5. E-mail Marketing

E-mail marketing needs no introduction because it is an online marketing technique has been around for some time. Nonetheless, it has proven to be cost-effective and highly reliable in prospecting and engaging with loyal customers. Sending e-mail newsletters periodically is a simple way to generate leads and stay in touch with your loyal customers. The good thing about e-mail marketing is that it allows you to target specific market segments.

A quality e-mail newsletter is more than an online marketing tool. It is a useful tool for communicating and addressing the needs of your customers. Sadly, many businesses misuse e-mail marketing. They send out more salesy and promotional e-mails that do not create value to consumers. Instead of sending blast promotional e-mails every 24 hours, think about creating e-mails that communicate helpful tips, news, and things of special interest to consumers. I believe this will generate attention of customers and enhance the value of your online marketing campaigns.

6. Social Media Marketing

Like e-mail marketing, social media marketing platforms have grown into formidable tools for internet marketing, customer acquisition, and customer engagement. When used properly, social media channels can increase brand awareness, web traffic, and establish you as a niche authority and as a credible person or business entity.

You should leverage the power of social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn to grow your personal brand and to engage with new prospects and online marketing audiences. I believe that social media channels can help you announce new products, discuss industry issues, and also share your opinion about market trends.

7. Free Downloadable Tools Resources

You should make every effort to provide your online marketing community with valuable free tools and resources on your website. These could be links to useful resources around the web or downloadable online resources. A good way of using online marketing to you advantage is creating free e-books, software downloads, and video files and availing them to visitors who subscribe to your mailing list.

Providing freebies to visitors and consumers can increase leads and sales potential. Visitors will be more interested in visiting and exploring your website if there is something valuable they can get free.

8. Superior Product Unique Selling Proposition

When it comes to lead generation, a superior product is several times powerful than a skillfully executed marketing campaign. That is the secret behind successful products and brands. Unless you make your consumers see the superiority of your product, you cannot be too sure of the success of your online marketing.

For you to succeed with online marketing, you must create a unique selling proposition that makes buyers feel that they will get their money’s worth. You really have to make your product stand out by communicating the unique value, features, and benefits it has over competing ones in the market. This way, you won’t have any problems pitching your product to the target market.

9. Power Words Marketing

If you want to attract the attention of customers and generate leads then you have to optimize your online marketing message so that it speaks in a way that meets their desires. Successful B2B marketers and entrepreneurs know their market pretty well and more so the psychology of selling.

You have to understand the language of customers and their respective needs. Most importantly, you should use compelling and powerful online marketing words that highlight the value of the products you are selling. The more persuasive and straight-forward messages you sent the more buyers you will attract and the more sales you will generate from online marketing.

10. Blog Marketing

Blog marketing is another great online marketing technique that you can use deftly to attract prospects and to establish yourself as a professional and niche authority. You should create a personal blog, a business blog, or a niche blog and use it to share your expertise and your knowledge about issues relating to your industry.

If you are not blogging then you are actually missing a lot and lowering your online marketing potential. The truth is that your blog has the potential to generate and direct massive traffic to your website. Most importantly, blog marketing can cut down the costs of advertising and help you establish a personal connection with your customers and prospects in ways you could have never imagined.

This article originally appeared on Attraction Marketing Blog and has been republished with permission.

Find out how to syndicate your content with Business 2 Community.

Article source: http://www.business2community.com/online-marketing/the-hottest-online-marketing-tactics-used-by-experts-0501313

ARME Realty Now Offering Real Estate SEO Services Nationwide

ARME Realty Media

Real estate SEO services in targeted cities and municipalities are the only way to generate new business. Most of the new homebuyers are going to be wired and depend on search engines to make decisions.

Clearwater, FL (PRWEB) May 22, 2013

Real Estate is a tough business; agents or brokers earn money only when they sell a home. In the day and age of Internet and search engines, rather than yellow pages, understanding the importance of real estate SEO services in any area is vital to surviving in the business. Plenty of companies offer SEO services, but ARMERealty.com is one of the few who offer real estate SEO services targeting any property type in any specific area, no matter where in the country a person is located.

Simon Landers of ARMERealty had this to say, “Real estate SEO services in targeted cities and municipalities are the only way to generate new business. Most of the new homebuyers are going to be wired and depend on search engines to make decisions. If a real estate broker or agent has a website that no one can find when doing targeted keyword searches, your chances of generating customers will be difficult if not impossible.”

Real estate professionals have a unique chance to use ARMERealty.com and its real estate SEO services in your city. With a combination of web tools, SEO and local marketing, maximizing an agents online presence is quick and simple. Best of all, it will require virtually no work on their part.

“By using ARMERealty.com and real estate SEO services in the specific targeted city or zip code, the real estate professional will be free to work more liberally on finding customers who are looking to buy and sell specific real estate types. ARMERealty.com works with all real estate types such as residential, commercial and industrial. Contact us for more information on how you can use our real estate SEO services in your hometown,” said Landers.

ARMERealty.com is headquartered in Clearwater, FL but will work with any realty company in the U.S. with real estate SEO services. The changing landscape of the Internet and because search engines routinely change and update algorithms mean that a real estate agent’s SEO strategies must be updated regularly and consistently for effective marketing.

For more information about ARME Realty.com, visit the website or call (727) 459-8841.

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Article source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/real-estate/seo-services/prweb10760814.htm

10 Unique Ways Small Businesses Can Win at Link Earning (Part II of II)

Before you start reading, click here to see the previous 5 strategies we covered in the first part of this post.

1. Turn Blog Posts into eBooks and Get them in Amazon

SEOs don’t want to hear it, but consumers are turning to Amazon before Google when they do product research. The good news? If you adapt, you can capitalize on this trend.

E-books are now outselling print books on Amazon, and the barriers to entry are downright minimal. It might sound odd to transform a blog post into an eBook, but it can be a great way to grow your audience. Reach enough people, and you will start building natural links.

Bonus: you get to leverage Amazon’s domain authority and get your keyword at the top of the search results. You can get your blog posts all over the top of the SERPs if you just take the time put them in the right format. It can be a good way to earn some extra cash to invest back into link building. If your goal is purely promotional, you can get your eBook listed for free by publishing through Smashwords.

Bear in mind that growing evidence suggests that impressions have more influence on sales than clicks. Publishing blog posts as eBooks can be a great way to boost brand impressions even if it doesn’t lead to clicks or links.

2. Viral Titles

Sometimes an entire blog post should be built around your title. The title is the first thing people see and it’s typically what makes somebody decide whether or not they’re going to look at the content at all. If you analyze the most viral content on the web, you’ll notice that the titles have a certain feel to them. A quick browsing through Buzzfeed or Cracked will give you an idea of what I mean.

