SEO tactics to drive traffic to your website

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YouTube

Beginning Monday, June 3, 2013, Anthony Idle, A LinkedIn connection of mine will be teaching you the basics on the FREE 8 Step Program to Video Marketing Success.

He demonstrates effective ways to to create an emotional engagement with your prospects using online video marketing to complement your website so that they can fast forward your sales.

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How to Localize Your Content Marketing Strategy

Optimizing your content can seem pretty straightforward, but having it rank well for specific locales is a bit trickier. Localizing your content marketing can bring a lot of benefits, especially because you can tweak the content for various regions to maximize impact.

There are a few simple tips that can help you focus on a more local approach to your overall content marketing strategy. Start with these:

Use local keywords

When you’re making a specific region a target of your content marketing plan — let’s say a city — make sure you use that city’s name in your blog posts and try to include long-tail keywords associated with that city’s name.

Let’s pretend you represent a national retailer that sells widgets, and they are seeing flagging results in Minneapolis. You could focus on some long-tail keywords like, “Where to find the best widgets in Minneapolis?” and “Where can I buy widgets in St. Paul?” For even more detailed and nuanced implementation, you can start to identify neighborhoods, streets and other local points of interest, and target content about those specific things. For example: Find a local park that’s popular, and write a blog post about that, or profile an upcoming regional event that gets people excited and involved. In order to target local, you need to think local.

Write about local issues

It can definitely be worth it to spend some time on local blogs and media aggregators for the region you’re targeting. Continuing on with the Minneapolis example, you could visit Reddit’s /r/Minneapolis to see what the hot issues of the day are, as well as identify some of the local news aggregators. Once you have your thumb on the pulse of the issues, you can formulate a content strategy that includes very timely blog posts about current issues that are of interest to people in your target locale.

There are usually dozens of local blogs and news sites that can provide an endless array of things to write about, and a creative content marketing strategy can include very timely, relevant and local information that can help accomplish overall goals.

Identify and write about local peers and competitors

As you can start to see, localizing a content strategy involves a lot of research, and identifying both complementary and competitive companies is a big part of that. Find out who your competitors are in a market, and discover who links to them and why, then you can start to get a feel for planning a strategy that capitalizes on that information. Identify competitors’ successes and failures, and you can start to identify cultural cues that may help you avoid embarrassing situations. A content marketing plan for New York City, for example, may look far different than one for Mobile, Alabama, and a smart content marketing plan will absolutely plan for cultural expectations and norms.

Use local check-in services for information and targeting

Tools like Foursquare and Instagram allow for extreme localization through hashtagging and check-ins. You would, for example, want to start following the #widgets and #minneapolis hashtags on Instagram to get a feel for the community, then implement smart content on those networks as part of your overall localization plan. Taking a photo on Instagram that people of #Minneapolis would appreciate and favorite can help build brand recognition and awareness. For Facebook, you can actually target posts to specific locales, so this is another way to focus a specific piece of content to a local market.

Guest post on local blogs

You can also offer to write topical blog posts on influential local blogs. Huffington Post is a good place to start identifying influential local bloggers because they often re-post blogs from strong local writers. Build a list using a tool like BuzzStream, and start reaching out to local bloggers to include them in your overall strategy.

Finding your target audience, understanding what sets them apart from other local markets and focusing a content strategy to them is a challenge. But it is also ultimately rewarding for companies that want to set themselves apart from their competition.

Erica Moss is the community manager for Georgetown University’s nursing programs online, offering one of the nation’s leading online fnp programs. She enjoys blogging, TV, pop culture and tweeting @ericajmoss.

Photo credit: SEOPlanter on Flickr

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Ana Lucia Novak, Co-Author of Success in High Heels Book

I’m thrilled to announce that a book I co-authored with 29 other amazing women entitled, “Success in High Heels, 30 Day Feast to Success” will be available on Amazon, Monday, April 8, 2013.  My chapter covers Twitter, “A Whole New World,Why You Need Twitter”, where I include steps to improve your online presence on Twitter, proper use of Hashtags, and how to use Twitter as an extension of yourself to communicate and foster relationships.  A press release was submitted earlier today via Dlvr.it.  I invite you to read it at http://stories.dlvr.it/story/129771-SuccessInHighHeels and welcome your comments below!

