Thanks to the duo fashion photographers Pamela Reed and Matthew Rader (AKA Reed + Rader), Freak Show takes us on a whimsical journey held in a circus setting. Meet all the different performers in this animated fashion shoot.
This was a fun project for us as the content was specifically based on characters and their actions, something we always try to push.
~~ Reed + Rader
I take blogging seriously and am constantly checking to see if I’m making progress. I want to know if my blog’s tanking so I can fix it, and I want to know if it’s ranking because that motivates me to carry on blogging.
But how can you tell if your blog’s ranking or tanking? Check out my progress report for my travel blog Get In the Hot Spot and you’ll see a few ways I monitor my blogging evolution using everything from hard cold Google Analytics statistics, to the fuzzy warm feeling you get when a stranger sends you an appreciative email, or leaves a comment like this one from Randall at The Phillipines Project:
“I’m so proud that you have done so well and know your blog is getting ready to grow exponentially!
You are always so helpful and kind. I’m sure that is your the real key to success. I have learned a lot from you.
Those of you just stopping by for a second really need to go ahead and subscribe via RSS or e-mail. Annabell is the REAL DEAL!”
Emails and comments like that have really helped me stick with blogging and I appreciate everyone who visits and reads my blog. Recently the lovely Jon Morrow wrote about the blogging glass ceiling over at Copyblogger. He nailed it with that one. Sometimes I feel like I’ve hit it again and again and all I’ve ended up with is a sore head. Other times I think I’m doing quite well. That’s what I call the tao of blogging.
I’ve written before about how all bloggers want to give up blogging from time to time and how we have to fight that and battle on. I’ve written before about what I’ve done right in blogging and how I got 1,000 subscribers to my blog after my first year of blogging even though I made a lot of big mistakes like changing my domain name three times. But now I’ve got a reprieve.
My husband says this is the real first birthday of Get In the Hot Spot .com because on August 3rd 2009 we bought the domain name and moved my blog here. So now my blog is a toddler. Up until today I’ve been crawling but from soon on I’m going to be walking, still slowly and clumsily at first, but I’m definitely looking forward to running at full speed.
Blog Ranking – 12 Months of Blogging Statistics
54,886 visits have been clocked by Google Analytics. Sign up free now if you haven’t already.
After 119,477 page views, 35,377 unique and amazing people from 165 countries have visited.
1,694 comments have been written. That’s not counting the 753 comment replies from me.
I’ve published 106 blog posts – 150 if you count the other blog posts I posted on my wordpress.com and blogspot domains.
On average each person spends 3:31 minutes here.
Blogging Statistics – Growth 484%
Number of Unique Visits:
August 2009 – 1,144
July 2010 - 5, 543
RSS Subscribers
August 2009 – 87
July 2010 - 912
Check out this graph from Feedburner which shows slow, steady growth:
I worked hard to build up my subscribers to a point where I could actually display it on my blog and around that time Feedburner seemed to break so one day my stats would read 600 and the next day 300. Or even 0 if they were being really cruel. Feedburner drives me nuts.
Then, soon after I clawed my way up to 1,000 subscribers, TechCrunch announced RSS was dead which practically killed me too after all that time I’d spent trying to get people to sign up for my RSS feed. Thankfully, the very clever Corbett Barr over at Think Traffic mentioned an alternative way of charting your blog’s progress and showing social proof. Now, like Corbett, I’m displaying the number of people who read my blog each month at the top of my site – 5,849 is the number of unique people who visited in July.
Email Subscribers
I started using MailChimp for email subscriptions in because it’s free if you have less than 500 subscribers, but apparently Aweber is cheaper once you have more than 500 subscribers so I should probably change to Aweber.
August 2009 – 0
July 2010 – 726
Total Subscribers by RSS and Email – Growth 1,883%
August 2009 – 87
July 2010 – 1, 638
Brand Awareness – Growth 590%
The number of people doing a Google search for Get In the Hot Spot or Annabel Candy:
August 2009: 25
July 2010: 148
Other Social Media
Twitter: 2,000
Facebook Friends: 303
Facebook Fans: 114 – Please take a moment to join me on Facebook. I want to interact with my readers on Facebook more.
3 Reasons This Blog is Ranking
I write guest posts on top blogs.
I try to fit in and network.
I teply to comments and ask my readers to help me promote blog.
3 Reasons This Blog Could be Ranking Better
I’ve changed topics three times and now write about empowerment and entrepreneurship.
My blog doesn’t fit into a specific niche. It’s practical lifestyle and business tips with and upbeat tone and motivation built into every post.
I can’t be pigeon-holed and don’t run with the in crowd.
The Readers Make it
If you want to gain confidence and improve your writing blogging’s the best. I couldn’t have come this far without feedback from readers like this:
“This article was like a breath of fresh air. Thanks for this different perspective on blogging.”
Arlene at Life Plan Web
“You sound so positively positive in your post! your enthusiasm for what you do and how you do it is infectious.”
Delta at Outrageous Age
I am really inspired by what you wrote about telling a story. I’m going to think about that one for my biz.
Susan at Secrets to Ultimage Living
“What a fantastic blog this is! Thanks for this. I am a new blogger and this is great information to have – I was just thinking about how I should start looking at guest posting and then I read this. Fantastic advice on what I need to do. Love all your tips. You’re an inspiration Annabel.”
