First we heard about the +1 button and now the social media world is buzzing with Google+.  For many, the biggest concern is, do we need to learn another social media site and if so, how difficult will it be.

Google has always been a company that launched simple and useful services and managed to do it very well. However, when it comes to social media, Google has been way behind the times.  Their attempt at catching up to its competitors by implementing Google Buzz failed miserably.

Well, this is about to change with Google+ or so it seems.  In the last year, Google has learned from the competition and has now rolled out a new social media platform that will forego the mistakes made by their competition, such as Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter.

For the most part, Google+ is very similar to Facebook; creating your profile and getting started is simple enough.  Where Google+ differs from Facebook is that Google took the time to listen to the cries of categorizing ones “friends” and keeping some things private from certain groups of people. Hence, Google has invented “circles”, which allows the user to systematically categorize who they share certain information with.

Unlike Facebook, every Google+ post has its own unique URL, making Google+ a contender with Twitter by easily indexing shared content. 

“Hangouts”, another new feature, implements Google Voice and Google Talk to allow users to “hang out” on line. Google’s spin on this new feature is to get together spontaneously on line.

“Sparks”, a service for tracking topics that interest you, easy upload of images, and implementation of +1 button all add to the simplicity and ease of use of this new social network.

A few hours after launching Google+, users were already divided in their opinion, many stating that it’s just like Facebook.  Over the last few days, many encouraging articles and blog posts have been written, stating the subtle differences that make Google+ interesting enough to give it a try.  I guess, we’ll have to wait for our invitation to make up our own mind.

For detailed information on usage…. http://mashable.com/2011/07/16/google-plus-guide/#

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We live in a result-driven world!  Achieving sales, margin goals and cash flow results are common and constant discussions at most companies. However, when it comes to website performance, unless you’re selling products online, most people avoid conversations about results. Why is that?

Without sales, margins, and cash flow, a lot of organizations simply don’t know what to measure. If you’re talking about the web, search engine results are a great place to start.

Let’s say you own a pizza parlor and you want people to find your location online. 

How can you possibly get on the first page of Google search results, maybe even become number one, for pizza knowing that there are millions of pizza places in the United States?

The answer lies in selecting keywords that are specific to your business, such as “Pizza Parlor in Wheaton, Illinois,” for example.  Selecting the right keywords, as you might have guessed, is not easy, but it’s critical to quality search results. That’s why you have so many search engine optimization (SEO) specialists advertising on the web. Search engine traffic, it has been proven, can bring you more sales and new customers if done correctly. (Did you know that your website can get penalized for taking certain actions and actually drop in ranking? http://www.webconfs.com/15-minute-seo.php)

But with so many promising that they can make you number one in the rankings, on Google, how do you know who or what to believe?

When you search the internet for “search engine optimization” companies, you are bombarded with choices.  Many promise you immediate results in getting your rankings up, and they even promise you that they can guarantee you’ll be number one in the rankings.  Is that true? Can they really do that?

The answer is no. We have several clients that we’ve taken their keywords and over several weeks and months gotten many, sometimes most, of their keywords ranked #1 on Google. Does that mean we can do that every single time?  I would never make that claim. None of us know Google’s formula for ranking sites so making such a bold claim is, in our view, irresponsible marketing. There are many ways to accomplish high ranking results for your website.  The work that goes on behind the scene of your website is only the starting point.  There are online and offline optimization techniques, which we’ll leave for another blog.

Search engines have adapted to this new web-world of blogs, social media, videos, etc., and are constantly changing how they rank websites.  In previous years, your keywords and links was all that really mattered but times have changed!  Search engines take many more factors into account these days, such as your content, download speed, keyword relevancy and competition, the importance of inbound and outbound links, and of course your connections. 

It is not always about quantity, you also have to factor in quality.  As search engines are getting smarter, so should you.  A reputable marketing company can not only improve your website ranking but do it in a way that preserves your reputation. If someone is guaranteeing you #1 ranking on Google you need to ask yourself, “Does this sound too good to be true?” If it does, well, it may be time to consider another SEO firm.

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What a bummer, I got fired yesterday. Bounced unceremoniously like an old worn out dishrag. It was swift and ruthless but apparently necessary.

Thank God my dignity was left intact. No one walked into my office and gave me some long-winded crap thanking me for my significant value and then blaming impersonal budget cuts, that apparently no one is responsible for creating.

It’s always personal when someone gets the boot, at least to them.

I was glad the intercom didn’t buzz and announce that I needed come to HR immediately. The world knows when the boot comes through the intercom. I didn’t have to do the dead-man walking (through the halls) routine but, nonetheless, I got canned.

