What is a brand? It’s not uncommon for a “brand” to be thought of as a logo, a company name or tagline. While those are part of building your brand, there’s much more. Very simply, a brand is the feeling people have or what comes to mind when they see,…
Author: Napoleon Russ
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Twitter – Not Just for Socializing
Twitter is a great way to socialize. It’s like a big coffee house or gathering where people can share information. It’s a good way to stay in touch with friends with whom you don’t have time for a long phone conversation or visit. And as the world grows smaller, people who live in different cities, states, and even countries can hold conversations on Twitter as if they are in the same room.
But Twitter is not just the latest thing in personal communication – it’s also causing something of a revolution for business owners and consumers.
Not too many years ago, posting ads, garnering contact information via mailing lists, and so forth was the “latest thing” in online business promotion. But Twitter is beginning to make things like pay-per-click advertising look old fashioned. Tweets occur in real time, making it an up-to-the minute medium.
For example, if you are the owner of a sandwich shop, you can tweet your customers when you have a new sandwich or ingredient available (maybe a special deli meat or something else your customers have been waiting for). You can tweet this information a few minutes before noon, when business people are thinking of where to go to lunch. Since Twitter is in real time, you can attract your business right away.
That’s just one example. The business aspect of Twitter is diverse and growing. Here are some other aspects of Twitter as seen through a business perspective.
1. Market research
This is something that can be laborious, but Twitter makes it faster and easier. You can research your potential market or audience and see what they are tweeting about.
2. Personality
One of the things that the social and business aspects of Twitter share is the personal contact. Tweets are like conversations. You use conversational language that conveys information in a few words. Your face or familiar image will show on your avatar when you tweet. It gives the personal contact that business consumers appreciate.
The trend now is away from conformity and toward individuality – your own quirks and personality can make you stand out in the business world, and Twitter is a good way to promote that individuality.
3. Followers
Starting out as a follower is a good way to get in with the Twitter crowd. This is true with socializing, but it’s also true from a business perspective. Follow fellow users who have interests similar to yours. Start conversationally, not necessarily promotionally – you want to chit-chat before attempting any marketing or promotion of your business. It’s something like mingling at a party and networking – you want to be easy to talk to and friendly first.
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Increase Sales Leads with Content Marketing
People visit websites not to hear your sales pitch but to obtain content, either in the form of information or services. To fulfill that need, you need to generate new case studies, whitepapers, research reports, press releases, blog entries, product updates, industry overviews, comparison charts, and more. Content must be:
Relevant – Don’t simply tell your story from your perspective. Create content that answers questions and satisfies the hivemind.
Fresh – The Internet is a dynamic and interactive environment. Users expect up-to-date content. Don’t make the mistake of stuffing your website with filler content that has been directly transplanted from print. Advertising copy seldom provides enough detail. Brochure copy drags on, assuming the audience will follow a linear progression of information. While public relations copy forgets to sell.
Well-structured – The content must be organized so that people can easily find what they are looking for.
While many types of content require objectivity, when you get the chance, make sure you tell your company’s story with some passion.
It’s easy to forget, but your company has an important story to tell – one that interests investors, customers and partners, a story with character, set in a particular place and time, with color, imagery, energy and perspective, a story that defines and differentiates. Finding this story requires time and effort, investigation and debate, filling-in and polishing.
You need to define your company’s story – its vision, values and intent – in a way that differentiates ideas, reflects passion, and confirms your organization’s relationship to the world.
Don’t settle for anything less.
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Tips And Tricks To Increase Internet Marketing Success
Online marketing is a powerful career where you can make simple?item into a household name or get a million views on a single website page every single?day. Whether promoting your blog, a network marketing/mlm opportunity, a new company, or a long-standing corporation, there is always something new to learn. Here are some tips?I’ve?collected which I?think will benefit you on your journey into this exciting and lucrative world.
Constantly Create New Content
Never stop adding content to your website. Internet marketing is not a leave it and forget it type of advertising. You need to keep things fresh and keep eyes coming back to your page. Pages that are stagnant tend to fall off of search results so make sure to add things on a regular basis.
Keep your content current.
No one enjoys visiting a website when the information is old and the links are outdated or broken. Make sure to provide upkeep to your older content, as well as, constantly providing new content. New visitors will often search out the older information to get a feel for your site and you don’t want them to be disappointed!
Use a Content Management System
Use a great easy to use blogging program referred to as a Content Management System ( CMS ) ?that won’t require a lot of effort and skills to maintain.? At the time of this writing, WordPress is the CMS of choice. ?Discover plugins for your blog that can add extra value to your readers, though make sure to not overdue it. Keep your blog customized to your products and your readers for greatest effectiveness in standing out from the crowd.
Learn Forum Marketing
Use forums to market your website online. Go to forums that are related to your site or service, and spark up conversation in the threads. Have a link to your site in your signature. If you use this in the right manner you can generate a lot of traffic for your own site from there.
Offer Bribes… To keep them coming back!
Offer incentives for customers to come back to your blog?on a regular basis. Offer a free ebooks or a discount code each week so that people feel like they have to come back on a regular basis to get the freebie or get a discount on their purchases.
Watch Your Blog Color Schemes
Make sure that you avoid gaudy colors on your website. The more vibrant your website is the less professional it looks. The more it will take away from your customer’s attention of what you can offer to them. Stick with conservative colors to keep your reader’s attention and maintain your integrity and credibility.
Track Your Blog Visitors…
Knowing where your visitors are coming from and how much traffic your site attracts, will help you to optimize your site to attract even more customers. There are many free and easy to use tools that can analyze your traffic and show you exactly who is visiting your site and why. Use these tools to improve your site and bring in more traffic.
Utilize Networking to increase your following…
The power of networking is absolutely indisputable, so use this power to your advantage. Encourage your customers to tell five other people about your website for a promotional code to receive a percentage off their next total purchase. This can turn one sale into multiple sales, and increase your website exposure.
Get the Word Out…
Tell everyone you know and meet about your website anytime you get the chance. Word-of-mouth advertising can be very powerful because people love to talk. So tell every single person with whom you come in contact. This includes your neighbors, the mailman, and the clerks at the grocery store. No one is off limits.
Where possible, internationalize your Blog…
To have a successful internet marketing campaign it is important to set your blog?to cater to different languages. This will allow foreign customers to be able to access and read your advertisements. Since the advertisement is being done through the internet, it is very likely to have an international audience.
Increase traffic through sweepstakes and contests…
Use prizes, giveaways and drawings to increase traffic. People love something for free. Use this to your advantage by offering a prize as an incentive for them to go to your website, sign up for your mailing list and be entered in a drawing. This not only gets you traffic, but also builds up a mailing list for future use.
Use the above techniques in your own marketing strategies and keep track of which works for you and which don’t. It’s important to remove any marketing ideas which fail and implement those that work over and over again. Tracking your work is as important as doing the work, so keep learning, testing, and growing!
If you’d like to learn more about how to increase your traffic and get leads for your business, CLICK HERE for access my?FREE blogger training.