Social Media Optimization: A Business Necessity, Not a Luxury

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Did you know that within the social media space, there are conversations happening at this very moment that will define your brand? If you don’t capitalize on this vast and growing landscape, your competitors will, and you won’t like the outcome. Watch the video: Business owners may not realize it yet but social media optimization is now a crucial marketing necessity if their venture is to compete in this economy. The emergence of social networks over the past few years has changed the way businesses reach out to their audience. In fact, it is no longer enough to have a website, get backlinks, and rank well on Google. Today, a successful business needs essential elements: networking, awareness, engagement, trust, and loyalty – all of which are achievable through social media. Social Media Optimization: A Legitimate Business Need You might still be wondering, just how important is having a Social Media Optimization campaign for your business. Well, let us help you put things in perspective. 1 in 4 people worldwide are social media users (eMarketer) 1 in 6 minutes spent online worldwide is spent on social media platforms (comScore) It took 13 years for television to reach an audience of 50 million people (United Nations Cyberschoolbus) It only took Facebook 2 years! Without a solid social media optimization strategy, it will be difficult for businesses to make the most out of this trend. Even coping with it will be a struggle. Social media is indeed growing and evolving fast. It’s involving more and more people connecting with each other, sharing thoughts and feelings through status messages, likes, tweets, links, photos, videos, and etc. How connected are you to your target audience? How many people are talking about your business? When a potential customer searches for your business’ name on Google, are […] Read more »

Why is Social Media Optimization Essential to Your Success?

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Social media optimization is a marketing strategy that’s simply too important to ignore. Social networks are growing steadily and they are providing small businesses an opportunity to reach out to a bigger audience. In today’s online world, you would need to be thriving socially if you want your business to get more customers and crush your competition. Not convinced with the power of social media? See our Infographic: Amplification: Beyond Reach, Engagement Social media is an effective tool for reaching your prospects and engaging them. According to Pew Internet research, 67% of all Internet users also use social networks. Meanwhile, comScore estimates that one in six minutes spent online is on social networks. These statistics simply mean that when people are online, they also connect via social media—giving business owners and marketers an opportunity for customer reach and engagement. But what makes social media powerful is amplification. The more engaged your friends and followers are, the bigger your amplification factor grows. This is turn results in more reach, deeper engagement, and again, bigger amplification. The social cycle goes on and on, and is similar to the buying cycle: awareness, interest, desire, action, loyalty, and advocacy. Amplification, however, makes the difference as it broadcasts the advocacy to a bigger audience, amplifying the number of leads and customers you can reach and engage. Facebook Leads Social Network Growth More and more social networks are being created nowadays but some of the crucial ones businesses need to focus on are as follows: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. These are networks that have shown steady growth. These are where most of your prospects share and connect with friends. Facebook, in particular, should be a business necessity. The social network now has 1.11 billion monthly active users, up from 680 million in 2011. Its […] Read more »

Why We Are the Perfect SEO Solutions Provider for Your Business

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SEO providers will almost always claim that they are the perfect solution to your online marketing problems. Frankly, we do too! But only because we know we really are. Here’s what sets us apart and why you should choose us. Watch the video: We understand the business side of SEO. You’ll hear providers talk about SERPs, rankings, traffic, links, and other technical mumbo-jumbo. We have gone beyond this going to the next level because we know what you need. We know that what you need is a steady stream of loyal, paying customers who want to buy from you over and over again, and then refer your business to their friends. You need loyal followers who will visit your site every day, engage in your content, and share it with their network. That’s the focus of our SEO approach. You need to ensure that your provider understands your business and your industry. After all, your provider will serve as your online machine. They must have you marketing objectives as the blueprint in their mind to ensure that every effort is working toward your business goals. Your online marketing company should be capable of laying out the business plan to your online success. But in order to do that, they must intimately understand your business and your business plan. We create quality content that speaks to your target audience. We focus on creating content that is valuable to your target market – not keyword-stuffed and unreadable articles! One type of content we produce is promotional-based content, which is targeted to your existing and potential customers. This content will contain anything from promos, coupons, sales, and current discounts you have to offer. We create blog posts that your prospects want to share with their friends. We create press releases, company updates, and […] Read more »

SEO Goes Natural & Social with High Quality Content

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How to Comply with Google Panda and Penguin Updates Doing effective SEO has evolved into a more “natural” and “social” process. Algorithm updates, particularly Google’s Penguin and Panda, are continuously changing the course of conducting search engine optimization. Penguin targets bad links while Panda goes after poor content. Google, through their algorithm updates, has reiterated that website owners and search engine optimization practitioners must create a better experience for users. And that trying to manipulate rankings through keyword over optimization, link schemes, and black hat methodologies will only harm your website — and your business. See our Infographic: Here are some Penguin and Panda update-compliant SEO methodologies. Publish High Quality Content The era of run-of-the-mill, duplicate, and poor content is over. If you want to get into the SEO battle and win, then producing high quality, compelling content should be in your arsenal. Great content is key to increased visitors, more engagement, more inbound links and higher rankings. 72% of B2B marketers use content marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy – BtoB Magazine 86% of B2C marketers use content marketing – Content Marketing Institute 90% of consumers find custom content useful. – TMG Custom Media 90% of CMOs say high quality content has a positive effect on audience attitudes – Custom Content Council 79% of marketers say their organizations are shifting to branded content – Forrester 72% of marketers rate branded content as more effective than magazine ads – Custom Content Council 60% of consumers feel more optimistic about a company after reading onsite custom content – Content Plus Stamp it with Google+ Google+ Authorship & Publishership Google+ is not just the search engine giant’s answer to Facebook. Plus is a social layer that connects all your Google activities. Google+ authorship in particular is a powerful SEO tool […] Read more »

