Blog Marketing: Give Your Small Business a Boost with a Business Blog

The Ins and Outs of Business Blogging

Business blogs are yet another tool in the small business marketer’s informational cache. As is the case with any approach to internet marketing, blog marketing has a few ins and outs that must be addressed.

• The ins:

  • Easy to use. Business blogs are not unlike any other weblog. With the overwhelming abundance of blogging technologies available, all you need for a successful blog is a computer, a mouse, and a complete thought.

  • Easy to produce. Small business marketers generally do not have the available funds to contract with an internet designer or software developer to promote his or her business. Blogs are the most cost-efficient way to convey a copious amount of relevant information without the investment of advertising.

  • Easy to manage. All that is required for managing a business blog is regular updating. Because you do not have to learn the lingo found in the secret world of web designers, you can quickly and easily keep your customers informed through your blog.

• The outs:

  • Necessity of time. As is the case with any small business activity, there is a time factor involved with the maintenance of a business blog. The best way to manage your blogging time is to create a schedule of regular updates and follow it.

  • Necessity of material. What if you just do not have an update for your business blog? Try these tips when short on material:

    • Short of making something up, find relevant links and post a few comments on how they relate to what you are marketing.

    • Answer some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). If they are frequently asked, they deserve a reply.

    • Post a picture or video of the week and add your own caption or comment.

  • Necessity of self. Some small business marketers may find blogging too informal or “unbusiness-like.” Quite the contrary. Through your blog, your customers can get a glimpse into the brains behind the business, making you more real and your information more meaningful.

Me, The, and FREE: What Could Be Better than FREE?

As a first-timer, a “newbie”, to the business blogging world, it is best to seek out the most user-friendly weblog publishing site. There are many from which to choose, but some are more widely used than others, making them a more likely place for searches among those searching for specific business information.

• Great Google-y Moogly. Blogger is Google’s version of the free weblog. The greatest thing about Blogger is that it is automatically linked to other Google gadgets that you and your customers may subscribe to, such as Google Friend Connect or Google Reader.

• The Three Ws.

  • WordPress. WordPress may be found in two forms: WordPress.org and WordPress.com. WordPress.com is managed by the developers of WordPress created to make blogging as simple as possible without the drudgery of learning coding and other challenges of technology not embraced by the general user. WordPress.org is designed for the user planning to use a web host (perhaps your own domain) and has the luxury of time to invest in blog maintenance.

  • Wetpaint. Wetpaint is a source of opportunity for anyone wishing to join a broader community of information swapping. By creating your business blog through Wetpaint, you can join the mix of social networks and discussion forums and increase your web traffic and customer base.

  • Weebly. No, Weebly is not the internet product of Weebles. Weebly is a hosting service that is geared toward the simpler side of blog-and-forum sites rather than the social side. They offer the basics of design templates as well as the drag-and-drop feature for adding site content.

Business blogs are not brain surgery, but they are an essential component of the successful small business marketer. With user-friendly formats and blogger control of content, business blogs are a great low-cost alternative to expensive web site development and maintenance.

image credits to Leonie²

Video Marketing Online: Keywords Are a Key Step to More Website Traffic

Video marketing has become the number one priority in 2009 for internet marketers who are searching for an increase in website traffic. When implementing video into your online marketing strategy, it is important to remember that keywords are vital to getting more website traffic and longer website visits. Take into account these suggestions for maximizing keywords in your video marketing strategy:

Tip 1: One is the loneliest number.

• Although the selection of keywords is crucial to generating more website traffic, do not limit yourself to just one or two general words. Brainstorm the keywords that directly relate to your site and broaden them to include synonyms and other similar terms.

• Make your keywords specific for your targeted customers. If you really want to generate sales results, choose several appropriate keywords that will attract genuine customers rather than those who are just window shopping.

• Use keyword combinations that give your customers more opportunities to access your site and your video. Using these "long tail keywords" as opposed to single words will multiply the number of search results returned through the search engines.

Tip 2: Variety is the spice of life.

• Even a minimal amount of keyword research can result in more website traffic. Which keywords are “hot” and which keywords are not? Using obsolete or unfamiliar keywords will certainly not generate visitors to your site.

