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Posts Tagged ‘online marketing’
Monday, January 2nd, 2012
If you look at several websites, you will see different links that will take you to related content. This is a great way to pull your website into the related content. How do you do it? It’s actually quite simple and you will be amazed at why you have not used links more.
There are a lot of different techniques but the main one is using document sharing sites. On document sharing sites like Scribd, you can upload your documents into a pdf file. They can then be distributed all over the Internet. Create links in the document back to your website. This increases your chances of getting found in the search engines.
At the same time, you can also search for relevant content to add to your website. This is a great way of sharing information and using various ways of getting back to your site.
It’s also important to link to previous content within your own website. You may have written an article or something a couple of years ago. But it is still relevant and will get readers to read that as will.
Link building or link marketing has been around for a while but it is still a very resourceful tool for your online business. You can always visit with consultants to find out which link building technique or sites that are best suited to your needs.
One thing to remember, where you get back links is more important than what you do. Be sure to use multiple sources to get the best exposure.
Tags: content, internet marketing, link building, links, online marketing, small business
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing | 5 Comments »
Friday, December 30th, 2011
We talk a lot about Search Engine Optimization or SEO. That is one of the most important things a small business website needs. Optimized search engine results. It’s all about content and keywords.
Not only do you need your content about your business on your website, you also need regular content updated often. This means maybe add a blog to your site. Then add articles, or blogs to that section of the site. And, don’t forget back links. Link to other content on your site so that you can keep readers on your site.
Whether you write them or you use content providers (contract writers) it’s important to have content added at least three times a week. Even better if you add content every day. It does need to be something relevant to your business and not something that will make people think you have lost your mind.
Keywords are just as important. Your keywords need to be words that people will use in a search. Use keywords that mean something to your business and your products if you have that for sale on your site. You don’t have to use a ton of keywords for each content article or blog you post, but you do need to mix them up and use about 4-6 for each post. That way you have a few, it doesn’t look like spam and you will get people coming by using different keywords.
It’s a very simple concept and one that anyone can do. It just takes a little time and effort and everyone knows that it takes time and effort to run a small business in the first place.
Tags: blogging, business, content, keywords, online marketing, SEO
Posted in Blogging for Small Business | 5 Comments »
Tuesday, December 27th, 2011
You have your brand new website up and running. It looks fantastic and you have a lot of great products listed along with article or blogging content. Are you wondering what else you could do to enhance your website?
Consider doing various videos or podcasts about you, your business, what your products are and other ways. The general online public loves short podcasts on just about anything.
For instance, maybe your website business is providing a service. Whatever the service is, you could have short videos on tips and tricks of the trade to help someone do something instead of always hiring to have it done.
You can also have a how-to section for people who like to have do-it-yourself projects. Look at it as giving away freebies. Everyone loves freebies and if you give your customers something, they will be sure to give back by purchasing something from your website.
It’s also a great way for SEO. Podcasts and YouTube videos will get you moved up in the search rankings faster than without them, thats for sure.
If you are not sure how to go about making videos, there are a lot of self-help videos online. See there! You are even using them now! A world of information is right at your fingertips so why not use it to optimize your business presence on the internet.
With a new year upon us, now is the perfect time to try something new. You will be surprised at how effective videos are on your marketing campaign. You can even attach them to your marketing emails for an even bigger response.
Tags: advertising, google, online marketing, small business, YouTube
Posted in Video Marketing | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
Anyone who has surfed the internet for several years will remember the early days when you had to search for something with several words separated by + signs. Sometimes you got good results and sometimes you didn’t. It all depended on how you phrased the words. It could cause a migraine to say the least.
With new Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tactics, it has become much easier to find what you are looking for. And now, you can usually find what you are wanting with a very simple term, such as cell phones. The search engines then pull several pages of cell phones.
Google is the most used search engine with 65.3% of users while Yahoo dropped to 15.5% according to SearchEngineWatch. Google even uses auto-complete to finish the search for you. It is not always right, but it’s quite eery to think that a computer can actually finish our sentences as well as it does.
Small businesses can take advantage of this by branding their business. If you have a unique name, brand it so that the search engines will catch it with just one word. For example, say your business is named “Tiny’s,” and you deliver pizza. A search for that one word by someone in your town could pull up your business so that consumers can find you. Of course, a lot of times it’s not that easy to brand your business.
But, if you want to move up in the ranks of the search engines, think along the lines of branding something that will be unique to your business. Between a brand and a logo, you could in essence have your online business grow as you have never imagined it would. If necessary, search for small business consultants who can help you get your name out there.
Tags: Branding, google, internet marketing, online marketing, SEO
Posted in SEO for Small Business | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, December 7th, 2011
In the business world, advertising is everything when it comes to keeping a business going. Especially small businesses. Yes, large corporate companies advertise all the time and spend large amounts of money to do so. A lot of people can’t do that when running a small business on a budget.