Danni at Danni Beauty
“WONDERFUL WONDERFUL WONDERFUL, WHAT AN ADORABLE STORY – thanks for sharing your insights. I’m loving your writing, Thank you very much. And here’s some smiles back to you for your kindness and open-heartedness”
Bangalow Accommodation
“Thanks for the summary!”
Seth Godin at his famous marketing blog
“Annabel–thank you for this! You completely captured my own blogging experience! The peaks, the valleys, the tech frustrations, the way one comment can cause such delight, a single mention on a prominent blog can make your stats soar (and then drop), and good blogging friends are invaluable for getting you through it all.”
Doreen at Stylemaniac
“Love the post! Guest posts are also such a neat way to connect, aside from helping get the word out – reminds us that we need one another to make this all happen! Thanks for the tips and inspiration!”
Corey Heller at Multilingual Living
“Annabel you are an inspiration to many of us out here in the weeds!”
Barbara Hammond at Zero to 60 and Beyond
Other Blogging Achievements
Guest posts on some of the most popular blogs on the Internet including Zen Habits, Problogger and Copyblogger.
Invited to be a Positivity Ambassador for Coca-Cola and flown to Shanghai by them for a blogging conference and trip to World Expo.
Hosted my first blogging seminar as part of the Reality Bites Non-Fiction Literary Festival.
Have completed the first draft of my blogging book and will be ready to launch it in September.
Have been featured in the print media and interviewed online heaps, most recently by Hulbert Lee about early rising.
I’ve motivated, encouraged and helped thousands of bloggers and entrepreneurs to keep working towards their dream and am following my dream of writing and helping other people get the life they want. Blogging has brought me so many opportunities and I think it can benefit most of us. I recently wrote 10 Ways Blogging Can Improve Your Life at Lifehack and I feel passionately about blogging. I hope it will bring you as many amazing friendships and business opportunities as it has me.
Thank You to all my Readers
As you can see from these WordPress statistics of page views July was the best month ever and the blog is growing thanks to your support.
I worked hard to build up my subscribers to a point where I could actually display it on my blog and around that time Feedburner seemed to break so one day my stats would read 600 and the next day 300. Or even 0 if they were being really cruel. Feedburner drives me nuts.
Then, soon after I clawed my way up to 1,000 subscribers, TechCrunch announced RSS was dead which practically killed me too after all that time I’d spent trying to get people to sign up for my RSS feed. Thankfully, the very clever Corbett Barr over at Think Traffic mentioned an alternative way of charting your blog’s progress and showing social proof. Now, like Corbett, I’m displaying the number of people who read my blog each month at the top of my site – 5,849 is the number of unique people who visited in July.
Email Subscribers
I started using MailChimp for email subscriptions in because it’s free if you have less than 500 subscribers, but apparently Aweber is cheaper once you have more than 500 subscribers so I should probably change to Aweber.
August 2009 – 0
July 2010 – 726
Total Subscribers by RSS and Email – Growth 1,883%
August 2009 – 87
July 2010 – 1, 638
Brand Awareness – Growth 590%
The number of people doing a Google search for Get In the Hot Spot or Annabel Candy:
August 2009: 25
July 2010: 148
Other Social Media
Twitter: 2,000
Facebook Friends: 303
Facebook Fans: 114 – Please take a moment to join me on Facebook. I want to interact with my readers on Facebook more.
3 Reasons This Blog is Ranking
I write guest posts on top blogs.
I try to fit in and network.
I teply to comments and ask my readers to help me promote blog.
3 Reasons This Blog Could be Ranking Better
I’ve changed topics three times and now write about empowerment and entrepreneurship.
My blog doesn’t fit into a specific niche. It’s practical lifestyle and business tips with and upbeat tone and motivation built into every post.
I can’t be pigeon-holed and don’t run with the in crowd.
The Readers Make it
If you want to gain confidence and improve your writing blogging’s the best. I couldn’t have come this far without feedback from readers like this:
“This article was like a breath of fresh air. Thanks for this different perspective on blogging.”
Arlene at Life Plan Web
“You sound so positively positive in your post! your enthusiasm for what you do and how you do it is infectious.”
Delta at Outrageous Age
I am really inspired by what you wrote about telling a story. I’m going to think about that one for my biz.
Susan at Secrets to Ultimage Living
“What a fantastic blog this is! Thanks for this. I am a new blogger and this is great information to have – I was just thinking about how I should start looking at guest posting and then I read this. Fantastic advice on what I need to do. Love all your tips. You’re an inspiration Annabel.”
Danni at Danni Beauty
“WONDERFUL WONDERFUL WONDERFUL, WHAT AN ADORABLE STORY – thanks for sharing your insights. I’m loving your writing, Thank you very much. And here’s some smiles back to you for your kindness and open-heartedness”
Bangalow Accommodation
“Thanks for the summary!”
Seth Godin at his famous marketing blog
“Annabel–thank you for this! You completely captured my own blogging experience! The peaks, the valleys, the tech frustrations, the way one comment can cause such delight, a single mention on a prominent blog can make your stats soar (and then drop), and good blogging friends are invaluable for getting you through it all.”
Doreen at Stylemaniac
“Love the post! Guest posts are also such a neat way to connect, aside from helping get the word out – reminds us that we need one another to make this all happen! Thanks for the tips and inspiration!”
