July 19, 2010
SE Optimization
No Comments
by Sean Edward O'Seonaussey
Everyone hears about well known men and women "Twittering" about their every day activities or latest meaningless opinions, but what most people don't understand is that social media is also a great way to create some buzz about a new or on-going business. Considering that 89% of online users participate in social media, it makes sense to incorporate social media content if you are going to use the Internet as a means to generate demand for your products or services. Considering that most social media sites don't charge for their memberships it is a very affordable means to conduct a public relations campaign or get the word out about new offerings. Furthermore, social media sites can be employed to set up inbound links to your company's main website.
The most effective strategy to utilize social media sites in your online marketing campaign is to locate the less heard of ones that are concentrated on specific niche categories. Certainly, it doesn't hurt to sign up with Facebook because of the sheer quantity of members, but your membership profile will gain attention much quicker if the social media site is concentrated on the niche you take part in in or the demographic you are targeting. For instance, if your company is involved in technology or legal matters then locating relevant social media sites is not very complicated, and the other members will be much more attuned to what you have to say.
Another thing to take into consideration when utilizing social media as part of your online marketing strategy is joining forums. Since forums are like mini social media sites concentrating on more specific matters, it will be a good deal less complicated to find a venue for your voice, especially if your enterprise is concentrated on a very specific application within a larger field. The essential thing to remember with forums, and almost every other online community, is to start your involvement with an introduction. If you go directly for marketing whatever it is you are attempting to sell, then odds are you'll just end up offending the other participants of the forum. So start off gently and be patient with your posts before doing any type of promotion.
Blogs postings are yet another way to utilize social media to your advantage when wanting to drive customers to your website. Similar to forums, blogs exist for nearly every subject known to man, and they are usually overlooked when it comes to social networking. Your approach for posting to blogs has to exhibit patience and perseverance. Show real interest in what the author has to say, and demonstrate some real thought to your post. Don't just spam their site with something like "love what you say" or your comments will get rejected. If you have developed a suitable rapport with the author by first introducing yourself, after which you offer thoughtful feedback with your posts, the chances are much greater that your blog comments will get approved. This can be a great way of link building.
Monitoring social media is also critical to the success of your online marketing strategy. Many consumers turn to social media for product reviews and what they hear influences their purchase decision. Consider these statistics from a recent study by Opinion Research Corporation: * 61% read online reviews and consumer review sites before making a purchase * 70% researched online for information regarding brands and services * 83% indicated that online reviews influenced their purchasing decision So monitoring your online reputation is essential to maintaining customer loyalty and the growth of your business. If you're not monitoring what people are saying about you online, then you could be losing business because of it.
So, to have a comprehensive online marketing campaign it is vital to find someone to help you incorporate social media into your online marketing strategy. They should be well versed in proper online etiquette and utilize a methodical approach to engaging the appropriate forums, blogs, and social media sites. A proven strategy of introduction first and selling later ensures that social media management can become a vital part of your online marketing strategy, and monitoring what people are saying about you online will ensure that your brand loyalty and business success continues to grow through social media management.
About the Author:
TBS Media can help you build a successful online marketing strategy that includes social media management.
July 19, 2010
SE Optimization
No Comments
by Sean Edward O'Seonaussey
Where do you rank? For companies hoping to build sales revenue or create demand for their services and products online, this is a very important question. Sure you've got a amazing website, but what good is it if nobody can find it when they are searching online for your services and products? Once they don't locate your website they will find your competitor's and get in touch with them. As a result, your prospective new customer will never understand exactly what they are losing out on when they buy from your competition.
In the good old days of the Internet it was trendy just to have a website. You could tell all of your friends and clients about it by word of mouth, reference the url of your website on your business card, or even get a wrap for your Hummer. Today's Internet community is different. In today's modern era, search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing govern, and they are dictating what people see when searching online. Consequently, it is crucial that your business is optimizing its website and carrying out all of the additional off-site activities necessary to appear at or near the top of relevant search results.
Sure you can pay lots of money on pay-per-click or pay-per-view advertisement and get listed first in the search results. Depending on the search engine, paid or sponsored results are found at the top or along the side of the internet browser. Many people who regularly use the Internet as a resource to find what they need to have, however, have a tendency to steer clear from the paid advertisements. This is because everyday Internet users understand that the results in these sponsored sections were paid for with lots of money. So, the companies and links listed there didn't earn that location with lots of useful content. They paid for that position.
Instead, what most knowledgeable Internet users place emphasis on are the webpages listed Underneath the sponsored or paid sections where they can find the Organic Search Results. A website's position in the organic search results is established by the various search engines based on how relevant the search engine deems a site to be to the search topic. Since each search engine uses their own TOP SECRET algorithm to classify and rank the millions of internet websites that now are available, your website could show up in different positions on any of the major search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing.
The crucial thing to keep in mind, however, is that each search engine's failure or success is determined by whether web users find benefit in using that search engine as a resource to locate what they are looking for. Currently almost everyone is in a hurry. So they don't want to invest a lot of time browsing for whatever it is they are in search of-information, directions, jobs, other people, or whatever. Consequently the important thing is that each search engine is built to return relevant, proven information to the user in as short a time as possible (first page of results).
While part of your site's ranking for a particular topic is determined by its content (keywords and phrases), there are other factors as well. For instance, the more times the search engines see other sites linking back to your site the more important your site will be perceived by the search engines. After all, if 100 or more sites that were focused on the same subject as your site had links back to your site then your site must contain some real important information, right? There are other important factors that the search engines take notice of when they are busy crawling the Internet categorizing, indexing, and ranking the millions of websites that now exist. The key for your success is to understand the rules as best as you can and develop a comprehensive strategy to take advantage of them.
Where your company's website is positioned in the organic search results is critical to the success or failure of your company's website. Do you want it to be a cost center or a profit center? If you want your company website to help increase the profitability of your organization, then it is crucial for you to understand the rules of search engine optimization (Toronto SEO) or partner with a company that does. With the proper Toronto SEO know-how it is possible to get your company's website to rank at the top of the search results for search terms and phrases relevant to your business. With a little effort, and a comprehensive Internet marketing strategy, it is even possible to get your company website onto that golden FIRST page of search results for relevant keywords and phrases. When this happens, you can be sure that the demand for your products and services will increase dramatically.
About the Author:
TBS Media, LLC improves our clients profits through Search Engine Marketing. Contact us to learn how we can improve your company's Organic Search Rankings.