That does not mean you should ignore advertising altogether. Far from it. A small business has to get their name out there in order to thrive against the large corporations. One way to do that is online. Advancing technology is where advertising lies right now. So what do you do? The following tips will help you get more exposure. Which in turn, will bring in more business and will not cost you an arm and two legs.
- Start a free blog about your business. You don’t have to have an expert copywriter do this (although, you can – wink wink). WordPress, Blogspot and other free blogging platforms offer step-by-step tutorials for setting up your business on a blog. You can then write something regularly about your business. You can post your blog to several websites that will send your blog to many areas of the internet. You will have people reading about your business from half a world away.
- Start a fan page on Facebook. Almost everyone is on Facebook today, or Twitter, or LinkedIn. This is a great way to meet people, talk about your business and get the ball rolling. Once again, post something every day about your business. It will bring customers to the door.
- Craigslist is another freebie you can use to advertise your business. The advertising can be put in different time slots so you have a new ad running virtually all the time. Someone, somewhere is bound to see it.
- Use Google Local to list your business. You can put the pertinent information such as phone number, address and any products you sell. Then when someone wants to search for what you are selling such as flowers in Anytown, USA, your business will pop up in the search results for that particular area. People are using this type of search instead of the traditional yellow pages books.
This is just a small sample of what you can do online to promote your business. Why not take the plunge and reap the rewards of online advertising for your small business.
Tags: advertising, blogging, Branding, facebook, google, internet marketing, online marketing, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Blogging for Small Business | 11 Comments »
Monday, December 5th, 2011
Everywhere you turn, you can hear someone talking about a blog. Whether they are writing a blog or they are reading a blog, one thing is for sure. Blogs are wildly popular. And one more thing is certain – social networking is the most popular thing on the Internet. You might as well jump on the bandwagon and market your business this way.
Blogs are like websites, but you have social interaction with your viewers. Many blog sites are free and easy to use, too. Each time you post a blog, it looks as if it is an individual web page. This can make for a more dramatic look when viewed by your visitors.
Putting your business ideas into a blog will bring your business more potential customers and an audience who wants to see what you are discussing. Not only can you post your ideas in your own words, you can also have a shopping area where customers can view your products and make purchases.
One of the key things to remember is SEO. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. If you focus your blog posts on the proper keywords and phrases, then you’ll increase your chances of obtaining high search engine rankings. For instance, if you sell gardening products and a prospect Googles “gardening,” if you have a lot of the right keywords (gardening, garden, etc.) in your blog posts, Google will favor your blog posts over those of your competition that are not well optimized.
If you aren’t sure where to start, contact Small Business Mavericks for a free consultation. We have a lot of experience and can get you off to a good start with your new business blog.
Tags: advertising, blog, blogging, content, google, internet marketing, keywords, online marketing, SEO, Social Media
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing | 8 Comments »
Thursday, December 1st, 2011
“Conversational marketing” is a term that has been around for about as long as the Internet. The concept goes back further, however. The idea is based on the concept that markets are conversations.
The “markets are conversations” concept was discussed in a book published in 1999, “The Cluetrain Manifesto.” According to its authors, markets have always been conversations, except for that period in the 20th century dominated by mass media. During that time, marketers would promote their products by “shouting” at consumers, who had no way to talk back to the peddlers. With the advent of the Internet, however, that changed.
Today, not only can consumers talk back, but they can walk away. There is always someone else in the conversation who can meet their need. And it isn’t all about price. It’s about the conversation.
Conversational marketing is all about using the tools at your disposal to engage with your audience and that requires being able to speak their language. I mean language in the vernacular sense, not in the cultural barrier sense.
When you talk about your company, your products, or your services with your prospective audience, are you respecting them? Are you shouting or listening? Conversations are a two-way street. If you don’t treat them as such, then you will lose in the age of conversational marketing.
Tags: conversational marketing, marketing, online marketing
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing | 3 Comments »
Saturday, November 26th, 2011
First there was Black Friday – the biggest shopping day of the year for most brick and mortar stores.
Then there was Cyber Monday, which turned out to be the biggest shopping day of the year for online merchants.
Now, small businesses can relish in the day that is their’s. Small Business Saturday. Today, of all days.
Small Business Saturday is a way for small businesses to get in on the action and you can do this whether your business is an online-only business, a brick and mortar business, or a business that enjoys a dual virtual + brick-and-mortar presence. The hub of the Small Business Saturday is the Small Business Saturday Facebook page.
I probably should have shared this with you sooner, and I would have had I known about it sooner, but they’ve got some pretty cool resources on this page – not to mention a beautiful design. On this page you can get your own in-store signage, e-marketing resources, create an offer, create your own Facebook page, create a video, do some LinkedIn and Twitter marketing, and more.
It may be a tad late to take advantage of some of these resources, but there’s always next year. Look forward to Small Business Saturday and make it work for your small business.
Tags: online marketing, small business
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing | 3 Comments »
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