• Utilize keyword research tools, such as Google’s AdWords, to find out which keywords are the most used in internet searches. Knowing how potential customers are searching can enable you to follow their patterns and increase website traffic.

• Take advantage of commonly misspelled words. With spell check software and search engine keyword optimization, many people are not conscientious about the correct spellings of their searches.

Tip 3: Role play.

• Approach internet marketing videos from the perspective of the customer. It is the customer you want to attract; therefore, consider why a potential customer might visit your site and list all keyword possibilities that a customer would use to search for and find you site.

• Maximize video marketing by creating a video the customer wants to see. Combining ideal keywords with a video supports what your customer has searched for. If your keywords include coffee, coffee beans, and Starbucks, a video about English tea would not only confuse the potential customer but likely guarantee the customer would never return to your site.

• Use video marketing to the advantage of the customer. With the right keyword selection, the customer is directed to your site for a video that offers something for his or her efforts: first glimpse at new product on the market, the opportunity for a limited time offer, etc.

The right keywords can make or break your attempts to increase website traffic to your site. No video marketing strategy is complete without thorough keyword research prior to integrating video marketing into your web site. The more research you are willing to put into keyword selection, the more website traffic you will receive in return.

image credits to Fray Bentos

Video Marketing Online: Easy Tips to Increase Website Traffic with Videos

The majority of online video viewers fall into the 25- to 35-year-old demographic group making internet marketing videos a strong outlet to reach potential customers. In May 2008 alone, an average of 85 videos a month were watched by 142 million U.S. Internet users and by 2012 there will be an estimated 190 million video viewer audience online.

This is a significant observation because marketing is shifting to online videos and businesses are wise to shift their marketing efforts accordingly to get more website traffic and capitalize on the online video marketing trend. Currently more than 40% of video viewers watch clips five minutes or less such as TV shows, movie trailers, news and jokes.

Adding videos to videos sharing sites can drive quality traffic to your site and potentially convert interest into action. Selling your products, positioning your brand or gaining exposure is the name of the game to increasing revenue. Think beyond the normal infomercial when developing your video - get creative since the most popular online video content isn’t average material. In a YouTube dominated world, original videos get passed on the most – think about the demographic of online video watchers and create a video to speak to that audience while staying true to your brand.

Because of technology today, easy video marketing can be an inexpensive way to engage a potential customer and develop an audience who you wouldn’t normally target. The online video market is massive and eager for new content - you only must lead them to your site.

Get more video marketing tips and learn how to increase your website traffic with videos by visiting our site.

image credits to Colin Johnson

A Video Marketing Plan... Are You Ready?

So, you have perfected your social marketing plan, have you? You’re involved in blogs. You have a network of like-minded internet associates you communicate with regularly. You’ve established yourself as someone qualified to speak on topics in your niche area of expertise. Now, you’re ready to just sit back and rest on your laurels, right? Well, not so fast. If you have done all those things, then you are proficient at using the web to drive traffic to your website and interest to what you are offering. But, are there other social marketing strategies you can employ to further enhance your reputation and drive further traffic to your website? Is a video marketing plan in your future? Read on to discover how using video marketing strategies might increase your web traffic tenfold.

Viral Video... What is it?

When most computer users hear the words virus or viral they cringe with bad memories of lost data, locked up computers and general havoc. But, if you create a social marketing strategy based upon the concept of viral video you just might be pleasantly surprised. By definition a viral video is one that is uploaded to a social networking site, like You Tube, and suddenly “catches on” with users there. One person spreads it by posting it, or a link to it, in an email to all his friends. Those friends love it and soon the video has spread exponentially, like a virus, all across the internet. And, guess what… time after time these popular videos are embedded with someone’s video marketing plan, that is, a link to their website or some other contact back to the creator of the video. So, by using social marketing strategies, a business or enterprise or entrepreneur will drive new contacts to his/her site. Viral videos often get thousands, even millions, of internet hits in just a few days. What about it? You could stand that kind of exposure couldn’t you?

Video Marketing Plan... Where do you start?