I must admit, it tore at my gut. I literally felt like crying. I’d worked so hard. How could I have failed?

Crying wouldn’t help. Business is like baseball in that regard. But at least I didn’t have to tell my wife.

You see, I fired myself.

I knew there was more I could do that I didn’t do. I worked my butt off but somehow I didn’t get everything out of my ability that was inside.  There was more value within my head, my heart, my soul, and there was only one way to get it out of me.

I fired myself figuratively. No one knows I did it but many are feeling the effects.

Over the weekend I stopped thinking about office politics, budget decisions that no longer had any relevance, and everything in the “Past” column.

Starting Monday this was a new job, a new chance, a new value I would have to bring to survive, add more value, and improve my team’s performance. I decided to approach my work as though I’d just been given a new assignment, which I did.

My mindset was one of a new hire. I acted like my new boss had just called me in and said, “This business is broken and we’re looking for you to get us on-track. Fix our processes, evaluate the team, empower the winners and address the losers swiftly, find ways to increase shareholder value now, get some early wins…”

So on Monday I looked myself in the mirror and responded, “Yes, sir!”

The point of this silly little story is, it’s easy to get caught up in the flow of whatever it is we’re doing. But becoming part of the status quo doesn’t move the needle. If we really want to matter, if we really want to succeed, we have to challenge ourselves in major, not minor, ways and own the results.

If you’re up for that, then fire yourself and come in, as a new hire, and make something happen now.

My team was surprised, and I dare say, inspired by my decisiveness, assertiveness, and willingness to take on calculated risks.

Only you know if you need to be fired. But if you ask me, it’s time to give the new person a chance. He or she just might surprise you.

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There’s a lot of debate about setting SEO goals. Some good work has been done on SEO goals linked (no pun intended) to building traffic, selling more goods, branding/image marketing, lead generation and conversions, and influence through thought leadership.

Those are all good goals but we think a better goal exists. While most of our clients want to rank #1 for all of their keywords, few understand that may not be possible. Especially if they share keywords with Global 100 multi-national corporations, ranking #1 across the board isn’t always possible. And, at least initially, even if it’s doable it may be too far off, too ambitious as a starting point. So we highly recommend a simpler approach.

Pick one of your competitors and beat them into dust.

We have one client who requires that we measure them against their largest competitor every month. After about a year, when it was clear that we were performing better for selected keywords than their larger, global competitor, I recommended we stop measuring ourselves against that competitor and select someone else to “beat.”

The client, having competed against the other firm - their mortal enemy - for decades, rejected our recommendation. We understood but that hasn’t affected our recommended strategy.

Pick one competitor to measure yourself against and once you’ve beaten them in the search engine ranking game, select another target.
 

If you’re the New England Patriots setting a target of winning the Super Bowl every year may make sense but most of us aren’t the Patriots. We need to walk before we run.

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1. Every page needs a focal point

Every page on your website should have a focal point, a place where the visitor’s eyes are naturally drawn. It can be an image, a special offer, or a headline. In addition, that focal point should direct your visitors to act, a call-to-action.

Click here for free sample, for example.

Think of your pages as Billboards. Billboards are big, bright, and clearly direct you to take a specific action. You site pages should do the same.

Your focal points should include images and copy that is keyword rich and help the search engines find your site.

2. Headline can be very effective

Headlines organize your content by making a promise to the reader. It follows then, that your content must then deliver on that promise.

Using the “who-what-why” formula isn’t the only way to format your headlines, but it works. Think of your headlines as a promise, a commitment you make between you and your visitor.

There are many effective headline formulas out there, so you need never worry about repeating yourself.

Whether it’s on the page or in your meta data, headlines are an important SEO tactic.

3. Get 50% through the use of numbers

People are more apt to believe something when a number accompanies it. 51% of those surveyed believed something is more powerful than a majority of those surveyed believe…

Numbers grab our attention and are more credible than general terms. It seems people like specifics.

4. Use power words

Words like fast, easy, guaranteed and free are powerful copy.

    “Free is the most powerful word in the copywriter’s vocabulary. Everybody wants to get something for free.”

    -Robert W. Bly

In our email marketing we typically use headlines such as, “Free PDF…” or some other power word to increase click-throughs and, eventually, sales opportunities.

5. Think about your images

The cliché is “a picture is worth a thousand words” and it’s true. And if a picture is worth a thousand words then a video is worth ten thousand. Think long and hard about the visuals you use. Pictures and videos can supercharge story and include:

    * Photographs

    * Artwork

    * Charts and Graphs

    * Slidedecks

    * Video

    * Infographics

Make sure your images have an ALT description so the search engines know what it is you’re trying to communicate through your images.