A viral title intrigues the reader. Viral titles almost always involve something that catches the reader off guard by mentioning something they never would have thought of themselves, or by juxtaposing two or more things that they wouldn’t have thought had anything in common.

Why do I say write viral titles instead of write viral blog posts? Because if your concept can’t be boiled down to a viral title, it won’t become viral. Viral content doesn’t need to be short, but it’s most viral component does. If the most shocking, shareable piece of information you want to get across can’t fit into a title, it’s most likely going to end up dead in the water.

Don’t make a mistake and think that this means that your topic needs to be explained in the title. This can actually work against you. Titles like 18 Unexpected Ways to Enjoy Sangria and 5 Reasons Cinco de Mayo is the Most American Holiday work because they surprise you and leave you hungry to learn more.

These titles surprise us because we never would have thought of them, and intrigue us because there’s no way we could guess what we’ll learn from them. (They also work because they’re list posts.)

As long as the blog post lives up to the promise of the title, your odds of achieving viral attention are very high if you start idea generation with the title itself.

3. Guerilla Marketing

Guerilla marketing is broadly defined, but clearly takes its inspiration from the concept of guerilla warfare, where creativity and unconventional approaches are used to accomplish goals when resources are limited in a hostile environment.

The guerilla marketer organizes stunts like flash mobs, sticker “bombs,” and reverse graffiti (where a brand message is “written” by erasing graffiti to form the letters) in order to grab attention and retain customers. Stunts like those orchestrated by the anti-tobacco “truth” commercials are probably the most well-known examples of what guerilla marketing can look like.

The success of a guerilla marketing campaign isn’t dependent on budget and resource constraints. The focus of guerilla marketing is on unconventional, creative solutions. Like the “tools” section discussed above, it’s difficult to design a formula for designing guerilla marketing stunts.

Suffice it to say that, if you care about SEO, your guerilla marketing approach should incorporate the web in some way. Since guerilla marketing often targets people on the city streets, bringing mobile into the fold can also be very powerful.

The more extreme the stunt, the more likely it is to pull attention, but beware the risks. In one example, guerilla marketers tried to promote a cartoon called Aqua Teen Hunger Force with LED signs. The signs were interpreted as a bomb threat, and legal issues ensued. Whenever you’re orchestrating potentially disruptive stunts on public (or private) property, you risk facing legal repercussions. Take this into consideration.

4. Appeal to an Untapped Subculture

Every company or product needs to have a unique selling proposition in order to find a lasting place in the market. There’s only room for one McDonalds and one Wal-Mart. The rest of us need to figure out what we can do to differentiate ourselves and stand out. That rarely means it’s possible to be appealing to everybody.

One road to success is to discover a subculture that could have an interest in a product like yours, and appeal to them specifically, rather than the public at large. This is just as true online, and when you’re promoting your content.

Find an online subculture that aligns with your company’s values, and start targeting them specifically. Frequent their forums and other internet hangouts, use their lingo, and design your content around them. I can guarantee you that there is a subculture that nobody else in your niche has targeted. You can build a tremendous amount of loyalty by showing a subculture that you “get them.”

A word of caution: this is almost impossible to fake. Don’t pretend. Nobody likes the outsider who tries too hard to be something they aren’t.

If there’s a particular subculture you want to target that you aren’t actually a member of, it’s not impossible to appeal to them, but it’s not something that you’ll be able to do alone. You’ll need to hire somebody who is from that subculture, and avoid serious intervention as much as possible. The more you try to control them, the less appeal they’ll have to their subculture.

5. Cash in on Nostalgia

This approach is very similar to subcultures, only it’s targeting age demographics. Think of the sheer number of references to the ‘80s that you come across in an episode of Family Guy. Social networks have made nostalgia oddly trendy. Most people have fond memories of their childhood, and referencing things that happened around that time is an interesting way of building camaraderie.

Obscure references to the past, even the relatively recent past, can be a great way to attract attention. Much like subcultures, they let people know that you “get them.” Sometimes, the more obscure, the better. You may lose out on popularity, but your laser tight focus really helps retention and makes the impact that much stronger for the audience your message does reach.

Conclusion

So there you have it, 5 more ways to approach link building that may not have occurred to you before. We hope these posts have helped inspire you to experiment and explore alternative methods of link building and community building. Let us know how we did, and thanks for reading.

• Tweet
• Buffer

• Bio
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Google+
• Latest Posts

Article source: http://www.searchenginejournal.com/10-unique-ways-small-businesses-can-win-at-link-earning-part-ii-of-ii/63779/

10 Unique Ways Small Businesses Can Win at Link Earning (Part II of II)

Before you start reading, click here to see the previous 5 strategies we covered in the first part of this post.

1. Turn Blog Posts into eBooks and Get them in Amazon

SEOs don’t want to hear it, but consumers are turning to Amazon before Google when they do product research. The good news? If you adapt, you can capitalize on this trend.

E-books are now outselling print books on Amazon, and the barriers to entry are downright minimal. It might sound odd to transform a blog post into an eBook, but it can be a great way to grow your audience. Reach enough people, and you will start building natural links.

Bonus: you get to leverage Amazon’s domain authority and get your keyword at the top of the search results. You can get your blog posts all over the top of the SERPs if you just take the time put them in the right format. It can be a good way to earn some extra cash to invest back into link building. If your goal is purely promotional, you can get your eBook listed for free by publishing through Smashwords.

Bear in mind that growing evidence suggests that impressions have more influence on sales than clicks. Publishing blog posts as eBooks can be a great way to boost brand impressions even if it doesn’t lead to clicks or links.

2. Viral Titles

Sometimes an entire blog post should be built around your title. The title is the first thing people see and it’s typically what makes somebody decide whether or not they’re going to look at the content at all. If you analyze the most viral content on the web, you’ll notice that the titles have a certain feel to them. A quick browsing through Buzzfeed or Cracked will give you an idea of what I mean.

A viral title intrigues the reader. Viral titles almost always involve something that catches the reader off guard by mentioning something they never would have thought of themselves, or by juxtaposing two or more things that they wouldn’t have thought had anything in common.

Why do I say write viral titles instead of write viral blog posts? Because if your concept can’t be boiled down to a viral title, it won’t become viral. Viral content doesn’t need to be short, but it’s most viral component does. If the most shocking, shareable piece of information you want to get across can’t fit into a title, it’s most likely going to end up dead in the water.

Don’t make a mistake and think that this means that your topic needs to be explained in the title. This can actually work against you. Titles like 18 Unexpected Ways to Enjoy Sangria and 5 Reasons Cinco de Mayo is the Most American Holiday work because they surprise you and leave you hungry to learn more.