Corey Heller at Multilingual Living
“Annabel you are an inspiration to many of us out here in the weeds!”
Barbara Hammond at Zero to 60 and Beyond
Other Blogging Achievements
Guest posts on some of the most popular blogs on the Internet including Zen Habits, Problogger and Copyblogger.
Invited to be a Positivity Ambassador for Coca-Cola and flown to Shanghai by them for a blogging conference and trip to World Expo.
Hosted my first blogging seminar as part of the Reality Bites Non-Fiction Literary Festival.
Have completed the first draft of my blogging book and will be ready to launch it in September.
Have been featured in the print media and interviewed online heaps, most recently by Hulbert Lee about early rising.
I’ve motivated, encouraged and helped thousands of bloggers and entrepreneurs to keep working towards their dream and am following my dream of writing and helping other people get the life they want. Blogging has brought me so many opportunities and I think it can benefit most of us. I recently wrote 10 Ways Blogging Can Improve Your Life at Lifehack and I feel passionately about blogging. I hope it will bring you as many amazing friendships and business opportunities as it has me.
Thank You to all my Readers
As you can see from these WordPress statistics of page views July was the best month ever and the blog is growing thanks to your support.
In my search for a new book to read on keywords I went straight to the source, Lee Odden’s office library. Right away I noticed Ron Jones’ new book “Keyword Intelligence” while standing in front of a bookcase full of titles to choose from.
What I appreciate about Jones’ book is that whether you are a search marketing guru or you work in another marketing/communications field, it paints things in a light that you may not have thought about before. Besides a deep dive into keyword research and it’s overall impact on SEO, social media and content marketing, there is a little something in this book for everyone ranging from simple explanations of social networking sites to more detailed information on site migration and architecture. Curious to know what useful tips I found in Ron Jones new book?
“Keyword Research is a Strategic Function”
To most professionals keyword research can seem like a monotonous task. Jones does a good job of really highlighting the importance of keyword research and how it should affect your overall Internet marketing strategy. The position of the book is that much of your content creation should be based upon a list of tried and tested keywords that are meant to bring people to your site and draw them in. A point about thinking big picture with keywords that hits home: “Without a strategy, you will become lost in the depths of random pages of web content without a core meaning or focus.”
“Setting up SMART Goals”
Goal setting should not be a new concept to Internet marketers. An approach that Jones recommends is setting “smart” goals for each online channel you are using to market. He says that these goals may take more effort to setup but they help to ensure quality. SMART goals are defined as:
S= Specific
M= Measureable
A= Attainable
R= Realistic
T= Timely
A simple goal may be to increase the number of conversions that your site sees on a monthly basis. If you are implementing SMART goal setting, you may focus on something more specific as increasing site conversions by 10% each month for the next six months on your contact page, about us page, and solutions page.
“Mind Mapping”
Keyword brainstorming can sometimes seem like an overwhelming task to tackle. No more! Jones suggests breaking down your brainstorming tasks into mini assignments which will encourage you to work on one level of keywords at a time. Mind mapping is a great visual aid for marketers who tend to like to see plans illustrated. You begin by selecting a seed term, draw a circle around it, and brainstorm additional words related to your seed term.
Below is an example of mind mapping that I started with my seed phrase being “Marketing”.
“Role of Keywords and Social Media”
We know that keywords are an essential part of an SEO or PPC strategy but many overlook the roll of keywords in social media. An in depth analysis of keywords will help you pinpoint the specific needs and wants of your target audience. A keyword plan for social media will help you communicate more effectively with your audience. Jones does note that a strategy created for SEO or PPC may not translate exactly the same for social media so there are some differences to keep in mind. An example would be search query variances between Google and a social networking site.
“Developing a mobile strategy”
This section highlights the importance of considering the entire customer experience not just the optimized content that we provide. Jones recommends a six step process for outlining your mobile strategy. That process includes:
Define Target Audience & Personas
Conduct Your Research
Develop Your Mobile Solution
Design Your Pricing Model
Develop Your Support Model
Develop Retention or Loyalty Program
“Defining Metrics for Success”
One recommendation in particular that stuck out to me was his emphasis on the importance of defining success up front with any marketing campaign. Some of the goals that Jones recommends for a successful outcome include:
Increased overall website visitor traffic
Increased keyword rankings and top keyword placement
Increased brand awareness
Increased generated revenue and ROI
Specific behavioral insights from your target audience based on keyword usage
In my opinion “Keyword Intelligence” does a great job of getting the reader to think intelligently and strategically about basic keyword choices. By taking a moment to step back and analyze why keyword research and brainstorming is important, you are better able to see what a large impact it can have on your overall search and online marketing strategy. This is the only book that’s specifically focused on Keywords and for those that really want a deep dive on the subject, it’s worth checking out.
We have watched the B2B space lag behind in the Internet and social media marketing space for most of the existence of the industry. That’s not a knock on the B2B space really because the nature of Internet marketing lends itself much more readily to B2C plays.
Of course that doesn’t mean that social media doesn’t work for the B2B space. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth and as B2B marketers continue to see just how these options can fit into their business and marketing plans this area of the Internet is just starting to truly see the light. This epiphany of sorts could make 2012 a very interesting year in the B2B space for social media marketing.