6. Use Sub-Headlines

Would you read a newspaper if it had just one headline? Of course not!

We want information that is categorized and well organized.

If your text is longer than 250-400 words, you must use sub-headlines. No exceptions.

While the search engines give sub-headings slightly less impact than Headings, sub-headings remain an important SEO tactic.

7. Lists work

This entire post is a list.

Why do lists work so well? Lists are the building blocks of the thinking process, of ideas. To communicate your thoughts quickly and effectively, nothing structures the information like a well-thought out and logically organized list.

8. People love quotes

In my book Communication Wins, I opened every chapter with a quotation. Selecting the right quote for each chapter took up a significant part of my editing time.

Use quotes to organize your ideas and demonstrate that our major points are significant enough to have earned a historical quotation. If Abraham Lincoln commented on your major point, then it’s probably important enough for people to want to learn more about it.

9. Fun with font

Some people change fonts within their copy for emphasis. We think that’s a bad idea. To attract attention to a particular point or section of your copy, try using bold and/or italics.

The search engine can detect bold and/or italicized font in your copy and assume these are the important terms (keywords).

10. Your voice sells

There are dozens of good SEO copywriting techniques. We encourage you to learn and use them.

However, at the end of the day, you need to find your own voice. Your particular point of view, style, and tone, form the foundation for your audience appeal.

I love the way Peggy Noonan writes. She was President Reagan’s speech writer and has a lyrical style and velvet touch while, at the same time, the ability to cut like a knife, without sounding angry, through the foolishness that is served up to us on a daily basis as serious political discourse. Would I like to write like Peggy, you bet!

But I can’t. There’s only one Peggy and I’m not her. So I have to do my best to write like me. I’ve learned that my best writing is typically short declarative sentences that are easy to read and understand.

Do you agree?

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Writing and submitting articles to article banks, e-zines and e-book publishers has proven to be one of the most effective of all traffic generating techniques. You may think that you have no writing ability, but you can definitely write articles about the topic of your website and about the products or services that you are selling. You just need to know the rules for making them effective.

The Headline.    The first and most important few words of your article are in the title or the headline. The title MUST contain the key words that relate to the topic of your website and to the products or services that you sell. This is the first thing that other website owners or E-zine publishers will look at when they decide whether to reproduce your article on their websites or in their publications because they want their copy optimized for search engines.
 

The other thing about the title or headline of your article is that it must be attention getting. For example, you can’t just title your article ‘Fish Bait’.  ‘Fish Bait the Fish Can’t Resist’ would entice the person who was looking for information about fish bait to keep reading.

The First Line.    Equally important to your article is the first line of the first paragraph. Internet surfers have a notoriously short attention span and rarely actually read anything word for word unless it is information that they believe will serve their needs, solve a problem or make life better in general for them. So the title and the first line are what you use to entice a reader to actually read the article.

The first line needs to contain the key words as well; and it also needs to be attention getting. So, if you like fishing, you would probably keep reading an article that starts with. ‘The fish were begging for more of this fish bait after my first cast!’

Length.  Another thing about writing articles that you plan to submit to article banks is that they need to be short. Very short! They should be a maximum of 400 words and closer to 300 would be better. It’s easy to get carried away and produce an article that is 1000 words or more when you are discussing a subject that you know a lot about and are interested in. If you start writing and forget to stop, break long wordy articles down and make three or four articles out of the one long one.

Formatting.  Use short sentences and short paragraphs. Remember that short attention span that we talked about? Don’t use big words and don’t use run-on sentences. Make your article easy to read. Go easy on the exclamation points, as well. One exclamation point indicates importance or excitement...  a half a dozen are just rude.

Warning! Do NOT word-wrap your link! Type it out in full, as in http://www.whatever.com. All email programs that E-zine editors use to send out their newsletters and E-zines do not support word-wrapped links so you can defeat your own purpose by word-wrapping the link to your website.

You may not actually generate any real traffic for your website at the very outset but this technique will serve you very well in the long run!

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For your inbound marketing to succeed, a call to action is a necessity.  Without it, how will you build your lead and future customer base?  An opt-in incentive gives your readers the option to stay informed by being added to your mailing list.

Opt-in incentive is often referred to as ‘bait’. For you to convince visitors to your website to hand over their name and email address to you, you need to give them a good reason. There is one common trait among computer users... they REALLY LOVE FREE INFORMATION and other freebies.

