Chances are that, if you own a business, you have a website. In today’s day and age, it is basically a requirement. It is pretty much the most important and affordable way to get one’s company name out there. The physical storefront for retail simply doesn’t hold the same weight as it used to. Potential customers will use Google to locate the business, browse its offerings, and even find out its exact location, picture and all, via the web. If, at any one point they are not pleased; it’s over and that individual will never visit the locale. The power of the internet, then, is incredibly great. Fortunately, there are business and marketing solutions that ensure the opposite.

            SEO web design is a relatively new service, on behalf of online marketing firms, that attempts to create pages that truly speak to users. It is important for business owners to recognize that, once a customer has found their website; the experience should be dictated towards them, not the further selling of one’s products or services. Sometimes, this is not well communicated to the original designer of a website and is where a marketing design firm comes into play. SEO, or search engine optimization, is when a firm and a client come together to decide on a marketing and advertising strategy that will allow for a site’s greatest presence on the internet. This is done in conjunction with budget and business goals. So, it will always be a considerate position.

            Web design and marketing companies can thus redesign a website for the sake of optimizing searches. This involves considering landing pages and keywords, which will help to improve the quality score of a website. These three aspects are especially crucial and any design firm that does not take these into consideration should not be chosen.

           In the working world, there is a certain aura of independence that is hard to quell when it comes to getting a business, or company, to admit that they need outside assistance. Often, the plan is to try to fix everything internally, which does save money. However, it does increase stress and can make the tasks of the working environment more vigorous for employees.

            One of the major areas that this can crop up in is the interaction of clients with a given business. Obviously, no one wants to get accounts, finances, or the plethora of other dealings with the end user wrong, especially when the name of the company is on the line. That’s why Microsoft CRM software exists. It enables the utilization of an outside consulting firm’s expertise via systems that are available and supported by the company itself. Also, its existence begs the question whether a business wants to implement widespread Microsoft CRM training, or implement it on a smaller scale, with the majority of the work being taken care of by the consulting firm. Now, while employees will need to know how to use it. It can be theorized that consults are best suited to interpret it and make those judgment propositions to a company, deciding upon where it is going. An example of this is Dynamics SL, which can be used for the organization and planning of a company’s, or businesses, upcoming and existing projects.

            The point of this brief, albeit specific, example of how businesses and consulting firms interact is to hopefully stimulate that, if planning and customer interactions aren’t going as well as one would hope; there are alternatives out there. Yet, the only hurdle to overcome in accessing them is the acceptance of actually needing help.

CMS – Easy Ways to Run Your Webpage

Businesses that always try to find new ways to make their company run more efficiently find CMS easy and quick to use.  A content management system can be very effective at saving time and money when it comes to maintaining and editing a company’s website.   Waiting for an outside source that has more competence with html code and technical web knowledge can be wasteful and frustrating.  Being hands-on with your own website is the best option for eliminating this kind of problem.

A PHP Content Management System – Editing and Maintaining

What a PHP content management system creates for your website is a template that makes it straightforward and fool-proof to edit and maintain data.  You don’t need to fully understand html code or more complicated aspects of what makes up a website.   You can upload content and make changes on a regular basis or administer the work to other employees.  You can be more involved in the appearance of your website and control the information and output while still maintaining a professional look.

CMS – SEO Compatible System for Web Marketing

Changing your website to a more manageable system does not mean you have to give up your web marketing strategies.  With most CMS, SEO is compatible and can be incorporated in your web content.  You can manage your search engine optimization tools while still being involved in the creation and maintenance of your website.  Your business will benefit from saving time and money, while also profiting from your web advertising strategies.

Traffic Increase through PPC Companies

If you haven’t already heard of the great results PPC companies are providing, you are missing out on the most effective web marketing tool around.   Pay per click advertising has been proven to make a large increase in traffic for many companies’ websites.  Finding a company that provides this service could mean so much more activity on your website and a way to really reach all your potential buyers online.   You will get enough web exposure to positively increase clients and sales.

How to use Keyword Advertising

You want potential customers to come across your site but aren’t sure how to compete with all the other companies on the web.  The best way is to think of keyword advertising that could possibly differentiate your company from everything else out there.  More broad and generic keywords will lead to too many search results and your website will get buried amongst all the others.  When you advertise using more focused keywords you are more likely to come up in a search for exactly what you provide to your customers.

Use Keyword Rich Content Created by a Web Copywriter

So how do you get those unique keywords that will increase traffic to your website?  A web copywriter can create unique content on the web that will use the keywords that you have developed to get buyers to your site.  The content they create will be tailored specifically to your website making it more likely for customers to find you on the web.   A web marketing company that uses keyword advertising created by copywriters can really boost your search engine visibility.

1. Multitask at your own risk! Most resources argue that multitasking is inefficient because it leaves you distracted. Sometimes your best work may come when you’re in the middle of something else. It’s not ideal but I certainly wouldn’t avoid multitasking all together.
2. Schedule your social media time. It’s easy to get distracted on Facebook or Twitter. I find myself crawling for more tweets, especially if I’m looking at something in particular or a trending topic. Instead, you can schedule 5 or 10 minutes every other hour to check up on your social media profiles (if it’s necessary at all).
3. Take notes – don’t let good ideas slip away. Maybe you utilize your Google Reader or have a specific email folder. Even an old-fashioned moleskin will do. At the end of the day, you can skim your notes and see how the good ones stick.
4. Stop obsessing over things that don’t matter. This seems easier said than done but it is possible. Before you get too involved in a task, ask yourself if it’s really necessary at the moment. There are many time management tools that focus on the priority of each project.
5. Limit your time on a specific task. If you’re stuck on something, move onto something to clear your mind. It’s easier to see what you’re doing wrong or what you need to do when you come back to it at a later time.
6. Learn to say no. Whether it’s saying no to telemarketers, co-workers asking you favors, or clients who bug you, you need to learn to find the ‘no’ point that works for you.
7. Take a break. Avoid spacing out on your computer and you’ll feel refreshed… which hopefully means that you’re ready to be more productive!