As shown by some statistics from a study conducted by eMarketer, social media is being used. It’s the continual evolution of exactly HOW it is being used that will mark the arrival of the marketing tool to the space.
Of course, it would be a good idea to understand just what using social media marketing means in the B2B space. Setting up accounts and occasionally updating them is not using social media marketing as most well know but that is some B2B marketers perception of using social media marketing. The value isn’t lost on them though.
“Leveraging social media for branding and awareness-building can help humanize B2B companies, establish them as thought leaders, and offer new touchpoints for connecting with customers and prospects,” said Kimberly Maul, eMarketer writer/analyst and author of the new report, “B2B Social Media: A Growing Focus for Marketers.”
As for the actual social media outlets being used? Here is a look
As many have come to expect, LinkedIn leads the way but that is more likely attributable to the mindset that LinkedIn is positioned as THE place for the B2B space to be because it is about business. It certainly is an important place to be but as B2B social media marketers begin to grasp the business applications of Twitter, Facebook, Gogle+ and others they will understand that thought leadership in social media often walks side by side with things like PR and customer service.
It looks like 2012 will be a pivotal year in the B2B marketing space. With some more time and experience to pull on and more examples of success of social media marketing in B2B environments it will become harder and harder for B2B players to turn their backs on social media just because it’s not what they traditionally do.
For those that continue to have that attitude it will be interesting to see where their business is in a few short years as competitors embrace the inevitable.
What’s your take on the B2B space and social media marketing? Is it time?
A Christmas Wish List for 2011
Hey Santa! Is it too late to drop in a quick wish list for this year for Christmas? You see, I write about a variety of things in the Internet and social media marketing space and there are more than a few things I would love to get as a gift (or maybe see as a trend) so I figured why not, right? You’re in the “dream coming true business” so I just thought I would fire this off to you.
My 2011 Christmas Wish List
Could you make sure that the words guru, maven and ninja and any others like them would be stricken from the social media lexicon and no one can use them again unless they are OK with being mocked and ridiculed? Thanks!
A nice social media metrics tool kit (that really works) – This is something that so many people are trying to build but with the varying degrees of plausibility and success it looks like we have a long way to go. Gonna need some Santa magic to figure out the best way to measure success of social media.
A spirit of understanding in Northern California – It seems as if the folks in the Silicon Valley region have lost touch with large numbers of people who may one day need some of their products. They seem to assume that the entire world thinks like them but, well, Santa, they don’t get it. Could you give them some kind of a reality machine to let them know that there are people out there who might like to use some cool things but they also enjoy simple language, clear instructions and a little less arrogance.
Peace amongst social networks – Can’t we all just get along and see that there is no way for one social network to truly please everyone and that choice is a good thing?
Less government involvement in all matters Internet (and business for that matter) – This one needs no explanation, right Santa?
Research done by unsponsored researchers – Is there any way to get real research about Internet and social media marketing that isn’t done by someone trying to promote their product and way of life? Boy, that would be neat!
A true competitor for Google in search – People are wondering if Microsoft is slowing down their quest to make a dent in the search industry by going head to head with Google. Heck, if they didn’t buy half their current market share no one would give them the time of day. We really could use someone who could push Google real hard in the search space. Is that something even you can’t provide, Santa?
A rumor filter – We say some doozies this past year Santa from all the iPhone 5 talk, which even included a pretty serious claim that Sprint had an exclusive on this year’s version of Bigfoot. It seems that the Internet news industry has confused rumors and speculation with actual facts and reality. Do you have an “I call BS!” machine or something that might stop this so we can spend time concentrating on things that are really happening?
An appreciation of where we are versus where we are going to be – Seems like everyone is in such a rush to do the next thing that we have a bunch of old “next things” lying around half used. I know you see this every year when you give the toys to the boys and girls and they play with them for a day then put them aside and work on next year’s wish list. In the Internet space it would so cool if you could help people use what we have in their hands today to their greatest advantage before they move on like a spoiled child and forget how cool things are that they have right now.
Did I mention less government involvement in the online space already? Well, this one is worth mentioning again.
So that’s my wish list for this year. I don’t know what you can do with this Santa but any help would be appreciated. In fact, I may have some people who have other Internet and social media marketing related wishes for Christmas this year. You might find some of them in the comment section today.
Summary: By this article you will find best SEO friendly Free Blogger Templates how you add and select and step by step suggestions regarding Search Engine Friendly free blogger templates
By this tutorial I describe that I have been working in the field of blogging since last 04 years, I have searched lot of free blogger templates online, according my experience very less free blogger templates found Search engine friendly. What do you know about SEO friendly free blogger templates, do not hesitate I will guide you step step regarding SEO friendly free blogger templates. Now you are intend to make blog and want to earn money template is key role to boost traffic and you make sure that your template is supportable for all browsers or not please read my useful article Free Software tools for making of Blogger Blog. and test your template that it is ok.
1. I have already discussed that Blogger is very easy in the blogging world Google is support and owner of the Blogger you can earn money very easily recently Blogger has adjusted Search Engine friendly templates are available in Blogger service.
Now see the above picture and click on the "Template Designer" you will look the free blogger templates are available for more guidance follow the picture has given below
In view of the above look at the picture above select any suitable template do you like all free blogger templates are SEO friendly and all browsers supportable. If you want to setup layouts of template please read my useful article Adjust Blogger Layouts for better Result.
