Category: Marketing | Page 13

Top Social Networking Sites for Video [INFOGRAPHIC]

Are you using video now for your business? If not, what are you waiting for? 🙂 Video traffic is expected to be 67 percent of all consumer web traffic by 2017! That’s just one of the significant social media statistics you’ll find in an infographic from Ivan Serrano that that was originally published on ConversionScientist.com.

If you plan to start recording “how to videos” or product demonstration videos for your business, one question you’ll have to ask yourself is, how to distribute the content. Naturally, you should upload videos to your own website or blog. But if you want to reach the widest possible audience, you should take advantage of social media.

For the umpteenth time today, I received a “cold call” email proposal from a company offering SEO services.

I don’t know why in this day and age of social media, companies still buy lists and send these emails out. This seems like a really dumb way to turn “leads” into sales. I can’t imagine their ROI is very good. In fact, I bet it’s less than 1 percent. Hardly worth the effort!

When I told my assistant that I was writing a blog article called “What is SEO,” my husband popped his head in my office and jokingly said, “Great! I’ve been wondering just what the heck it is you do every day!”

My darling hubby is not a small business owner. And he doesn’t have a website. So I don’t blame him for not knowing what SEO is. But if you have a website for your business, you need to know what those letters stand for and why they matter.

By Barb Wade (Reprinted with permission)

As a consultant, expert, coach, or thought leader, your brand is YOU.

These days so-called “personal branding” is the game-changer that means the difference between being a champion or an also-ran.

Why is it so important?

Long before the Internet and Facebook, and even television, the vast majority of businesses were local and very personal.

Do you have trouble understanding Google Analytics? You’re not alone! I’ve spoken with many small business owners over the years who don’t have a clue how this powerful and FREE tool can help them improve their web traffic and generate more leads and sales for their products/services.

Here are a few key metrics to look for when reviewing Google Analytics.

#1) Bounce Rate – This is the percentage of single page visits to your website. If you have a high bounce rate, that means people are leaving your website after just visiting one page. The goal, then, is to have a low bounce rate, since that means people are staying on your site and viewing more of your content.

SEO: Then and Now [INFOGRAPHIC]

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) used to be so simple, right? Pick a few keywords, stick them on your website and in the meta tags, and you could get top ranking on Google.

That may have worked in 2010 when there were only 206 million websites, but this is 2015! The rules have changed. With over a billion websites out there, the competition is fierce. Granted, only about 75% of those websites are active, but that still means your business is likely competing with millions of websites for customers.

Why Keyword Research is Still Necessary in 2015

Keyword research, what is it good for? Ask a disillusioned blogger and the answer will likely be “absolutely nothing.” Some bloggers feel that keyword research kills their creativity. And I can understand their point. If all you do is spend time agonizing over search volume, SEO plugins, title tags, and headings — that can be a buzz kill.

But keyword research is still important, as long as you don’t stress over it! Don’t spend hours searching through the Adwords Keyword Planner for the perfect phrase. Each article you write should only focus on one or two keyword phrases anyway. If you just relax and write about a topic that appeals to your customers and prospects, the “keywords” will happen naturally.

Gloria Rand’s 50 Best Email Subject Lines of 2014 (…and My Five Worst!)

I recently read Digital Marketer’s blog post about their best email subject lines and was quite surprised at how low their open rates were compared to my own. Granted, they sent 1.25 million emails in 2014, and I only sent 65,000… but maybe that’s an important point. If your list gets too big, you run the risk of not being fully engaged with your audience.

Regardless of the reason, I thought it would be useful to share my own results – the best and the worst.

I researched what the common elements were to the subject lines. The majority fell under the category of Self-Interest. That makes sense because they are usually direct and speak to a specific benefit your audience will gain by opening the email.

8 Business Books to Add to Your Holiday Gift List

Still looking for that last-minute holiday gift? Here are some of my favorite business books that would make a worthy present for your favorite small business owner or entrepreneur. The selections offer marketing advice, and tips on how to grow your business, make it profitable, and become financially successful.

I’ve read each one of these books, and can attest to their value. If you have any other suggestions, please add them in the comments below! Happy Holidays!

Why Writing Skills Matter for Business Success [INFOGRAPHIC]

Do you have good writing skills? If so, you could have a leg up on the competition in your industry. Having good command of grammar, punctuation and spelling is more important than ever when it comes to content marketing. Let’s face it. It’s a safe bet that your prospects aren’t going to buy from a company that distributes poor quality blog articles, white papers and ebooks.

Don’t Send a “Cold Call” Email to Get Sales

What is SEO and How Does it Help My Company?

Did You Realize that You’re a Brand?

Understanding Google Analytics [INFOGRAPHIC]

SEO: Then and Now [INFOGRAPHIC]

Why Keyword Research is Still Necessary in 2015

Gloria Rand’s 50 Best Email Subject Lines of 2014 (…and My Five Worst!)

Why Writing Skills Matter for Business Success [INFOGRAPHIC]