Online freebies are common and they leave the visitor wanting more when they are well written and present themselves as informative introductory materials. Consider such freebies as:

1. Giving away an eBook with your ad on it. Allow your visitors to also give the freebie away. This will increase your ad exposure and increase web traffic to your website at the same time.
2. Holding free online classes or seminars. They could be held in your website's chat room. The idea of "live" information will definitely entice people to visit your website. You will become known as an expert on the topic.
3. Giving visitors a free entry into your contest or sweepstakes. The prizes should be something of interest or value to your visitors. Most people who enter will continually revisit your web site to get the results.
4. Letting visitors download free software such as freeware, shareware, demos etc. You could even turn part of your site into a free software directory. If you created the software, include your ad inside and let other people give it away.
5. Targeting specific groups who might worry about using the Internet with free lessons in using it on your site – senior citizens, busy workers etc. might find these convenient and alluring.
6. Offering free online services or utilities from your website.  For instance, they could be search engine submitting, copywriting, proofreading etc. The service or utility should be helpful to your target audience.
7. Giving free consulting to people who visit your website. You could offer your knowledge via e-mail or by telephone. People will consider this to be of tremendous value because consulting fees can be very expensive.
8. Offering a free start-up package that has a finite time; enough time for the customer to practice with your online product and like it enough to pay for continued use.
9. Sending out free CD-Roms, CDs, DVDs etc. that contain starter packs or teasers to encourage the customer to use your site more.
10. Offering free screensavers or templates for business cards, cards, writing paper, etc., anything that a customer can print out.

Being creative with your ideas and putting strategies in place will grow your customer base.  It is only a matter of time!

We’d love to hear from you – what has worked for you in the past?  Feel free to share your success stories with our readers.

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We’ve all seen Charlie Sheen rant about “winning” lately. He defines winning as a large bank account, hanging out with porn-stars (his Mom must be so proud), frying his noggin with drugs and alcohol, and causing 200 people to lose their jobs on Two and a Half Men.

If you’re an 18 year old male who thinks Howard Stern is still cool, then maybe Charlie is winning. To the rest of us, Charlie is losing big time. He’s boorish and painful to watch. So let’s redefine “winning.”

To me, “winning” is about gadgets. It’s a pathetic definition, I know, but it’s better than Charlie’s. Let me explain.

I have two iPhones, an iMac, a MacBook Pro, and an iPad. I also have a PC to facilitate communication with the unenlightened (Microsoft-based) world. Winning!
 

Why all the Apple devices? Who knows? They’re cool. So, by extension, so am I, right?

People have looked at my desk and said to me, “I have gadget envy.” To which, I just smile. It’s a little embarrassing to admit but I dig it when someone admires my Apple stuff.

I know it’s only an illusion of cool. The truth is I’m just another silly geek, strapped to the Net for all eternity.

What amazes me is how I actually use all of these devices effectively and constantly.
 

The iPhones are my dedicated phone devices. The iPad is my workhorse for emails, directions, social media, and downtime, such as sitting around airports. I share the iMac with my wife so it has all our personal info, which is also stored on the cloud for universal access. And the MacBook is there for whatever I need to do while watching TV or sitting at Starbucks, my new Saturday morning ritual. The PC handles my Microsoft doings and syncs nicely with all my Outlook dependent friends; poor souls.
 

You should see me move from spot to spot and task to task while seamlessly trading one device for another.  Headed to lunch or out for weekend errands?  Grab the iPad.  Headed to the couch?  Grab a laptop.  Voicemail list is out of control?  Grab the iPhones like two six-guns and start hitting buttons.
 

This combination of devices just sort of happened over time, it was semi-conscious, not as structured and deliberate as I normally work. It’s been a trial and error process toward higher productivity, and it meant I had to learn a lot of new skills.

How about you? What are you doing more of? How are you winning?

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We keep talking about the importance of communication.  Being able to communicate is what will make or break your marketing campaign, what will make website visitors stay longer and what will eventually turn leads into customers.

We mostly communicate through content, but the first impression we leave largely depends on the visual appeal of the content we are presenting, may that be our website, our social media landing pages, our reports or our marketing collateral.  Choosing the right images to visually communicate our content is crucial to engaging our readers.