In continuation of the above another useful Search Engine Friendly blogger templates Black Brown Pop and Rounder-3 which are very suitable and better look and also professional style I have been using both blogger templates and found that very fast and suitable for all browsers. Look at the sample and download both blogger templates easily.
DOWNLOAD LINK BLACK BROWN PO
The above template called Black Brown Pop is very famous, I have scrutinized that all my friends and other Blog owners used it and nothing found any problem and also getting much traffic. Another facility is that it is very fast opening and also support all browsers.
DOWNLOAD LINK ROUNDER-3
The above template called Rounder-3 is very famous, I have scrutinized that all my friends and other Blog owners used it and nothing found any problem and also getting much traffic. This is very fast to open in all browsers.
1. Now I guide you step by step how you install above free blogger templates. First download Black Brown Pop or Rounder-3 template from above links and go to Blogger Dashboard then Design, and Edit HTML and choose the place where your downloaded file is available and upload it, if you are using another template before this function keep backup your template at any place of your computer. Please follow the picture below:
Finally how to make the template Black Brown Pop and Rounder-3 Search Engine friendly , I have already discussed that Search Engine prefer good title tags and first post title tags, in this regard please see my very useful article Adjust Blogger Post title tags. and follow the picture given below and change this code with following code line.
If you did not understand please follow the picture below and setup your SEO friendly free blogger templates according above mentioned instructions, if you have implement it, I hope you will be success and obtain very good SEO friendly free Blogger templates.
I hope you like above blogger templates and also very useful for new blogger owners, if you like it please leave your comments.
Digital Marketing is the promoting of brands using all forms of digital advertising channels to reach consumers. Digital marketing extends beyond Internet Marketing to include channels that do not require the use of the Internet. As a result of this non-reliance on the Internet, the field of digital marketing includes a whole host of elements such as television, radio, mobile phones (SMS/MMS), social media marketing, display advertising, and any other form of digital media. Previously seen as a stand-alone service in its own right, it is frequently being seen as a domain that can and does cover most, if not all, of the more traditional marketing areas such as Direct Marketing by providing the same method of communicating with an audience but in a digital fashion. Digital supports the servicing and engagement of customers.
Digital Marketing – Pull vs. Push
Two different forms of digital marketing exist.
[edit] Pull
Pull digital marketing technologies involve the user having to seek out and directly select (or pull) the content, often via web search. Websites, blogs and streaming media (audio and video) are good examples of this. In each of these examples, users have a specific link to view the content.
Pros:
Digital Marketing and Power Users of the internet are an integral aspect to the United States economy. Interactive Media is a form of art and creative inspiration.
Since requests are inherently opt-in, the size of content is generally unlimited.
No advanced technology required to send static content, only to store/display it.
Cons:
Considerable marketing effort required for users to find the message/content.
Some types of marketing content may be blocked in mixed content scenarios (i.e.: Flash blockers)
[edit] Push
Push digital marketing technologies involve both the marketer (creator of the message) as well as the recipients (the user). Email, SMS, RSS are examples of push digital marketing. In each of these examples, the marketer has to send (push) the messages to the users (subscribers) in order for the message to be received. In the case of RSS, content is actually pulled on a periodic basis (polling), thus simulating a push.
Pros:
Faster delivery - push technologies can deliver content immediately as it becomes available.
Consistent delivery - some push platforms have single content types, making it difficult for the user to block content by type.
Better targeting - since push technology usually justifies subscription, more specific marketing data may be collected during registration, which allows for better targeting and more personalization.
Better data - marketing data can be correlated to each request for content, allowing marketers to see information such as user name as well as demographic and psychographic data.
Cons:
Smaller audience - push technology not implemented on common platforms generally need client and/or server software before content can be created, distributed, and/or viewed.
Higher cost - less popular platforms may have higher implementation costs.
Lesser discoverability - smaller audiences mean fewer views mean less visibility in search engines.
[edit] Digital Marketing and Multi-Channel Communications
While digital marketing is effective using one message type, it is much more successful when a marketer combines multiple channels in the message campaigns. For example, if a company is trying to promote a new product release, they could send out an email message or text campaign individually. This, if properly executed, could yield positive results. However, this same campaign could be exponentially improved if multiple message types are implemented[citation needed].
An email could be sent to a list of potential customers with a special offer for those that also include their cell phone number. A couple of days later, a follow up campaign would be sent via text message (SMS) with the special offer.
Push and pull message technologies can also be used in conjunction with each other. For example, an email campaign can include a banner ad or link to a content download. This enables a marketer to have the best of both worlds in terms of their marketing method.
As the technology of the web advances, online videos are growing in popularity, thus an increased importance is placed on video optimization. Getting your videos to rank well in a search engine will bring your website more visibility. You should think of video as content. We all know that “Content is King”, but what’s even better than plain text content, is a VARIETY of content on a website. Video is a great way to bring in that variety.
Video SEO:
• Videos are great link bait and deserve a catchy title, with relevant keywords included. Informative, helpful pieces or humorous clips are a great way to get people to link to your site.
• Tag the video with relevant keyword phrases and terms that users might be searching for, and think about naming the filename with a relevant term as well.