How’s this for a smart aleck answer - start at the beginning. No, that’s not really a wisecrack. It’s just a statement of fact. The first step of implementing your social marketing strategies is to have, or invest in, a decent video camera that you can use to create the newest and best viral video out there. No, it doesn’t need to be a $1,000 to $2,000 dollar camera that could produce theatre quality video. In fact, you might already own one good enough to do the job. If not, $100 to $200 will get you in the game quite nicely. Do a little homework. Get a decent camera capable of delivering quality internet video for a reasonable price. With a good camera, your social marketing plan is off to a good start.

In the next installment we’ll discuss how to make a viral video that will captivate audiences and send your video marketing plan to the top of the charts. Just keep in mind these few pointers as you begin implementing social marketing strategies.

* It’s free - Where else can you get this kind of exposure, at any
price?

* It’s creative - Your video marketing strategies show who you are, and how
effectively you communicate your greatness.

* It’s fun - Seriousness is not the key of viral video… enjoyment is. A
video social marketing plan gets more results with a laugh than it does with a
sermon.

image credits to Sherman Tan

SEO Techniques #2: Keywords Are King

The first step in a search engine optimization strategy is to take a close look at your website and evaluate the words it uses. To do this you need to think like a savvy internet searcher and answer a few basic questions:

* What words would someone enter into a search engine, like Google or Yahoo, if he or she were seeking what your website offers?
* Are there catch phrases that describe your specific site’s content?
* What can you do to make your site receive a higher rank on the search
engine results page?

To make your site more appealing to search engines let’s take a look at
one of the vital search engine optimization tips – using keywords efficiently.

Understand How the Search Engine Works

Search engines are becoming more exotic and sophisticated. They are different from each other in that each one has a very unique set of algorithms that control how they seek answers to the search question typed in by the searcher. By definition an algorithm is a series of mathematical instructions used by the search engine to arrive at a specific conclusion, i.e. the answer to the searchers question. Although not entered as a question each search made is asking the search engine to find specific data, the answer, to the searcher’s entry. The search engine will literally scour the internet to find words matching the entry. As you see on search results pages, each word of the searcher’s entry are highlighted, with the highest ranking going to those with the words most closely like the search, and closest together in the text of the website. So, you must concentrate on the use of keywords in your website to obtain a high level of search engine optimization.

Choosing Correct Keywords

Your site is unique. It’s one of a kind, at least to you. But to the search engine it is one in a million. To make your site attractive to the search engine try a few search engine optimization techniques related to keywords:

* Study your site thoroughly. Keywords should flow naturally in the text of your site. Search engines are quick to detect stilted or unnatural text designed simply to use specific keywords. Be focused on making your site au naturel.
* Pick your keywords carefully. Don’t get stuck in a rut. Use current, up-to-date keywords directly related to what your website offers.
* Do not over use keywords. Search engine marketing is enhanced by quality keyword usage – not by quantity.

Go ahead. Analyze your website with particular attention paid to the keywords you are using. A little editing of your site might increase web traffic significantly. In SEO keywords are king. Properly placed in the text of your website and in the title of your main title page keywords can be catalyst to getting your site on track. They can catch the eye of the search engine as it scans the web. With proper, relevant, apropos usage they can elevate your website in the search engine's results page. And that is what search engine optimization is all about – getting more visitors to your site!

image credits to xjy

Use SEO To Improve Your Ranking After Getting Indexed

Getting indexed is a vital part of your search engine optimization strategy, but it is the first step of the journey. After you have become successfully indexed don’t drop the ball. Your next SEO technique concerns improving your ranking on search engine results pages. When a search is made you want your website to be front and center on page number one of the results if at all possible. To increase web traffic you will want to employ some fresh ideas to get your site noticed by search engines. Here’s a few to consider.

Increase Your Online Presence

The best way to get noticed online is to be there. Not just on your website. Be there in different places at different times all across the internet, particularly in areas that are pertinent to your little niche of influence and expertise. Consider signing up forums or getting involved in communities in your field. A quick internet search will probably reveal several, if not an abundance, of these sites where participants are chatting about the very things that interest you. So, get going. Make a name for yourself! And, while you are doing it, don’t forget to drop in links to your website. This is an effective search engine optimization technique, since the engines will see these as back links to your site, which has the added benefit of giving you a higher ranking in their search results. As you answer people’s questions and make interesting postings on these forums and communities you present yourself as knowledgeable in your field, which adds to your credibility. So, become an expert. After all, you are, aren’t you?

