content project. Keywords play an essential role with SEO services for tracking back millions of customers towards your websites. People definitely search through Search Engines by entering some keywords. If it’s matching any keywords present in your content, readers will definitely be tracked towards the website.
• Include short sentences, paragraphs, summaries, and facts of anything that you write.
• It is essential to keep the interest of readers positive. This can be done by asking questions in articles and suggesting some ideas or answers to support them.
• At the end you need to thoroughly go through the content once, twice, and edit it for any mistakes. Self-checking the content will increase its quality for sure.
What A Content Writer Should Do?
Researching the data available online to gain self knowledge will help the content writer a lot in generating accurate content. Writer should always understand what exactly the customer needs and add-up creativity in content so as to light-up interest in the minds of readers. If writer is doing well to avoid repetition and generate real quality content with command over grammar, no doubt the piece of writing will be unique and striking.
• Research
Research a lot to get to some interesting facts about what you need to write about. Compare all stuff and data researched and jot them down in your language.
• Knowledge
Increase self knowledge in order to proceed ahead in professional Content Writing accurately and effectively. If you are talented, like to refer to news all the time, keep a track of what’s hot and what’s not around in market, it will definitely help you to generate unique and latest content.
• Understand What Customer Needs
While writing content for any given topic you need to keep a direct track of what actually is required by readers. Writing anything that is off-the-track from customers’ needs is wastage of time and efforts. Simply understand the needs of customers and write content accordingly.
• Add Creativity
Simple looking content with no catchy words will disinterest readers for sure. For any type of content you write on any given topic for any website, you need to add some sort of creativity to magnetize readers. Simply add creativity with accuracy in the content and generate perfect articles.
• Command Over Grammar
What if you are successful in writing informative content through your articles but there are more grammatical mistakes? Such content is of no use at all! Content needs to be away from grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Readers will definitely search for something else if your content is not grammatically correct. Then it’s simply no use of being informative.
• Avoid Repetition
Just like grammatical mistakes, Content Writer must avoid repetition of information in the articles or content on any topic for any website. Just imagine yourself as a reader and you are reading a content, small paragraph online while searching any service. What if you find out 1 or 2 sentences repeated all over again in different styles in entire paragraph? You will find it boring and with lack of useful information! Same is the case with all online readers for whom you are writing the content.
• Generate Interest In The Minds Of Readers
Content Writer has got the best chance to generate interest in the minds of readers with set of words put together in contents. This is possible only if entire content and articles are precise with fresh information and a mix of creativeness. Keyword enriched articles with a taste of originality will do the trick.
Some Words To Avoid
At times Content Writers consider Web Content Writing as an easy job, but it isn’t. Writing content for self might be simple but writing it for million others, is definitely a big task. Content Writing is not just filling out pages with some words and increasing the word count. You need to impress all readers with whatever you write. First impression is definitely the last impression.
Extensive use of Buffer Words will increase the quantity of content for sure but not the Quality. Content Writers can be Professional Writers if they practice to write any type of content or articles with least Buffer Words. It doesn’t mean that you need not include a single buffer word in your articles. It simply means writers need to make minimum use of such words.
Following are some of the Buffer Words that can be used as minimum as possible in any content.
This That The Those These There Their Then Also
Many Most Much More Very When Where Whose What
They Might Some Will Still Them
NOTE: No doubt, such words are to be used wherever they are required the most, else sentences will look incomplete, meaningless.
Content Writing is one of the best carrier options today, but you need to be a master to succeed in writing on any topic.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
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