These titles surprise us because we never would have thought of them, and intrigue us because there’s no way we could guess what we’ll learn from them. (They also work because they’re list posts.)

As long as the blog post lives up to the promise of the title, your odds of achieving viral attention are very high if you start idea generation with the title itself.

3. Guerilla Marketing

Guerilla marketing is broadly defined, but clearly takes its inspiration from the concept of guerilla warfare, where creativity and unconventional approaches are used to accomplish goals when resources are limited in a hostile environment.

The guerilla marketer organizes stunts like flash mobs, sticker “bombs,” and reverse graffiti (where a brand message is “written” by erasing graffiti to form the letters) in order to grab attention and retain customers. Stunts like those orchestrated by the anti-tobacco “truth” commercials are probably the most well-known examples of what guerilla marketing can look like.

The success of a guerilla marketing campaign isn’t dependent on budget and resource constraints. The focus of guerilla marketing is on unconventional, creative solutions. Like the “tools” section discussed above, it’s difficult to design a formula for designing guerilla marketing stunts.

Suffice it to say that, if you care about SEO, your guerilla marketing approach should incorporate the web in some way. Since guerilla marketing often targets people on the city streets, bringing mobile into the fold can also be very powerful.

The more extreme the stunt, the more likely it is to pull attention, but beware the risks. In one example, guerilla marketers tried to promote a cartoon called Aqua Teen Hunger Force with LED signs. The signs were interpreted as a bomb threat, and legal issues ensued. Whenever you’re orchestrating potentially disruptive stunts on public (or private) property, you risk facing legal repercussions. Take this into consideration.

4. Appeal to an Untapped Subculture

Every company or product needs to have a unique selling proposition in order to find a lasting place in the market. There’s only room for one McDonalds and one Wal-Mart. The rest of us need to figure out what we can do to differentiate ourselves and stand out. That rarely means it’s possible to be appealing to everybody.

One road to success is to discover a subculture that could have an interest in a product like yours, and appeal to them specifically, rather than the public at large. This is just as true online, and when you’re promoting your content.

Find an online subculture that aligns with your company’s values, and start targeting them specifically. Frequent their forums and other internet hangouts, use their lingo, and design your content around them. I can guarantee you that there is a subculture that nobody else in your niche has targeted. You can build a tremendous amount of loyalty by showing a subculture that you “get them.”

A word of caution: this is almost impossible to fake. Don’t pretend. Nobody likes the outsider who tries too hard to be something they aren’t.

If there’s a particular subculture you want to target that you aren’t actually a member of, it’s not impossible to appeal to them, but it’s not something that you’ll be able to do alone. You’ll need to hire somebody who is from that subculture, and avoid serious intervention as much as possible. The more you try to control them, the less appeal they’ll have to their subculture.

5. Cash in on Nostalgia

This approach is very similar to subcultures, only it’s targeting age demographics. Think of the sheer number of references to the ‘80s that you come across in an episode of Family Guy. Social networks have made nostalgia oddly trendy. Most people have fond memories of their childhood, and referencing things that happened around that time is an interesting way of building camaraderie.

Obscure references to the past, even the relatively recent past, can be a great way to attract attention. Much like subcultures, they let people know that you “get them.” Sometimes, the more obscure, the better. You may lose out on popularity, but your laser tight focus really helps retention and makes the impact that much stronger for the audience your message does reach.

Conclusion

So there you have it, 5 more ways to approach link building that may not have occurred to you before. We hope these posts have helped inspire you to experiment and explore alternative methods of link building and community building. Let us know how we did, and thanks for reading.

• Tweet
• Buffer

• Bio
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Google+
• Latest Posts

Article source: http://www.searchenginejournal.com/10-unique-ways-small-businesses-can-win-at-link-earning-part-ii-of-ii/63779/

What is a Content Management System and What to Look for When Shopping …

A content management system is a widely known web term. In a nutshell, a content management system gives you the ability to add, edit and delete content on your website. There are two types of content management systems – open source (which is free to use) and closed source (paid software and/or not publicly available software). There are advantages and disadvantages to both; let’s focus on what you should demand your content management system does for you.

• Easy to log-in – This is a standard must. You should be able to access your site from any location via the internet. You never know when you have an opportunity to add a blog post, or edit a page, add a page to the site etc.
• It needs to be easy to use – Are you going to be the only one updating the site? Often times the people who search for content management systems or web developers know a lot about computers (in general). The only problem here is that often times there are multiple people who access the website. Bring in the person who has little computer experience. They should be able to use the content management system. At a minimum, make sure that the company you are looking to hire is willing to help out your staff on training how to use the content management system.
• Functionality – If your website requires specific functionality, make sure that the content management system can do it. Some are not as robust in service offerings when it comes to customization.
• SEO Tools – Make sure the content management system has search engine optimization tools in place to help your site get found online.
• Restricted access – Being able to decide who has access to your website is important. The goal is to grow your business to make more money. In that growth will be more employees. Make sure that your content management system allows for different levels of access (i.e. some people can blog, others can update the event calendar etc.).

These are a few of the items that you should have when you’re shopping for a content management system (CMS). We’re keen on the Drupal content management system, however there are many other alternatives available.

What CMS do you use?

This article originally appeared on Keystone Click Blog and has been republished with permission.

Find out how to syndicate your content with Business 2 Community.

Article source: http://www.business2community.com/tech-gadgets/what-is-a-content-management-system-and-what-to-look-for-when-shopping-for-one-0492726

How To Use Keyword Research Tools For The Best Results

Keyword research is an integral part of both PPC and SEO and not getting it right can lead you down the wrong path right from the very beginning. I do a lot of keyword research here at QueryClick and while I give the impression that the secret to good keywords is a lot of coffee and loud electronic music (they definitely help) the real secret is the tools available being able to connect with your target audience. For that you need the most important tool, you need…empathy. 

Target Audience 

This will vary from vertical to vertical and chances are that you won’t be a master at understanding who they are from the get go. That’s OK though as this is what a client is there for and you should be in constant communication with them to develop a deeper understanding of not only the products they’re selling but how their customers might relate to those. This can be a back and forth process that leads to insights both for yourself and even the client if they’ve not really advertised online before (as people can use Google in different ways to conventional shopping). The best part about this is that it’s helping you develop a relationship with a client. They’re the experts of their field and you of yours and it’s by working together that you’ll get the best results and best understanding of the audience you’re trying to target.

Empathising With the Audience 

Frankly, it scares me how many people lack empathy, but for keyword research it’s essential to understanding how other people think and what they’re searching for There’s no real quantifiable way to do this and the gist of it is that you have to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. This means you have to imagine that you are the searcher behind a particular keyword and you have to always ask “why am I searching with this term?”. Once you’re in that mindset you can begin to look at the structure of the keyphrase that’s in use. 