• Create a video site-map–this will make it easier for users and search engines to find video content on your site. Here is a link to Google Webmaster Tools Video Sitemap Help Guide.
Video Usability:
• Keep videos to 5 minutes or less. In order to keep your audiences attention, say as much as you can in the shortest way possible. Longer videos also have slower load times, and users will leave your page if you keep them waiting.
• Be sure the video clips are relevant to the page or site’s overall content. Videos should enhance the user experience and provide helpful information, or interesting tidbits that promote conversions.
• Include a transcript of the video on the same page the video is located, for both accessibility and SEO reasons. Users that are hard of hearing won’t be able to hear the audio in the video, so providing a transcript of the video optimizes the page for those users. Also, including a transcript will allow search engines to crawl that content and make it easier for the video to rank.
• Include your logo on your videos if you create your own video content and own the rights to the video. This can be accomplished by doing a fade-in/fade-out at the beginning and end of the video, or you can place a small watermark of your logo in the bottom corner of the video. This will help prevent content thieves
• Include an embedding option on your video. If a user likes your content, they may be compelled to embed it on their website, blog or social media pages and share it with all their friends. When a video is embedded, it provides a link back to your website. Additionally, remember that logo you included on the video? That’s called free advertising.
• Allow users to rate your video, or include options for users to use social media to “Like”, “Tweet”, and “Share” the video. Search engines are paying attention to these social signals and this may help your video rankings.
• If your video is in HD, allow the option to “turn off” the HD (like Vimeo does) as HD videos take longer to load and may have trouble playing properly on slower connections.
Video Content:
If you are making your own videos there are a lot of technical aspects that go into a quality production, but there are some basic principles you should know before putting your video up on your website.
• Make sure the audio is properly balanced. Poor sounding audio will make your users leave before watching the entire video.
• Include a title at the beginning of the video so users watching it out of context (such as on an embedded video) will still understand what they are looking at.
• Sometimes it may be useful to add the date at the beginning of the video.
• If your video includes interviews, be sure to make use of title bars with the person’s name.
• Be sure to properly credit anyone who had a part in the video’s production, especially if you contracted someone to create the video for you. If you created the video in-house, then including your logo (as stated above) will suffice.
• Include a call-to-action in your video, such as asking the user to visit your website (particularly helpful when a video is embedded off-site) or to call for more information.
Facebook is a collection of detailed leads. Twitter is the ultimate consumer research tool. LinkedIn is a networkers dream. These sites, each with between 120 and 800 million users, represent the newest frontier for internet marketers. In this article I will introduce strategies you can implement immediately to generate consistent, qualified leads through social media.
Have you read Dale Carnegie’s “How To Win Friends and Influence People”? Do you regularly use the concepts taught? Come on, you can be honest with me. I think the #1 reason people don’t succeed on Social Media is because they forget the simplest concepts of business and making friends.
People do not like to be sold but they do like to buy.
Think about that for a moment.
People do not like to be sold but they do like to buy.
People want to buy, BUT they want to buy on their own terms stemming from internal motivation. Your job as a business owner is to provide that “internal motivation” without raising their defenses with pushy sales pitches.
Engage your friends, followers and connections by educating and entertaining. Add value. Show them a good time.
What if you applied your people skills online in your social media networks? I’m going to venture your profits would soar.
The first step is to clean up your profiles. Make the message consistent and put a professional photo up. Use the same photo on every site and resist the temptation to hide behind a logo. People naturally prefer to interact with another person, represented by a human face.
In about 100 words on each, here is my advice for the 3 major social media sites:
Facebook is a social platform before it is a business platform. DO NOT SELL on your personal profile on facebook. Instead do targeted ads to friends and fans and use your picture in your ad. When people see your ad and see a picture of you they will read it and possibly click it. Once they have clicked they have “opted in” and asked you to begin providing information on your offerings.
Twitter is a fantastic consumer research tool. You can use a service like Hootsuite to automatically find any chatter about your industry or company. Let Hootsuite do the listening for you and follow up with those interested in your company. Twitter is a real time conversation and lets you know within minutes if someone is talking about you or your company or about the product or service that you provide. Cool right?
LinkedIn is the biggest business community on the web. When someone accepts your invitation to connect or you accept an invitation what do you do after? I always send a personalized note based on a script I have perfected. Using this exact script I went from 2 speaking engagements a month to 3 a week a week! This one technique lead to a massive jump in my business, now my biggest chore is invoicing paying clients.
I was asked to keep this article short and sweet. I objected and insisted it be long and sweet so I could pack in all my strategies and specific techniques. I lost the argument. I’ve worked with so many business owners that I now have many proven, easy to implement strategies for generating leads on social media and the reality is I couldn’t pack all my lead generation techniques into one article even if I was allowed dozens of pages.
Fortunately we came to a compromise and found a solution that would allow me to share all my best lead generation techniques with you!
I will be hosting a special webinar exclusively for InternetMarketing.com members. In this webinar I will reveal my most effective lead generation techniques and show you step by step how to apply them to your own business. Join me on Nov 17th for this free one hour webinar. There is a limited capacity for the webinar and since it is completely free spots will be filling up fast. My last paid workshop sold out in just 6 hours and it cost hundreds of dollars.
The “S” Trilogy in Search Industry.
