SEM | SEO & Social Media MarketingSEO & Social Media Marketing

+1 Button? Buzz? Like?

June 4, 2011
Facebook, Internet Marketing, SEM, Social Media
2 Comments
+1 button, Facebook, Google, Google Buzz, Like Button

Are you confused yet?

Facebook Like

Google

Unless you are a hard-core geek who follows the daily updates of all things web, you may not be aware that Google launched a new service this week creatively entitled +1 button (plus one). Basically, this is Google’s answer to the Facebook ‘Like’ button.

+1? Why should you care?

According to Google, the +1 button will influence search rankings and will be one of the signals they use to determine a page’s relevance along with social signals from other services. I have written before that the ‘Like’ is becoming the new ‘Link’ in that social proof or approval is now a factor in establishing authority online (see 7 reasons why you need a Facebook Page).

As people see recommendations from friends, Google says publishers could see “more, and better qualified traffic coming from Google”. They see the +1 button as “shorthand for ‘this is pretty cool’ or ‘you should check this out’. Google says you should click the +1 button when you “like, agree with, or want to recommend” something to others.

Don’t confuse the +1 Button with the Google Buzz button, but there are many similarities. If I were a betting man I’d wager that Buzz and +1 will eventually merge in their functionality, but there is little reason to have both services competing for user involvement.

As marketing types we already have to promote our content with Likes, Tweets, and other social media updates and now +1 actions. Many website owners have already replaced the Buzz button with the +1 button. If you want to learn more about this and want the code for the button to add to your site, you can get it here.

Will +1 catch on better than ‘Buzz’?

So what’s your opinion? Is +1 just a me too catch-up, or do you think it will compete favorably with the Facebook Like? Are you planning to add this to your website or blog? I’d love to see what you have to say, leave a comment below…

Try this… Over in the R-hand column under the ‘Get Social’ heading I’ve added the +1 button. Do me a favor and click it, let’s see if this gets Google’s attention over time. I’ll keep you posted, thanks.

Are you using the right bait?

March 12, 2011
Internet Marketing, SEM, SEO
No Comments
advertising, Internet Marketing, search engine optimization, SEO

Are you fishing in the right pond?

Sales pros often use metaphors such as these to describe the selling process. The “bait” is typically advertising or promotional offers that get people’s attention. The “pond” might represent a demographic or an advertising channel.

The point being that if we catch the attention of people who may be interested in our offer, we stand a better chance of landing those “big fish”.

Okay, enough of the fishing metaphors, but the idea holds true with our websites and online, marketing efforts. The big difference is that to reach people who are searching for our products or services, we must first attract the search engines and literally sell them on our offer.

Unless Google (and Bing, Yahoo, etc.) see the value in our website for our particular keyword phrases, no prospective customers will ever discover our remarkable offer.

This is what a well implemented search engine optimization strategy will do for you. It get’s Google’s attention, and searches for your keywords means that your website will be listed above other sites. Page one of Google search results means traffic to your website. There is little difference between being listed on page two - or page two-hundred-thousand.

Fish where the fish are!

Oops, I lied about the fishing metaphor, but you’ll forgive me when you realize how important the message really is. We’re in business and our first priority is to sell somebody something. Today, consumers search online before they shop. If we don’t capture their attention online, they will never walk into our store – or call us on the telephone.

Doing business in 2011 requires that we have a website that attracts search engine spiders and provides unique, quality information to site visitors. SEO is imperative! It is no longer optional; it is more important than having a business phone.

If you get this… get my book. You’ll thank me for it some day! Seriously, can you possibly imagine what having your website on page one of Google would mean to your business?

Cable TV suffers biggest decline in 30 years

November 18, 2010
Internet Marketing, SEM, SEO, Social Media, Technology
3 Comments
advertising, search engine optimization, SEO & Social Media Marketing Book, seo for small business

So why is cable TV a newsworthy topic on an Internet marketing blog?