Keyphrase Structure 

The structure and makeup of a keyword is the only evidence and insight you have to a users search intent and  reading into it properly is how to attain good results. As mentioned above you need to keep asking why? Look at the number of keywords they’ve used, why have they used that many? Look at the terminology they’ve used, why have they used that? Look at the modifiers they’ve used, what is it they (you) are actually looking for. Ask these questions in your head whilst keeping in mind the function that a client’s products provide and you’ll soon narrow down to keywords that are relevant. 

The Process 

Ok, so I’ve outlined a rough idea of the mindset you have to be in when conducting keyword research, the next step is to actually do it. 

Generally, unless you’re given a specific list of keywords to start with, the best approach is to visit the site that’s going to be advertised and look at what the products are. 

You’ll find that there will be branded and non-branded keywords and it’s worth bearing in mind that you’ll often have a much narrower selection of keywords for branded items as users searching for them tend not to very their queries too much. Non-branded on the other hand can be vast…. very, very vast. 

Once you have your brand/non-brand keywords it’s time to use the Google Keyword Tool. 

This is a tool from Google that will let you know how many people have searched for terms or terms that Google has deemed related both locally (depending on the region you’ve set) and globally. It’ll also give you an approximate idea of how many other people are bidding on keyphrases under the ‘competition’ label.

There are a few settings you can play about with to customise your search, things like platform and location, etc, but you can also use filters at the top to exlude or include certain terms. There’s also a check box to tell it to show closely related terms and this can produce a much smaller list but at the same time is relying on Google’s automated system which might not show you something you’d personally consider relevant.

The best approach to this is to get as wide and as broad a selection of keywords as possible, it’s though this that you’ll find relevant long tail keywords that are generally low competition, high conversion terms that will help drive ROI through a site. So take your keyword and throw it into the phrase box at the top, make sure that the options and filters are set to the appropriate preferences, set the match type to broad and grab all the keyword ideas that show up. 

More often than not, this will give you hundreds of keywords, but don’t despair as you’ll also want to include the “core” keyword you’ve searched for. Making sure these terms are in the keywords provided will bring your list down considerably. If you’ve got a lot of terms to search for, you’ll still end up with thousands of keywords to sift through and analyse (this is where the coffee and music come in) but that’s the nature of the game and at the end you’ll have a nice thorough and relevant list that can be easily organised into appropriate Ad Groups and Campaigns. 

You’ll also end up seeing patterns emerge for what people search for and this will let you determine if there are any negative keywords that should be used. For example, if there are a lot of searches for a type of product that’s similar, but not stocked on the site you’re advertising for, or you see a pattern of user intent that’s not relevant to a site (i.e. Someone searching for wiki’s) you can add those to a list of negative keywords to block that traffic.

Search Term Report 

The keywords that the GKT suggests are just based on internet searches, but there is also a tool within the AdWords interface called the Search Term Report and this lets you see the terms that people used before clicking on any of the ads in your account. It can be used in the same process as above but as you can pull interaction data for them from Google Analytics, you can determine with greater accuracy whether a keyword should or shouldn’t be added to your account. 

This is accessed through the ‘keyword details’ drop down menu in the keywords tab of the AdWords interface.

Keyword research can be long and tricky experience and hopefully the information above is helpful to anyone just getting into the process, but feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions or advice. 

Article source: http://uk.queryclick.com/seo-news/how-use-keyword-research-tools-best-results/

June Social Media Training Classes for Small Business, Announced by JM Internet

Social media marketing, they say, is all about the conversation, But for businesses and organizations like non-profits or government entities, social media can be a confusing marketing challenge.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 18, 2013

The JM Internet Group (web: jm-seo.org), a leader in providing social media training online, is proud to announce their June classes on using social media like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook for marketing purposes.. The class has traditionally been taught over two online training sessions; however the new Social Media Market training has been expanded with even more information and instruction into over three online sessions. The newly offered trainings go over the fundamentals of Social Media Marketing, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+; as well as Google+ Local (formerly Google Places), Yelp, Amazon reviews, Youtube, Twitter, and so much more.

“Social media marketing, they say, is all about the conversation,” explained Jason McDonald, director of the JM Internet Group. “But for businesses and organizations like non-profits or government entities, social media can be a confusing marketing challenge. These social media marketing classes have been designed to master the in’s and out’s of social media as part of your larger Internet sales and marketing strategy”.

For more information on the June Social Media Marketing training, go to:

• http://www.jm-seo.org/training/social-media.html

California Interest in Social Media Marketing

While the social media classes are taught online, there has been a strong interest throughout California including cities like Los Angeles and San Diego. While the center of gravity on Internet marketing has tended to be in the Bay Area, business owners in less tech savvy cities such as Los Angeles or San Diego have become increasingly concerned about their social media strategy. That said, students can take these classes from anywhere – not just in Los Angeles, but throughout LA County including cities and towns like Santa Clarita, El Segundo, or Long Beach, California.

Social Media Marketing – Class Syllabus

Part I

Social Media MarketingWhat is Social Media? How does Web 1.0 differ from Web 2.0, and where are the marketing opportunities? Your Social Media Marketing (SMM) Plan

Social Media – My Friends:Facebook, Linkedin, Google+ Marketing. How to listen, engage, and deploy an effective social media strategy.

Part II

Local Search and Reviews Marketing: Google Places, Yelp, and Amazon.com Reviews – getting listed, engaging your customers via reviews, being high on the search list.

Part III

Twitter Marketing:What Twitter is, how to Tweet effectively!

YouTube Marketing:leveraging Youtube’s special relationship with Google as part of your SEO strategy as well as your social media strategy.

Your Social Media Marketing Plan:creating an organized plan defining your social media goals, the opportunities posed by the most relevant media, a step-by-step to do list, and finally a participation and monitoring strategy.

Why Social Media Marketing Matters for Small Business

Social media marketing is the next big thing for small business, but it’s not just about lead generation – it’s about relationship building. SMM is the knowledge and skill to gain Twitter followers, and then use Twitter marketing to get them to buy. SMM is the knowledge to set up a Facebook fan, get Facebook fans, and then build relationships and start conversations about your brand and products on Facebook. And SMM is all about leveraging free social media tools to monitor your online reputation and build buzz.

As part of the JM Internet Group’s trainings in online Social Media Marketing, the website hosts a free ‘on demand’ webinar on the top ten free tools for SEO. In addition, all students who sign up for the paid social media marketing trainings get a copy of the company’s ‘Social Media Toolbook’ – tips and pointers to over 100 free social media tools online.