We all are familiar with search marketing industry. The “S” trilogy means Search Trilogy. Search Trilogy has three parts.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Organic Marketing
Search engine optimization is process of improving the quality and volume of web traffic to a website by employing a series of proven SEO techniques that help a website achieve a higher ranking with the major search engines when certain keywords and phrases are put in the search field.
Popular SEO Techniques
1) Phase I - (Evaluation, Planning & Research)
a) Basic Analysis of Website
b) Analysis Report of Website
c) Keyword Research
d) Competitor Analysis
2) Phase II - (On Page Optimization)
a) Page Optimization
b) Website Design or Re-design
c) Content Pages (Keyword Rich Pages)
d) Blogs (Online Journal)
e) News Feeds
f) Site Usability
g) Optimize Website
h) Editing Content
i) SEO Articles
j) Programming
k) Sitemap (General HTML Sitemap)
l) Google Sitemap (XML Sitemap)
m) Internal Linking
n) Text link navigation
o) Footers
p) Inline text links
q) Installation of Tracking Tools
3) Phase III - (Off Page Optimization)
a) Article Submission
b) Directory Submissions
c) Reciprocal Link Building
d) Press Release Distribution
e) Forums
f) Blogs
g) RSS Feeds
h) Email Marketing
i) Banner Advertising
j) Podcasting
k) Social Networking
l) Social Bookmarking
m) Wikis
n) Non-Orthodox Link Building
i) Answers.yahoo.com
ii) Wiki.Answers.com
iii) Google Groups
iv) Yahoo Groups
o) By commenting in relative blogs.
4) Phase IV - (SEO Monitoring & Reporting)
a) Keyword Position Reporting (SERP)
b) Pages Indexed Reporting
c) Page Rank Reporting
d) Back Link Reporting
e) Web Analytics Reporting
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) – Paid Marketing (PPC)
Pay per click (PPC) search marketing refers to when a company pays for text ads to be displayed on the search engine results pages when a specific key phrase is entered by the search users. It is so-called since the marketer pays for each time the hypertext link in the ad is clicked on. As a search user, you can identify the pay per click text ads since they are usually under the heading ‘Sponsored links’. You can see them on the right side of web page in Figure 7-4. The position in these paid listing, as they are also known, is determined by the amount bid by a company to be near the top of the listing.
To participate in PPC campaigns, clients or their agencies commonly use PPC ad networks or brokers to place and report on Pay Per Click ads on different search engines. It is necessary to deal direct with Google, which have their own PPC ad programmes such as Adwords select http://adwords.google.com.
Popular PPC Techniques
1) Market Research
2) Keyword Research
3) Ad copy writing
4) Account set up
5) Bid Management
6) A/B Ad Copy Testing
7) Landing Page Optimization
8) A/B Landing Page Tests
9) Multivariate testing (if required)
10) Conversion Tracking
11) Reporting
Social Media Optimization (SMO) – Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Social media optimization (SMO) is a set of methods for generating publicity through social media, online communities and community websites. Methods of SMO include adding RSS feeds, social news buttons, blogging, and incorporating third-party community functionalities like images and videos. Social media optimization is related to search engine marketing, but differs in several ways, primarily the focus on driving traffic from sources other than search engines, though improved search ranking is also a benefit of successful SMO.
Popular SMO Techniques
1) Preparation
Preparing tags, descriptions, multimedia items, and text content for use in the social Web
2) Optimizing Your Web Site
Creating a social media and Web 2.0 optimized Web site using RSS feeds and other tools, including using WordPress to power your entire site
3) Starting a Blog
Outlines options and best-practices for starting a blog
4) Podcasting and Vidcasting
Creating a podcast or vidcast using blogging platforms
5) Optimizing Your Blog
Tips and instructions for getting best exposure for your blog or RSS feed
6) Social Bookmarking Sites
Getting the most out of sites like Technorati and del.icio.us. Purpose-built del.icio.us pages explained
7) Crowd-Sourced News Aggregators
Sharing your content on sites like Digg and Propeller
8) Media Communities & Social Calendars
Sharing your multimedia on Web 2.0 sites like Flickr, YouTube, and Upcoming
9) Social Networking & Similar Tools
Tapping the power of social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Squidoo
10) Social Media Newsrooms
Creating the ultimate Web 2.0 tool for your book or business
11) Social Media News Releases
A multimedia version of the standard press release
12) Preparatory Elements for a Social Media Newsroom
Checklist for gathering the content necessary to built a social media newsroom
13) Widgets and Badges
Using widgets and badges from sites like Facebook, MySpace, Widgetbox, and Amazon, that can make your site more interactive, enhance your own Web presence, and promote your blog or RSS feed
14) Advanced Social Media Technologies
Implementing technologies that require a bit more time and commitment, including virtual worlds, Wikis, and Webcasting
By now you know I’m as sold as one can be on the intersection of Social Media, SEO and Content Marketing. It’s the essence of the core principles of information Discovery, Consumption and Engagement that I talk about in Optimize and at conferences like PRSA International in Orlando this week.
Information production, sharing and consumption is accelerating faster than marketers (or consumers) can keep up with. A lot of that information is user generated content from social sharing and networking sites. Internet Marketers have long been savvy about creating, optimizing and promoting content that’s findable and relevant for target audiences. Marketers aren’t the only corporate departments creating content in need of an audience though.