5 Tips to choosing the correct image:

1. Determine the overall concept of what it is you are trying to communicate. Then decide on the theme of your image.
2. Make sure you consider the colors in the image of your choice. There are many sites that offer images for a reasonable cost, such as Clipart.com,  iStockPhoto.com, Free-StockPhotos.com, PaintShop Pro, NeoPaint, and with so many images available, there is bound to be one that will be the perfect fit.
3. Avoid a cluttered image (unless you are writing about clutter).  A good image draws your eyes to the story you want to tell.  A cluttered image distracts from the story.
4. Consider your target audience.  Don’t leave anyone out of the story.  Make sure you choose an image that covers the whole of your target market, not just one part of your audience.
5. If you have any inkling that you have to explain the setting in the image to communicate your intention, it’s not the right picture.   

Remember, choosing the right image while communicating your message can make or break the deal!

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Someone once said (may have been Guy Kawasaki), “Building a website and then not spending the time and money to do SEO is like creating a commercial and then not buying any television or radio airtime.”

I agree. A build it and they will come website strategy is, honestly, folly. Yet, time and again, I see companies build nice websites and then believe they’ve completed their work. Nothing could be further from the truth.

So, if you want to get some mileage out of your website, here are my Top 7 SEO recommendations:

1. Register your website with DMOZ, also known as the Open Directory Project, at www.dmoz.org. The Open Listing Mission is the most important and most complete directory on the Web. It is also the only one Google uses. Since Google tends to have between 60% and 70 of the search engine market share, it’s important that you make sure you’re your website is easily found by Google. DMOZ is also used to feed many of the other web directories as well. Note, DMOZ is an all volunteer organization so it can take months to get your site listed. So register your site today!
2. Manually submit your web site url address to Google at http://www.google.com/addurl. Once accepted, like DMOZ, it can take months, Google’s software will crawl (scan) your site (see bullets 4-6 below), determine what your site is all about, and, in most instances, begin including it in their search results. 
3. Yahoo is a little different. Yahoo asks you to pay $299.00 to be included in their official directory listing ($600.00 if your site includes “adult content).” But Yahoo can still find your site and include without your paying any fee. Yahoo also has a free submission page - http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/submit - you can use to improve your Yahoo search engine rankings. I’ve read that Yahoo’s Directory also drives results on Bing and AltaVista. But I wouldn’t count on that, so I’d also recommend submitting your website to Bing at http://www.bing.com/webmaster/SubmitSitePage.aspx. 
4. Make sure you are using the best keywords and keyword phrases in your Metadata and in your website copy. This is a biggee! Having the right keywords is critical in getting your site ranked high in the search engine results. There’s actually a metric, KEI, which stands for Keyword Effectiveness Indicator, you can track. Since almost every site has unique high KEI keywords, we won’t go into how to develop your high KEI terms here but we will encourage you to either take the time to learn how to develop high KEI keywords or outsource the work to a professional.
5. The more links you have to your website, especially if the linking sites have a high Google Page Rank, the more likely it is Google and the other search engines will rank your website high in their search results. Some effective ways to build links to your site are article submission, affiliate programs, sending emails to webmasters at sites you think your target audience visit, or hire someone to build links for you. We do not recommend hiring one of those firms that say they’ll get you 1,000 links in one week for $500.00+/-. The search engines may view that type of instant growth in links as “gaming the system, which it is, and punish you. Links need to be built over time.
6. Install Google’s free Sitemap code in your website. A sitemap is XML code that lists all the URLs (pages) in your site and makes them easy to read and understand for the search engines. Sitemaps enable the search engines to quickly crawl and index your site in an organized manner. They also allow your webmaster to include additional information to help the search engines find your site and keywords, when it was last updated, and other important information. Sitemaps complement the software, or crawl-based tools such as a robot.txt file, they do not replace those tools. Using Sitemap code does not guarantee your site’s search engine rankings will improve.
7. The last tactic is perhaps the most difficult; be patient. SEO is like farming. You plant seeds, nurture them along so they can grow, and then, one day, relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Note, conversely, Pay-per-Click, or PPC, is like hunting. Bang! Lunch. In other words, you shoot something (buy ads) and you get leads. Some good; some bad. Here’s another difference between SEO and PPC, once your SEO tactics have you at the top of page one on Google, it’s highly likely you will stay there for some time. With PPC, once the ads (expense) stops, the leads stop.

SEO is the best insurance available to earn a return on your website investment. It is what helps your website be found by existing and new customers and, even if you outsource the work, it’s simply not that expensive. Without SEO you are simply hoping your website is found and that’s not good business practice.

It is also an ongoing effort because the search engines continue to tweak their algorithms. In 2009 it was reported that Google made almost 300 changes. By implementing the tactics outlined in this post your website can become an amazing source of new business. Perhaps the best part about SEO, and digital marketing in general, if done right, is you can measure the return on every tactic.

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