About JM Internet Group

The JM Internet Group provides SEO, Social Media Marketing, and Google AdWords training and courses for busy marketers and businesspeople. Online search engine optimization training helps explain keywords, page tags, link building strategies and other techniques needed to climb to the top of search engine rankings for Google, Yahoo, and Bing. The teaching methodology is hands on, with live examples and discussions, taught from the convenience of each student’s computer.

Contact:

JM Internet Group, Media Relations

Web. http://www.jm-seo.org/

Email. jm.internetgroup(at)gmail(dot)com

Tel. +1-510-713-2150

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Article source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/social-media/los-angeles/prweb10698060.htm

The Keys to Successful Crowdfunding

RISE Crowdfunding panel, photo by ©2013, Scott Van Osdol, www.vanosdol.com

By SUSAN LAHEY
Reporter with Silicon Hills News
The key takeaway from the RISE Crowdfunding Super Panel Lunch and Learn Friday was that while crowdfunding started as this groovy, organic, community experience where people gave to causes and companies they believed in—by the time Congress, celebrities and the marketing world gets done with it, it may be a very different animal.
The packed lunch session at the ATT Executive Education and Conference Center included Jeff Henderson, VP of sales and marketing at Invested.in, a Los Angeles based crowdfunding platform; Justin Jensen, founder of Cinetics, an Austin company that builds tools for filmmakers and photographers; Elizabeth Smith Kulik, founder of New York crowdfunding platform ProHatch; and Chauncey Lane, a corporate and securities attorney with Brown McCarroll who formerly worked with the SEC. Bijoy Goswami, founder of Bootstrap Austin, moderated the session.

Chauncey Lane, a corporate and securities attorney with Brown McCarroll, photo by ©2013, Scott Van Osdol, www.vanosdol.com

Lane explained that crowdfunding gives anyone the opportunity to invest in a business, a cause, an artist, any person or entity seeking funds. Generally, the person creates a campaign, generates some buzz around the project and has 30 days to raise funds online during which time anyone can contribute. In return, that person or entity often gives rewards, repayment or a piece of equity in a company.
While Congress has passed the JOBS Act and President Obama signed it into law last year, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not yet released its rules that would allow for equity based crowdfunding. The SEC has reported that it is working on the rules to protect the investors. The current rules though, putting a $1 million cap on crowdfunding in a 12-month period and loading the deal up with regulatory hurdles, would make crowdfunding—now among the least expensive funding options—into one of the most expensive options. Lane said he expected lending-based crowdfunding to wind up under the same regulatory umbrella as equity based funding because it relies on the company’s ability to generate income and return the loan money.
In the meantime, crowdfunding platforms, entrepreneurs and others are still trying to tease out best practices in crowdfunding.
“People are learning how to do this only now,” said Kulik whose company is analyzing the top 50 crowdfunding projects to spot why those projects succeeded.
“Now you have 73,000 Kickstarter examples of what happened,” she said. “You have real statistical analysis and performance metrics.”
Panelists pushed the importance of engagement. That includes getting key bloggers in your industry writing about your product, having media outlets cover it and doing huge social media campaigns. Jensen, whose company raised nearly $500,000 in a Kickstarter campaign in 2011 and $114,000 in 2012, said he worked on the first campaign for a year before launching it.
Henderson of Invested.in said if entrepreneurs should have the first 10 percent of supporters ready to donate before ever starting a campaign. People respond to other people. Very few people go on Kickstarter or other sites looking for places to give their money away.

Elizabeth Smith Kulik, founder of New York crowdfunding platform ProHatch photo by ©2013, Scott Van Osdol, www.vanosdol.com

“If you build it,” Kulik said, “they will not come. You have to create a funding community from ideation to IPO. You have to be aware of what the messaging is, coordinate across media outlets. It’s a tremendous amount of work. It’s everything you do in a bricks and mortar business except that instead of touching customers once, you’re touching them 1,000 times, instantly. Capital is a relationship if they buy you once they’re going to buy you twice and buy your issue as well.”
All the panelists agreed that being secretive about your product precludes using crowdfunding. People want to see what they’re investing in. There are a couple of exceptions. Sometimes, Kulik said, a compelling story is enough, as in the case of Karen Klein, the bullied school bus monitor, who tried to raise $5,000 for a vacation on Indiegogo but wound up with $703,168. Another example was one of the participants who has bootstrapped a learning center in Austin for more than 30 years but wondered if crowdfunding would work for his business. Kulik thought his business model and story were ideal for crowdfunding.
And Henderson pointed out that just having leverage makes for more leverage. Producers of the Veronica Mars television show raised nearly $6 million on Kickstarter to bring the show back to TV. It was the most successful campaign in the history of Kickstarter.
“So you’re saying that instead of all of us using it,” said Goswami, gesturing to the room full of entrepreneurs, “it will be used by people who already have all the leverage.”
“That’s an ethical question,” Kulik responded.
There are times, panelists said, when crowdfunding isn’t the best way to go. For example, Henderson pointed out, all the content generated on Kickstarter to build up a campaign belongs to Kickstarter—which receives a 5 percent commission on funds. Frequently it would be a better decision to have all that content on a company’s own website for SEO purposes. Frequently a company would do better just to create it’s own rewards campaign and build with customers.
It depends, Kulik said, on the industry and the business model.
One participant owns a bakery, Totally Nuts, that sells grain free gluten free, sugar free baked goods. What kind of reward, she asked the panel, could she offer crowdfund investors?
“Give them an experience,” Kulik responded.
Like a dinner? The baker owner asked.
“Invite them to a board meeting. Bring them to work in the shop for half a day.”
“They would want that?” the owner asked, incredulous.
“Sixty-three percent of people fund because they want an experience and they want to help,” Kulik answered.

Article source: http://www.siliconhillsnews.com/2013/05/18/7358/

Buying Twitter Followers: The (Cheap) Price of Friendship

We all know social media is a hugely valuable element of online marketing when it comes to building a customer base, search engine rankings, and brand recognition. As a major player, Twitter is one of the most important and popular social media networks frequented by users around the globe.

Obtaining a high number of followers is a landmark goal of many Twitter users. Getting those followers isn’t always easy though, which leads some innocent businesses to wander down the shady path towards the ominous castle black-hat, wherein lies the dark tactic of buying Twitter followers.

With a simple swipe of a credit card, you can obtain legions of your own mindless Twitter drones! To buy or not to buy? Let’s review the reasons for and against buying Twitter followers.

In this post, we’ll be looking at:

• Why You Should Buy Twitter Followers
• Why You Shouldn’t Buy Twitter Followers
• How to Buy Twitter Followers
• Where to Buy Twitter Followers
• How to Increase Your Twitter Followers Naturally
• Why Earning Twitter Followers Naturally is Best

Reasons Why You Should Buy Twitter Followers

Look Like a Boss: A Big Twitter Following Makes You Appear Important

Let’s face it, a lot of social media activity is already just thinly veiled narcissism. Those who give themselves a pat on the back when their newest instagram post gets 13 likes must certainly be temped by the idea of buying more Twitter followers.