Public Relations, Media Relations, Corporate Communications, Investor Relations and many other groups part of corporate MarCom publish content to the web. Audiences may vary, from journalists and reporters doing story research to investors and potential business partners. Increasingly, PR departments are publishing direct to consumer news content, ala “brand as publisher”.
My presentation at PRSA International in Orlando focused on how PR practitioners can realize the emerging opportunities for shifts in consumer information trends, how PR content can be optimized and socialized, tools to scale and practical social media optimization tactics to elevate search visibility of social media and social news content.
Here are the specific SEO tactics for social media in this presentation and links to other more in-depth articles on those topics:
# Blog SEO Tips – Blog Optimization – also check out our Blogging category with nearly 8 years of blog marketing tips.
# Facebook SEO - Facebook SEO Tips: Optimizing for an Audience of 800 Million
# LinkedIn SEO – Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile to Improve SEO for Your Company
# Twitter SEO – How to Use Twitter for SEO
# YouTube SEO – 5 Basic Tips for Video Optimization
# Google+ SEO – How Google+ Will Affect SEO for Your Website
Some tools which are use full in SEO :
RavenTools – Paid tool. For basic SEO project management & reporting.
SocialMention – Free social media search engine and social topic search tool.
Google Keywords Tool – Free. Basic tool for researching which words/phrases are most used on Google and how competitive they are.
Google Insights – Free. Shows trends and comparison of keyword phrase popularity (interest) over time plus geographic information.
Ubersuggest – Free. Handy tool that makes Google autocomplete suggested search phrases usable. Works for Google.com and Google News queries.
Scribe – Paid tool. WordPress plugin and standalone web service that provides real-time feedback on article keyword optimization.
Majestic SEO – Paid tool. Think of this as a clipping report for links, including information about quantity, quality and type. Has a historical feature that’s quite handy for trending.
SEMRush – Paid tool. Want to know what your site or your competitors’ sites are ranking for organically on Google? And their pay per click ads? This is the tool. Also has a trending and comparison feature.
There are many, many more Social Media Optimization and straight SEO tools out there – certainly many more that are advanced, private or for enterprise sized sites. These are basic, easy to use tools that are free or low cost that Public Relations and Communications professionals can use to optimize their news and social content for better keyword relevancy. More relevant (and links) means better visibility in search and a better user experience
In this phase, you must research your market. Who are your main competitors? What are they doing online? PPC, SEO, press releases, develop their own products, do affiliate marketing or Adsense? What are their weaknesses? Do they offer a guarantee? Is their product really good? Do they build links constantly or not?
Who is your favourite customer? Where do they hangout: MySpace or YouTube? Are they freebie seekers or desperate buyers? What forces them to buy one or another product? Read reviews, forums, testimonials to find out as much as you can about your target market.
#2 Phase – Data Analysis
If you’ve performed a thorough online market research, it’s time to systematize the data you have. Write down what are the main strengths and weaknesses of your competitors. Maybe you have more time than your competitors? Or maybe you know some targeted traffic source that others don’t. How might this affect your business?
Which are the places your target market usually visits? What are their main concerns? Maybe they’re not satisfied with the products in the market. Can offer something better, maybe in a form of a bonus? After that, you come to the next step, which is developing your internet marketing strategy.
#3 Phase – Strategy Development
When you already know your target market and your competitors, you are able to start creating your internet marketing strategy (or strategies). Just sit down and think about: who you are and what you can offer to the target market.
It involves a little bit of planning. What marketing methods you’ll use and which ones you can afford? PPC, SEO, email, blogging, podcasting, video blogging, webinars, viral traffic generation, link building, banner exchange or others…? You must prioritize your web marketing tactics. Find out what’s going to bring you positive ROI in the shortest time possible.
Do you have enough time to perform search engine optimization? If so, then sit and do everything you can, day in day out, to rank at the top in search engines. Don’t have time? Then buy PPC traffic and start testing your landing pages effectively. Or buy resell rights to products and sell them on ClickBank with the help of JV partners.
Don’t have time AND money? Then you better get one or another, otherwise you’re dead.
Seriously, you must find ways to get time or money. You need to think about how you can exploit other people’s time and money to build your own web business. That’s what rich people do and that’s what you must do if you want to survive in this competitive world.
#4 Phase – Monitoring Performance
When you have an internet marketing plan, you can start implementing it right away. The last step is to start monitoring your internet marketing campaigns. Which keywords people typed into search engines to find your site? Which keywords brought you the most money in PPC marketing? Are you satisfied with your SEO rankings or not? Do majority of your visitors leave your site without even spending 30 seconds? And so on…
Only with the help of close monitoring you can discover what works and what doesn’t. Testing landing pages, testing Adwords ads against each other (A/B split testing) can show you some amazing results. And remember – you never know for sure until you TEST it!
10 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL INTERNET MARKETING
1. Start with a web promotion plan and an effective web design and development strategy.
2. Get ranked at the top in major search engines, and practice good Search Optimization Techniques.
3. Learn to use Email Marketing Effectively.
4. Dominate your marketing niche with affiliate, reseller, and associate programs.
5. Request an analysis from an Internet marketing coach or Internet marketing consultant.
6. Build a responsive opt-in email list.
7. Publish articles or get listed in news stories.
8. Write and publish online press releases.
9. Facilitate and run contests and giveaways via your web site.
