The ABC's of Internet Marketing

 

People are talking about you without you. Before the Internet, businesses controlled their public image and message through television, yellow pages, radio and print advertisements. But now, people are openly discussing your business image, products and services on social networks, review sites, online directories and blogs. Not only that, what they say impacts the buying decisions of your potential customers.

The name of your business says a lot to new and existing customers. It could mean "great customer service." It might stand for "unbeatable value" or it could be "rude salespeople, long wait, STAY AWAY."

Your online reputation affects your bottom line because it can mean the difference between a consumer doing business with you, or doing business with one of your competitors.

Delivering excellent products and services at every transaction will always be the best foundation for maintaining a good reputation, but taking measures to manage your online reputation helps consumers feel more confident about becoming your customer. 

To learn more about why managing your social reputation is so important and how to do it, download this whitepaper, visit our web page about Social Media Marketing, or call us at (916) 933-7414 to learn more.

Ever since the news hit that Facebook gets more traffic than Google, the controversy has been raging about whether Social Media Marketing is more effective than Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It’s not surprising to find that there are fervent believers in each camp -- the web is full of opinionated blog posts supporting each side. But what most of those blogs posts miss is that comparing Facebook with Google is like comparing apples and oranges.

Yes, they’re both web giants. But at this point in web history, people use Facebook and Google differently. Facebook is the web’s largest social media experience. People use it to communicate with family and friends and post pictures of their recent vacations.

Google is the web’s largest information search engine. People use it to find information to compare everything from cell phones to solar panels to legal services, and then buy them online.

From a marketing standpoint, although Facebook is now bigger than Google in terms of shear numbers of users, they are looking to engage with friends. In terms of the sales cycle, buying a product or service is not on their minds when they log in.

However, Google searchers are often actively looking for information about products and services -- and for reasons to buy them. So for marketing purposes, the quality of traffic is higher on Google.

Should You Rely Solely on Search Engine Optimization?

But does that mean businesses should only use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and forget about Social Media? Not at all. A much better approach is to use them both, because they’re both evolving. The challenge is to stay on top of their changes and adapt marketing strategies accordingly.

Keep in mind that all of the social media sites have their own search functions, which means each has its own internal search engine. And which site is the web’s largest search engine, and taught us all about optimizing for them? That’s right – Google.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is no longer limited to the relationship between a company’s main website and Google. It’s about optimizing everyplace a business has a presence online -- and having a presence as many places as possible. So rather than killing off Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media has expanded it. Every business profile, page or video on a social media site needs to be optimized.

Social Media SEO

The best strategy is to use Social Media SEO to dominate the search results (SERPs). For example, social media sites of all kinds are now showing up on the first page of Google’s search results – and not just Facebook pages. There are now LinkedIn profiles, Flickr photos, Twitter tweets and YouTube videos sharing Google’s first page with traditional websites.

A business that has a presence on each of those sites has the potential for showing up multiple times. Meanwhile, optimizing a company’s main website is still important. It will still show up in the SERPs, and it can function as a hub for all of the social media pages and profiles.

The main concept to understand here is that Social Media has changed the online marketing landscape -- it has made Search Engine Optimization (SEO) even more important.

To learn more about how we can increase your online visibility and drive more traffic to your website with Search Engine Optimization and Social Media, please contact us at (916) 933-7414.

Want to be the number one company on the Internet for your industry?
How do you improve your image for your millions of potential customers around the world?
Is there any gossip about your brand? Will this gossip affect your business organization?
Are you really free of risks and jeopardy?


With the swift expansion of the World Wide Web, there has been a growing attention to the image that a company projects. More interest is given to how you are handling your online image and your capacity to please customers.

It can be noted that with the Internet, it has become more and more difficult for companies to outstand themselves. With the immeasurable amount of information available for diverse business, customers get to chose from a variety of similar information sources. Moreover, online searchers usually chose from the first comings and will never wait. One should also note that consumers are very choosy and in case of any dissatisfaction, they will be immediately vocal.

Today, opinions are easily shared through the proliferation of networking sites, forums, blog sites, chatrooms and other social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. These social media platforms are also being used by business organizations to connect with their clients and attract new potential clients. However, nothing prevents your company from being the target of a negative note. Social media can really affect the reputation of a company. The buzz may be good or bad, but a strategy to interact directly with customers on the Internet and to respond to their inquiries, is absolutely invaluable.

It is crucial to listen to what is being said online, even if it is negative. Listening creates the opportunity to take action and resolve internal problems or deal with malicious information, both of which can negatively influence a company’s brand image and reputation.

Download our latest whitepaper to learn more about Oline Reputation Management, or call us at (916) 933-7414.

Email marketing is probably one of the least expensive and most measurable, effective and easy to implement methods of online marketing. Of course, many companies are still struggling with fundamental issues like spam filters and blocked emails. With knowledge, expertise and the right tools and technologies, your business can stop walking the email marketing tightrope and start converting instead.

Moreover, when social media elements are incorporated into an email marketing campaign, your business can boost your results drastically, both from an email marketing perspective but also on the social media front. Simple acts such as including "share" icons to encourage readers to share your newsletter with their friends and "follow me" links to make it easy for readers to follow you on the social networks can make a huge difference in your overall marketing performance. With valuable content, an enticing offer and a well thought-out social media integration strategy, your email marketing can build your subscription database, increase your online following, keep your audience engaged with your company and enhance your overall brand reputation.

To learn more about how to combine and receive the benefits of Email Marketing and Social Media Marketing, down load our whitepaper titled Email Marketing & Social Media Marketing.

It is safe to say that 2009 was a year of economic crisis for markets all over the world. As the "R" word resonated in the minds of business owners everywhere, they began tightening their budgets to adapt to the economic challenges.

 

Participation in the recession is a choice, and companies must challenge themselves to evaluate their businesses and understand how they can change in order to surpass the economic conditions.

 

Though 2009 was a year of hardship, many believe that 2010 will be a year of economic recovery. Over the past year, Internet advertising spending in the US increased drastically, as spending through traditional advertising venues, such as newspaper, radio and television shrank. This trend is projected to continue in 2010.

The #1 fastest growing advertising channel is the Internet, and businesses need to re-invent their marketing strategies and capitalize on this medium in order to rise above the economic challenges.
 

This Internet Marketing Trends Report is a brief synopsis of the current  online marketing activities in the US, as well as the projected trends for the coming years. Specifically, the report covers Internet usage and penetration, total advertising spending, Internet marketing spending and social media trends.