Businesses have the advantage of labeling their self-promotion as branding, but ultimately it’s two sides of the same coin. There’s no judging here though – we’ve all felt the rewarding confirmation that comes with a retweet.

While boiling down the value of your online presence to a mere number on Twitter sounds ridiculous, there’s really no denying that one’s Twitter following, despite being a vanity metric, is often thought to correlate with a user’s importance. For clubs booking comedians or venues hosting bands, a high Twitter following can easily put you ahead of the competition. A large Twitter following shows promise and possibility  – not just of a good show, but of bringing in more followers and fans in to see the show, and therefore bringing in more money.

Even if the followers are fake, the clout that comes with a high Twitter following is very much real. A boost in Twitter followers can transform a stand-up amateur into a professional comedian, a garage band into a rising star, a movie extra into fresh new talent, and a small business into an authoritative source. Individuals have even been hired for job positions as a result of their high Twitter following, since the number serves as a representation of how powerful your online word can be.

With fake followers it’s all a masquerade, so it really comes down to how long you can push the act or live the lie.

Bandwagon Syndrome

Related to the previous section, once real users see your Twitter numbers rising, they’ll be more likely to follow you as well. If someone claims to be an expert food critic but only has 23 followers, most will think that the only food they’re judging is their mom’s mac and cheese. If that number is more like 800 or 2,000, they become a considerably more reputable source – one that users will be much more likely to follow. This means your Twitter robot followers are actually generating real followers as a result of your imagined prestige.

Easier Cheaper

It’s a heck of a lot easier to buy followers on Twitter than earn them. Gaining a real Twitter following takes time and effort – you need to consistently be sharing great content, posting hilariously witty remarks, or broadcasting the latest news.

You could put in all that effort… or you can grab your wallet and buy a militia-sized army of Twitter followers for less than a Starbucks Frappuccino. On Fiverr, where users provide various products or services (often web related) for only $5, marketers are promised as many 8,000 Twitter followers within 24 hours in exchange for an Abraham.  

All The Cool Kids are Doing It

Start-ups, celebrities, and politicians alike have been known to buy more Twitter followers – it’s a fairly common practice for those who have something to gain from amassing a large number of Twitter followers in a short period of time.

According to the Fake Follower Check tool from StatusPeople, which claims the ability to determine how many of a user’s Twitter followers are fakes, 71% of Lady Gaga’s over 35 million followers are fake or inactive, along with 70% of President Obama’s nearly 30 million followers.  

It’s Not All That Bad

If the President of the United States has fake Twitter followers, it can’t be all that bad, right?

While purchasing bot Twitter followers is against Twitter’s terms and white-hatters might scoff at the idea, it’s completely legal. One also has to question how corrupt buying Twitter followers really is compared with regular Twitter marketing practices like paying for a promoted hashtag – is it just a matter of splitting hairs?

Why You Shouldn’t Buy Twitter Followers

Can You Even Call Them Followers?

You’re not really buying Twitter followers so much as mindless spam bots. You won’t have any interaction or engagement with these robo-accounts. Do you really want to be the sad kid who only has robots for friends – robots you had to buy?

It’s An Empty Number

All the fake Twitter followers in the world won’t do much to raise your Klout score. Social media influence scores tend to look at interaction and Twitter engagement rather than sheer numbers, so you won’t be getting any added SEO or influence bonus with the inflated metric. Those skewed Twitter numbers also make it much more difficult to properply measure social media ROI and the true affect of your social media efforts.

Is Buying Twitter Followers Safe?

There are a number of dangers associated with buying Twitter followers. Many of the sites that offer to sell you more Twitter followers are a scam – you may put up your hard earned cash and come away with absolutely nothing. Often these nefarious groups are simply looking to take advantage of businesses that don’t know any better, or are hoping to cash in on desperate marketers looking for a quick fix. Providing them with your credit card might not be the brightest idea.

Your fake followers could also end up doing damage against your real Twitter followers by hacking, phishing, and infecting real followers with link spam. Is it worth buying Twitter followers when you consider all the risks?

Public Humiliation a Ruined Reputation

With tools like the Fake Follower Check tool, it’s pretty easy to discover who is desperate enough to buy friends.

While the high Twitter number may feel cool, your real followers aren’t likely to share your perspective, and you might end up a laughing stock and lose the few real followers you do have. Especially for businesses hoping to be viewed as industry experts, being caught cheating can do serious damage to your reputation.

While Twitter isn’t making huge efforts to clean up spam accounts at the moment, who knows what action they may take in the future. If Twitter does decide to clean up the spammers, it’ll be pretty embarrassing when your follower count drops by half.

All right, you understand both sides. If you’re still interested in buying…

How to Buy Twitter Followers

There are a couple different approaches you can take for buying Twitter followers.

Buy Cheap Fake Twitter Followers: You can buy cheap Twitter followers, but the most economical Twitter services provide only fake bot followers. It doesn’t take Jack Dorsey to figure out that this profile isn’t real.

Buying Twitter followers cheap gets you faceless, bland bot accounts – these are referred to as generated followers. Pricier services provide Twitter followers with more finely polished profiles, with pics and bios filled out.

Buy Real Twitter Followers: If fake doesn’t float your boat, buying real Twitter followers is a preferred option, although it isn’t likely to be as cheap as buying fake followers.

You can buy access to real followers using Twitter follower software that searches through and finds Twitter users with interests similar to yours and automatically follows them, hoping that they will follow you in return. This process is referred to as buying targeted Twitter followers.

Where to Buy Twitter Followers

If you’re set on buying Twitter followers, here are some sites that sell them.

Fiverr: Search Fiverr for “buy Twitter followers” and you’ll immediately find a long list of sellers offering to provide you with anywhere from 100 – 15,000 followers in less than 24 hours. While the legitimacy of some offers is questionable, it doesn’t get much cheaper than this.

Fast Followerz: This group claims to provide real, active followers that regularly tweet, update, and are engaged. They also offer a Followerz Protection five-year warranty, guaranteeing the top-notch quality of the targeted followers offered.

FollowerSale: FollowerSale uses a credit system to encourage real users to follow their customers, providing live, active followers as a result.

Devumi: Devumi provides cheap followers, doesn’t require a password, and doesn’t make you follow anyone in return. They also offer credit card alternative payment methods like PayPal.

The best sites to buy Twitter followers from are those that provide targeted Twitter followers that are real and active. Stay safe by avoiding sites that ask for your Twitter password or unnecessary info.