Keywords Unlock Your Website

Remember this: keywords come with a caveat. Your site needs to use them in a very natural and unobtrusive way. And they need to be winners. Try putting some serious thought into the keywords you use. Are they different? Or, are there a hundred, or a thousand, or a million other sites using exactly the same keywords? To get the search engine to notice your site and to rank it higher than competing sites use compelling keywords. Use keywords that narrow the focus to your specific talents. A keyword like “author” would give the search engine thousands of possibilities, but using “mystery author” might just get it to rank you highly on its results page. You can bring your search engine marketing to a higher level with well thought out keywords.

Directories Give You Exposure

Another great search engine optimization technique is to write articles and share them on article directory sites and on content sharing sites. These specialized websites allow you to post your writings in categories apropos to your specific interests and to those of its users. The mystery author above will find plenty of possibilities for sharing his or her talents on sites like these. Normally you can append a little biographical blurb to your article which can include a back link to your website.

Bingo! The article itself catches the search engine’s eye, and the back link further enhances your visibility to the engine. Remember, the more legitimate occurrences you offer the engine the better your ranking in its results. But, note the word “legitimate.” Avoid the temptation to share articles that are already on your website. Search engines do not like duplicate content. They thrive on originality in various locations. Write unique articles which are informative, interesting, readable, and likable by the site’s visitors. Also, make sure to employ a proper keyword density of around two percent of the text. Articles with too many keywords send up red flags to the engines, which might actually hurt your search ranking.

As you apply your search engine optimization program you will want to evaluate your success along the way. Begin by measuring web traffic prior to using your SEO techniques. This gives you a baseline to relate to. Then, as you implement various techniques, measure your traffic periodically to determine the effectiveness of certain strategies you are using. If you notice more increase in web traffic from article directories than from forums, then reevaluate your postings on the forums. Decide how to make them more effective for maximum search engine optimization.

image credits to Sven Werk

Pump Up Your Blogging with an Email Strategy

Blogging was founded on the principle of engaging in a conversation, yet one of the earliest and still most popular ways to have a conversation on the Internet is email. This makes blogging and email natural marketing partners. If you are looking for a way to boost your business blogging objectives you need to bring email to your small business blogging or corporate blogging marketing plan.

One of the earliest challenges of blogging was alerting readers to new posts. Unlike the typical website, blogs make web publishing a snap. The simplicity of blogging makes for a dynamic and high frequency of new and valuable content, but how do your readers know?

Using Email and Blogs Together

RSS and blog ping servers were designed to help solve this problem. They have arguably done a great job, but they still have not eclipsed the popularity of email. Email, in contrast to an RSS reader, is a multi-use communication tool. It is the foundation of most people's communication with friends, family, and work colleagues. I might read my RSS reader a few times a day. However, I will be in my email all day.

This is precisely why email is an important opportunity for any blogging initiative.
If you want a consumers attention--use email. If you want instant traffic--use email. If you want to stay top of mind--use email. Email marketing is the secret gem of online marketing. You need to plug it into your corporate blogging plan. It can raise your small business blogging efforts to a new level.

In addition to simple alerting your readers to new blog posts email can be a tool to engage your subscribers. Injecting unique content, email only tips, and special incentives can pave your way into the "sacred" marketing place--permission based email marketing.

Blogging Can Be a Sales Agent for Email

Email also gives you the opportunity to pre-qualify customers or drive them deeper into the buying cycle. An email can only hold so much content effectively and your audience may be overly broad. However, when you combine email with a business blog you can direct them to additional information or purchase. Likewise, using email you can test a variety of concepts and messages in email(s) and let the customers funnel themselves into appropriate sales channel(s).

Email + Blogging = Big Results

Combining these two powerhouses in Internet marketing can be the boost you need for your business. Never leave your business blogging to do all the heavy lifting. Blend in email marketing to drive traffic and engage readers. These blogging tips and email techniques will make monetizing your web publishing or building up your sales leads very easy to accomplish.

image credits to Joey Rozier