Responsive Web Design: Prevent Potential Sales Loss with a Mobile Friendly Website

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Many business owners today tend to ignore the importance of having a mobile friendly or “responsive” website. Without realizing it, they may be losing prospective leads and sales because their website is not designed to load properly on mobile devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Here’s why you should not be one of them, and how you can make your website responsive: Watch the video: What is Mobile Responsive Web Design? Your website needs to be mobile friendly, so it needs to be “mobile responsive.” Responsive design is when your website automatically responds or adjusts on the fly to the screen size of the device viewing it. In effect, be it a desktop, a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, your website will load properly. Users Favor Mobile Friendly Sites According to a study commissioned by Google, 74% of users are more likely to return to a mobile-friendly site. But that’s not all. Some 67% of users are more likely to buy if the site is mobile friendly. On the other hand, if your website is not friendly to mobile viewers, you could be in trouble. On the same study, it was found that 48% of users are “frustrated” and “annoyed” by a non-mobile-friendly website. Some 48% said a company “doesn’t care” about its business if its site is not mobile friendly. Some 52% of users are unlikely to engage with a business that has a non-mobile-friendly site. More Mobile Devices Connected Online You need a responsive site as more and more people are using mobile devices to browse online. First of all, ABI Research estimates that there will be 1.4 billion smartphones by the end of 2013. With the current population at 7 billion, that’s 1 smartphone for every 5 people. Meanwhile, comScore estimates that 28% of smartphone owners also […] Read more »

Go for Mobile Responsive Web Design

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Getting More Leads and Sales, Not Just Fancy Cosmetic Redesign Implementing responsive web design means opening up your online storefront to mobile visitors, effectively increasing your chances of getting more leads and sales through your site. While it may come as a mere fancy redesign to some business owners, you should realize that this change is geared toward marketing more than cosmetics. Making the decision to have a responsive site means giving your business more opportunities to grow, especially for the long haul. See our Infographic: Responsive Defined In a nutshell, a responsive web design adapts itself to multiple screen sizes using the same URL, the same page, the same content, and the same code. Having a responsive web design means your website responds to or adjusts automatically to the size of the screen of various devices: a desktop computer, a laptop, a tablet, or a smartphone. Today is the perfect time to go responsive as mobile ownership is up and will continue to rise in the future. In the U.S. alone, there are already over 120 million smartphones and 50 million tablets, estimates digital research firm comScore. By the end of 2013, there will be 1.4 billion smartphones across the world, adds another research firm, ABI Research. It is also expected that by 2014, there will be more mobile Internet users than desktop users. But it’s not just mobile device ownership you should look at; it’s what people do with their laptops, tablets, and smartphones that you should pay attention to. Digital Media Consumption through Mobile Owners are so engaged with their mobile devices that 37% of time spent on digital media is now driven by smartphones and tablets. Research shows that mobile (43%) is closing in on desktop (57%) in terms of preference when reading news. User preference […] Read more »

Customers Are Searching for Local Businesses Online – and How Your Business Can Survive the Shift

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Do you still think that a listing on the yellow pages is enough for prospects to find your local business? If so, this is a wake-up call. The truth is this: paying customers are finding more and more ways to research products and services in their area. Widespread Internet access and mobile devices enable customers to find what they need instantly, on the go, and with high buying intent. This also comes with the high propensity to share experiences online with friends. If your business is not capitalizing on this shift, then you are losing out. Watch our video now: Online Trends Affecting Your Local Business Local businesses that serve a specific geographic area can no longer rely on simply placing their listing on yellow pages. Consumers are going beyond traditional methods of searching for products and services in their area. Here are some trends that you need to know: Local Searches on tools like Google Places and Bing Local grew by 144% between 2011 and 2012 (comScore) 86% of tablet owners made a purchase from their recent tablet-based local search (MarketingSherpa) 72% of smart phone owners made a purchase from their recent smart phone based local search (MarketingSherpa) 78% of all Internet users conduct product research online before making a local purchase (Pew Internet) 80% of users stated they have changed their minds on making a purchase because of a bad review they read online (Cone Communications) These are trends that your business simply cannot afford to ignore. The Shift – How Prospects Are Looking for You Based on the trends above, you’ll see that consumers are no longer dependent on print listings and other traditional media to find businesses they need. They are using the Internet and their mobile devices to quickly locate shops. In fact, a survey […] Read more »

Is Your Local Business Invisible Online? Discover Local Buzz!

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More and more consumers are using the Internet to search for products and services in their area. Sadly, local businesses are struggling to keep up with the trend. They are finding it more and more difficult to stay visible to potential customers online. On the other hand, a select few local businesses are thriving. They are dominating local listings and enticing prospects to come and visit the shop. Want to dominate your local area for your products and services, too? Discover how you can thrive locally with the help of optimized local listings, customer ratings and reviews, check-ins, and maps – otherwise known as “local buzz.” Local Search and Why It’s Growing Many local business owners are aware that nearly 8 in 10 consumers use the Internet to look for products and services online. Google, of course, is the leading search engine of choice. That’s why business owners spend majority of the budget on having a website and optimizing it for search results. What many owners are realizing now is that they should optimize their online presence based on location too, not just on products and services they offer. That’s what local buzz is all about. Local search happens when prospects type in geographic keywords in their search queries (i.e. “best wedding gowns san francisco” or “website design in chicago). Some 54% of searchers include a local modifier (city, zip code) in their search nowadays. Much of the popularity of local search can be correlated to the growth of mobile device ownership and usage. Some 74% of smartphone owners get real-time location-based information through their phone, as of February 2012, up from 55% in May 2011, comScore said. Local Buzz Means Money for the Biz For now, it is clear that consumers are online and they are looking for a […] Read more »