It’s March and we all know that that is – National Reading Month! Whether you read a little or a lot, there’s so much we can learn by reading. I’m currently reading Hypnotic Writing: How to Seduce and Persuade Customers with Only Your Words by Joe Vitale.

Not something I would usually read “for fun”, but he offers a lot of helpful tips for blogging and writing in general:

• Repeat, repeat, repeat. The best writers can get their point across through repetition without sounding boring.
• Sprinkle in a little intimacy in your writing. Your readers want to know why they should be reading your blog, book, etc. Don’t make it all about yourself and take the time to help them out.
• Imitation is the best form of flattery. Comedians “borrow” jokes from their heroes. Athletes watch footage of sports legends. What’s wrong with aiming high? You’ll develop a style that is uniquely your own.
• Drunk as a sailor? As fit as a fiddle? As mad as a hatter? Use similes sparingly. Maybe, you can come up some more interesting ones.
• Don’t aim for perfection: If you edit too much and scrutinize the details, your work won’t have the same feeling that you originally intended it to. Don’t be too harsh on yourself but instead, try the best you can and then move on.

What are you currently reading? Have any recommendations?

No More “Batch and Blast”
I saw this tip as it applies to email marketing, but you can apply it to different platforms. Twitter, Facebook, and even blogging. Have you ever wondered why you constantly get postcards and junk from your local real estate agent? They often use this batch and blast method because it’s cost efficient and effective. Just think of it, the commission they make from one sale makes their direct mailing costs very minuscule. Sure… social media marketing is free, but you really are paying a cost if you blast your followers with self-promotion. No matter how you choose to carry out your campaign, think of it as a continuous process.

Copying Competitors and Copycats
Google alerts is a great way to keep an eye out for your reputation, but have you thought about using it to watch your competitors? This article does a great job of compiling a variety of different ways you can stay in the know. Have you dealt with plagiarism in the past? You might have a piece of content that people love to steal. You can check by searching a certain phrase in parenthesis or checking CopyScape. We’ve had 3 different “companies” steal content on our video marketing page and reported them to Google as soon as we found out.

Google Webmaster Tools for Your WordPress
Did you know that you can use Webmaster Tools to get insight about your WordPress? The WordPress dashboard already allows you to see how many visitors you get and who’s linking to you. Once you verify ownership of your WordPress account with Webmaster Tools, you’ll see where your blog ranks in search engine results along with relevant keywords. You’ll also be able to see any crawl errors and other useful diagnostics. Best of all, this tool doesn’t cost anything. Feel free to add all your blogs/sites and master Webmaster Central today.

Currently, waiting for Twitter’s fail whale to disappear…

Anyways, I’ve been thinking about Facebook advertising lately. Have you ever used it for your business? It can even be a pretty effective way to get new fans to your Fan page and more. When you start your Facebook ad campaign, you can either set a maximum price per click (CPC) or per impression (CPM ). You will also be prompted to set a daily budget, which Facebook will not go over (unlike Google). Facebook is going to roll out a beta version of ad conversion tracking. The service will allow you to calculate the ROI of your ad campaigns. Really excited for this to make its way to my account so I can try it out!

The key in direct marketing is choosing your target audience, and with Facebook ads, you can do just that. There are 11 different criteria that you can use to your advantage. Don’t hesitate to take your time to think of the relevant users you want. Did you know that you can target users on their birthday? You can also target a specific radius within cities and even users who have a certain interest or activity. Facebook coupons come up frequently, so make sure to check. I just got a $50 credit and it’s a great way for small businesses or individuals to test their ads.

Some more interesting-reads for advertising on Facebook:

10 Rules for Advertising on Facebook
Facebook Ads Best Practices
Facebook Advertising – An Opportunity for Deep Targeting at Very Low Cost
25 Bad Facebook Ads
Is the big Facebook advertising experiment working?

Here are some tips to help you get unstuck:

Use pictures
Who likes reading chunks of text without white space or pictures? If your blog features text on end, you’re just asking to put readers to sleep. Many sites feature inspirational photos, just look into some in the field you’re interested in. If you’re into fashion, Polyvore is great to help you visualize things. Flickr and DeviantART are also useful for general purposes.

Get inspiration
Go for a walk, listen to some of your old favorite tracks, or just pick a nice place to do some people watching. You’ll be surprised at the things you come across. Sometimes, it just helps to step away from the keyboard and clear your mind. If that doesn’t help, it’s time to do some reading. Subscribe to some  interesting blog feeds. It just helps keeping up with the current news. Some of my go to sites: Technorati, LA Times, Wired and even movie quotes!

Keep notes

Throughout the day, you may come across many things that would make for an interesting topic. Did you see a stupid commercial or bite into a raw hamburger? Why not write about it? Subtle insight and your personal experiences make the best topics. Instead of tweeting every single thought that comes to your mind, take note of some good ones. You don’t have to spend a lot of time thinking about it, but just pick some that you would like to elaborate on. Good luck in your blogging adventures! As for me… I just found a way to get over my own blogger’s block.

2009. What a year! It was a year of the, Palm Pre, the Snuggie, Zhu Zhu Pets and more. Filled with celebrity deaths and scandal, it is surely one to remember. What a better way to close off the decade with some top of 2009 lists! Let’s reminisce:

• Consumerist’s best ads
• Last.fm’s best of 2009
• Facebook’s 2009 domination
• Best Copyblogger content
• Top searches of 09

What were your favorite memories of 2009 and are you ready for the new year?