The Legit Don’t Quit: How to Increase Your Twitter Followers Naturally

If you’ve decided to take the moral high ground and not buy Twitter followers, don’t despair about missing out – there are plenty of ways to get Twitter followers naturally. These legitimate, earned followers are more valuable because you’ve built a relationship with them. These relationships will prove much more prosperous than those silly faceless egg accounts.

• Target Others in Your Industry: Getting the attention of big-name tweeters in your industry can do a lot for your reputation, so be sure to follow and interact with them. Just one retweet or mention from a well-respected industry leader can greatly increase your Twitter followers.
• Tweet During Peak Times: Tweet when your tweets are most likely to be seen – generally between 10 am and 4 pm. 
• Link to and Promote Your Twitter Handle: Link to your Twitter handle on your blog, website, and other social media accounts. Put it on your business card, use it in your guest blogger bio, and announce it when you speak at conferences. The more you link to your Twitter handle and promote it, the more followers you’ll bring in.
• Share Something of Value: Make yourself a person of value by tweeting resources related to your industry, or just fun and interesting content. Also make sure to retweet the great content shared by others – this shows that you’re not just self-promoting and are actually interested in spreading quality information from a variety of sources.
• Hashtags:  While you don’t want your tweets to be a messy glob of ###s, implementing some hashtags now and then makes your tweets easier to find and can help spread your scope while gaining Twitter followers.

A Final Word: Why the Long, Hard, and Earnest Road is Best

Increasing your followers on Twitter naturally isn’t easy, but it’s worth it in the end. Just a handful of engaged, active followers is infinitely more valuable than hundreds of fake accounts that do nothing more than add to an ego-stroking number.

Buying Twitter followers harkens back to the old days of SEO, evocative of outdated black-hat logic that grows less fruitful and more damaging as an increasing emphasis is put on quality over quantity. Buying Twitter followers may provide some temporary sense of instant gratification, but the potential backlash of being found out as a liar or fraud can quickly undo any advantages and permanently destroy your reputation.

For small businesses, such growing pains are essential for character development –Twitter is a valuable space for businesses to test and hone their personality, be it humorous, technical, or offbeat. Brand persona and Twitter following grow together as a result. Discovering and becoming a power player in your niche is what really increases your Twitter following, and bypassing such steps results in a hollow brand trying to survive off a vanity metric.

So fight the good fight, earn your followers the old-fashioned way! Or don’t. It’s your call.

Article source: http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2013/05/16/buying-twitter-followers-pros-and-cons

Better Living – May is Small Business Month, now’s the time to start yours

2013-05-16

- Better Living – May is Small Business Month, now’s the time to start yours

Courtesy of StatePoint Special to the Courier

Tired of taking orders? Have a great business idea? May, which is National Small Business Month, is a great time to think about starting your own endeavor.

But do you have what it takes to do it all yourself?

A new survey of business owners, conducted by Deluxe, a provider of marketing services and products to small businesses, concludes that small business owners share many of the same tendencies and even similar personal histories – a sort of unique DNA that allows them to thrive.

For example, when it comes to heredity and actual DNA, 76 percent of small business owners have relatives who owned businesses. And 86 percent are ultra-confident, believing they can do anything they really set their mind to.

Most interestingly, the research found a tendency to try and fail, then succeed. Seventy-seven percent of small business owners surveyed said they would rather learn from failure than never try at all.

“With confidence, drive, tenacity and talent, small business owners will improve their chances at being sustainable and profitable,” says Tim Carroll, vice president of small business engagement at Deluxe.

In time for National Small Business Month, here are some tips for those looking to launch businesses:

• Do your research – While starting a business involves risk, you can mitigate some uncertainty with proper research. In fact, 79 percent of small business owners research products before purchasing, according to the survey – a tendency that far exceeds that of the general population.

Have a clear understanding of your market, competitors, expected startup costs, overhead and return on investment. Know who your customer base will be and learn about them.

• Build a brand – Powerful branding differentiates a company from its competitors, making it easier for customers to choose that company for business relationships, and allows a company to get referral business.
However, don’t wing it yourself on your home computer. A professional design team can help you stand out for the right reasons. For example, Deluxe offers logo packages that can include a tagline, letterhead and customized email signature. Visit www.Deluxe.com for tips on making your company’s brand memorable and appealing.

• Communicate – Whether you’re providing legal services or you’re a roofing contractor, technology has made it easier for business owners to establish themselves as experts by sharing their knowledge with current and potential customers. Use social media tools to deliver news, offer information and provide deals and promotions.

• Optimize – If you build a website will they come? Not necessarily. Text-based content is how Google determines what a site is about. Be sure to add keywords to your title page, page description, meta tags and headlines. Using a professional SEO service, such as Orange Soda, can make a big difference when it comes to traffic volume to your site. Visit www.OrangeSoda.com to set up a free consultation.

For more resources for starting or growing a small business, visit www.Deluxe.com and click on “Idea Hub.”

These days, you needn’t be a Gates or a Trump to be successful. The right tools and attitude can make all the difference.

Photo by Andres Rodriguez – Fotolia.com

Article source: http://www.bccourier.com/Archives/Community_detail.php?contentId=13730

5 PR Strategies You Can Use To Build Links Right Now – Search Engine Land

There’s been a lot of talk in the search industry over the past year regarding the overlap of public relations and SEO, particularly in the area of link building. As a Public Relations major, this couldn’t make me happier — not because I feel like my college degree can finally be justified to my parents; but because, as an industry, we’re finally embracing PR and learning from it, even though it’s always been a part of SEO.

Public relations professionals have spent years perfecting their outreach strategies, building relationships and finding press opportunities for their clients. Search marketers have also spent years doing outreach and finding opportunities for our clients — we just called them “links.” They weren’t always the best opportunities, but we’re getting better — and that’s where we can take a cue from our communications-minded friends in the PR industry.

Here’s how:

1. Monitor Editorial Opportunities

By now, we’ve all heard of HARO, and hopefully everyone is using it to get their client mentions and maybe build a link or two. While HARO is extremely useful, it isn’t the end-all be-all when it comes to finding editorial opportunities.

Sites all over the Web (especially those with Web and print publications) have pages listing their upcoming editorial opportunities. Here’s an example from Direct Marketing News:

Editorial opportunities typically include the article subject matter, the author, the author’s contact information and the deadline. This is all extremely valuable information, and it’s all right there for you in one place! All you have to do is pitch it.

To find out if a site has their editorial opportunities listed, search the target site or use Google site: command for terms like:

• Editorial calendar
• Upcoming issues
• Editorial opportunities
• Guest opinion articles

You can also use EdCals from Cision. It’s a free tool that allows you to search editorial calendars across the globe and then download the information to your Outlook. Search by topic, submission deadline and the outlet name.