Because it illustrates another factor in the accelerating trend of consumers going online for virtually everything they want; news, weather, sports, movies, games, shopping, banking, investing and networking with family, friends and business associates. (See report from Financial Times)

Let’s face it, small businesses struggling to survive in this challenging economic climate simply don’t have the time to keep abreast of trends in technology. The paradox is that occasionally those technological developments may offer the one thing that could cause the business to thrive.

In other words, if you knew that hordes of potential customers were to congregate in one place for a public event, would you not consider an advertising buy that would reach those targeted prospects? Of course you would, it makes sound business sense and is good utilization of your advertising budget.

Small Business Survival Plan

This is exactly what a well-implemented search engine optimization and social networking plan can do for your business. When a prospect searches for your products or services, your website appears in the organic search results. This is the same as advertising your message to that horde of potential customers we mentioned above except they’re not all in one place or searching at the same moment.

The BIG difference between advertising to the crowd and targeting that one buyer is cost. It takes serious money to blast an advertising message to the general public, but it only takes some time and $39 to be able to attract prospects at the exact moment they are ready to buy. This is what SEO and Social Media Marketing can do for your business; help you attract serious buyers without needing to spend the money advertising to the drive-by public.

My book, the SEO & Social Media Marketing Guide, is geared to small business. It’s written in plain English, not technobabble. It explains what you need to do and why it is important, and then shows you step-by-step how to perform each task.

Possibly the most important benefit of SEO is that once in place, it can literally work forever. I have websites that get thousands and thousands of unique visitors every month without spending one penny on advertising or promotion. Once you have optimized your web presence you can focus on the other things that need attention, like running your business. Or maybe you might want to watch some TV.

How to make a video without using video!

October 19, 2010
SEM, Video Marketing
4 Comments
SEO, SEO & Social Media Marketing Book, video marketing, YouTube

Throughout my book (SEO & Social Media Marketing Guide), I stress that one of the most important reasons for off-site SEO is to obtain backlinks to your website. I also emphasize using video as it provides some of the most potent “Google juice” available.

There are a number of objections to implementing video. Most of us will admit to being uncomfortable in front of a camera and that we don’t have video editing experience. Assuming these to be valid problems, here’s a great strategy for creating an impressive video without using the conventional approach.

Microsoft’s PowerPoint is a great presentation program. It is easy to use and can produce professional looking, animated and slideshows with sound and voice-overs. If you don’t have PowerPoint, a similar presentation program called Impress is available for free through openoffice.org.

Okay, you’re with me so far and you can build a presentation about your products or services, but you’re still having a problem with the voice-over. You try doing it yourself, but you just don’t like how you sound through a microphone. Here’s a great solution.

Another one of the tips I provide my book is to use a website called fiverr.com. This is a resource where people will perform literally thousands of different chores for $5.00. You can find people with professional “announcer-type” voices who will read your PowerPoint slides and create the voice-over for your presentation.

The video below was created in PowerPoint. The voice-over was done by a fellow I hired on fiverr.com. I think you will admit that the voice quality, inflections and professional delivery are outstanding. If you have ever done any commercial production work, you know that such a project can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

This fellow charged $5.00 for 250 words, and because my project exceeded that limit I paid an additional $10.00 to cover the additional words. I think you’ll agree that $15.00 for a voice-over of this quality was a bargain.

So now I had my PowerPoint presentation and a professional voice over, but I still needed to incorporate this into a video file format recognized by YouTube and other video streaming websites. To solve this problem I’ve visited a website called the Wondershare.Com where I bought their program called PPT2Video Pro that converts PowerPoint presentations into various video formats. There are some free programs that claimed to do this but my experience with them has been less than satisfactory. This powerful software program was worth of $49.00 price tag to me. Download a trial version here.

If you hire a company to produce a video for you you’ll pay by the minute, and it isn’t cheap. However, if you’re willing to create a PowerPoint presentation, spend five or 10 bucks for a voice-over and buy an inexpensive software program (that you can use forever), you can produce professional looking videos and keep your mug off camera.

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