Once you’ve identified sites that publish this information, make sure to monitor them for future openings. Put them in your reader or subscribe to be alerted via email (if offered).

2. Set Up Event Interviews

Conferences and trade shows offer plenty of opportunities when it comes to links;  but, one of the best comes straight from the world of PR: interviews.

For both speakers and those attending the show, it seems there is always someone looking to interview attendees before, during and after the show. Some conferences will even go so far as to set up press interviews for you.

If you’re planning on attending a show or have a client attending a show, start looking for potential interviews:

• Sign up for event emails
• Visit the event press page
• Follow the event hashtag

Also, be sure to check out event sponsors, as they will often do promotions ahead of time. Take a look at their social media accounts or blog to identify any possible lead-ins.

3. Provide Daily Scan Recommendations

As a link builder, there’s no doubt that you’re already monitoring the Web for your company or client. Whether it’s through Google Alerts, Trackur, or another Web monitoring tool, we know this is a valuable source for links. Daily scans basically do the same thing.

The PR team will send the client a “daily scan” email featuring the top articles about the company, their competitors and overall industry news. It keeps the client and the agency informed of what’s happening.

The key is to take the scan a step further. Create action items.

Run the daily scan, but underneath each article, create an action item for the client (for in-house people, this can essentially act as a to-do list):

• Leave a comment on the post
• Write a response on the client’s/company blog
• Share the post via Twitter
• Email the author

The key to providing an action item is to give whomever you are sending it to as much information as possible. If you want your client to leave a comment, write the suggested comment. If you want the person to connect with the author via Twitter, give him/her the author’s Twitter handle. The less work a busy client has to do, the greater the chance the person will be able to get it done.

The daily scan recommendations are a great way to help drive brand awareness, create relationships with the people who matter and build links.

4. Create Segmented Reporter Lists

In June of last year, Oriella PR surveyed 600 reporters on their use of social media for sourcing stories. The results showed that 55% of the respondents used social networks to find stories from known sources, and 26% said they used social to find stories from sources they did not know.

The fact that reporters are using social media to source stories has given search marketers a huge window of opportunity for link building. That doesn’t mean you need to go follow every reporter on Twitter, though.

To increase your chances of being a source and acquiring a link, you must target reporters that are relevant to your company or client.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to create private Twitter lists segmented by client, industry and relationship. For example, if I have three clients in the high tech industry, I want to make sure I have the following lists set up:

• High tech reporters
• Client 1 reporters
• Client 2 reporters
• Client 3 reporters

I also want to make sure I know which reporters have written about my company/client before and which have not. It may seem like a lot of lists, but it’ll help you stay organized and ensure you don’t waste your time looking at the wrong people.

To find relevant reporters and start creating lists, check out some of these tools to help with the data gathering process (Muck Rack has some great lists). The easiest place to start, however, is your target publication. For example, The New York Times lists their reporters on Twitter, and even has them filtered by topic. The same thing applies to The Boston Globe and many of the other larger newspapers.

Also take a look at the authors of the articles listed in the daily scans mentioned above. These people are already writing about your industry and may need a source in the future.

Once you have your lists set up, be sure to keep an eye on them or set up alerts. When a reporter is sourcing a story on Twitter, it’s likely because he/she needs the information fast.

5. Use PR Focused Tools

One of the things that makes the search industry rock is the abundance of free or low cost tools we have at our disposal — tools that make our jobs easier and help us make better decisions every single day. Well, guess what? The PR industry has those, too.

I mentioned the Cision editorial tool above, but the company also offers a free tool called Seek or Shout that lets you find content, post pitches and seek those looking for sources. It’s a pretty cool way to make connections and discover potential link opportunities.

Search for a specific topic and then filter by “seek” and “date.” You’ll see who’s looking for information for a story and who has a question about the topic — you may even find potential content for your own site (i.e., interviews) that can result in a return link and social promotion.

Like any other social network, you get what you give — so start by finding people in your industry or your client’s industry that you can connect with. It probably doesn’t need to be said, but it’s all about relationship building.

Note: Seek and Shout is still growing; so, while you may not find something in there every day, keep it in your arsenal. If you’re looking for additional PR tools to use, RavenTools has a massive list worth taking a look at.

At the end of the day, link building has changed and will continue to change. Public relations professionals focus on getting their clients mentions that matter to their overall business, and so should we. Hopefully, the tips listed above will help you get started.

Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Link Building | Link Building: General | Link Week

Article source: http://searchengineland.com/5-pr-strategies-you-can-use-to-build-links-right-now-158641

Dyn buys Trendslide, fourth company in 7 months

Kyle York, CRO, Dyn

Patricia Resende
Managing Editor MHT- Boston Business Journal

Email

Dyn Inc. is on a buying spree. The Manchester, N.H.-based Internet Infrastructure as a Service provider has bought mobile dashboard app startup Trendslide, a New Hampshire startup that was backed by Dyn CTO Cory von Wallenstein.

The acquisition of Trendslide’s intellectual property will enable Dyn to integrate third party services like Gomez, New Relic and Catchpoint, along with historical and email data into Trendslide’s sales and marketing tool. The tool will now be marketed as a development/operations tool for customers. Trendslide Co-founder Benjamin Petrin will join Dyn as a lead developer, according to the company.

Before being acquired, Trendslide was seeking out additional capital. Ron Martin, CEO of Trendslide, said it was the opinion of many of its investors that the service should stay close to Dyn and focus on infrastructure, not marketing and sales analytics. “It was good advice, so we decided this was the sensible move,” Martin said. “We are happy with this outcome and excited to see the product carry on.”

“At the root of Dyn has always been our excellence in engineering,” said Dyn Chief Revenue Officer Kyle York, in a statement. “We are committed to creating tools that answer the questions of engineers and members of the DevOps community throughout the world. The acquisition of Trendslide is a big step toward that guarantee.”

The acquisition comes after Dyn acquired Verelo, a Toronto-based startup that provides performance analytics, as well as malware detection and site health monitoring services. Before that, Dyn paid $4 million for TZO, a Pepperell-based DNS business. Prior to snapping up TZO, Dyn acquired the SEO/SEM and e-commerce development arm of Incutio Ltd., a company with offices Manchester and the U.K., and the acquisition of four other businesses before that.

In 2011, Dyn made its biggest purchase when it acquired SendLabs enabling Dyn to offer enterprise email delivery services. In 2010, Dyn acquired EveryDNS, a free DNS management service that at one time provided DNS services for over 135,000 domains and EditDNS, a hosted DNS provider.

Article source: http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/techflash/2013/05/dyn-buys-trendslide-fourth-company-in.html

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