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Facebook Marketing Tools

First of all, Facebook is a social networking website that was primarily designed for use for Ivy League college students. However, because of the interactive tools that it can offer, it is now widely available for many people from different parts of the world. Whichever college or school you go to and wherever you are, you will now be able to join Facebook.

With Facebook, you will now be able to keep in touch with your friends as well as make new friends. However, the best thing about Facebook is probably its tools that you can use to market your business. Facebook is now one of the most popular websites today. With over 62 million active members from all over the world and still growing, you will see that this website is now somewhat of a large community.

You will see different people here from all walks of life.

With this figures, you will see that it will have the potential in providing you a way to market your products or services. It has tons of traffic and a lot of potential in providing your website with more targeted traffic.

You may ask why Facebook became one of the best places to market on the internet. Basically, Facebook is different from other social networking websites. Unlike other social networking websites, you will see that Facebook will be able to offer you different kinds of useful applications or tools that you can use to market your products or services. The applications on Facebook will let you market your products or services far more effectively than the available tools in most social networking websites.

By adding applications in your Facebook page, such as games, groups, and quizzes, you will be able to get people to view your Facebook page and help you market your products or services. The best thing about the application is that it is free.

Facebook is definitely a great place in the internet to market in. With the ability to drive targeted traffic to your website, you can be sure that you will be able to have lots of fun marketing your products. You have to consider the fact that Facebook is about networking. If a particular person in your friends list loved your products, they will most likely tell their friends in their Facebook friends list about the product and encourage them to purchase from you.

This is how Facebook marketing basically works. You’ll be surprised as to how many people will be quite interested in what you have to offer. You have to remember that targeted traffic is the key to internet marketing. If you are marketing your products or services in Facebook, you can be sure that you will be able to get a lot of targeted traffic in your business website.

So, the next time you plan on marketing on the internet, you might want to join Facebook. It’s free, it’s easy, and it’s a lot of fun. With Facebook, you will really have great time marketing and also profit from it at the same time.

With Facebook, internet marketing is easier and a lot cheaper than ever before. Remember these things and you will be able to see how much potential Facebook will be able to provide your business with.

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This one hour-long presentation is about Facebook to drive engagement and market a small business. The speakers will discuss some simple changes you can make today to increase your audience and drive more conversation, engagement and views on your company Facebook page. They will also cover 5 common facebook faux pas you should phase out.

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Market with Facebook

Today, one of the hottest trends in the internet is by joining social networking websites. Here, you will be able to keep in touch with your friends, and you can also meet new people as well as make friends with them. Another great feature ofsocial networking websites is that you will be able to create blogs and get people to know you even when you are not online through your profile page.

One great social networking websites today is Facebook. Here, you will be able to create your very own profile. You will be able to state what your hobbies or interests are, describe yourself, and you can even add your photos and start a photo album that everyone in Facebook can view.

Facebook is now one of the largest growing social networking websites today. With over 62 million subscribers and is continuing to grow every single day, you will be able to see that people do indeed use this particular website to keep in touch with their friends that they already personally known and also make new friends from other networks in Facebook.

Millions of Facebook users log in and log out of the website every single day. With this kind of traffic, you know that this particular website will serve more than just a website for social networking.

If you market your products or services on the internet, internet traffic like this will seem like a gold mine.

So, if you own a business, you may want to try marketing your products, services or your official website in Facebook. Why?

It’s pretty obvious why you should market in Facebook:

1. The first reason is that you already have the traffic. With millions of people logging in and out every single day, you have to consider that this website will have a lot of potential in letting you get a lot of customers.
2. Another reason is the communication tools that are readily provided by Facebook. Primarily used for communicating with your network and your group or groups, the tools here can also serve as tools for internet marketing.
   1. The first tool that you can use is the Groups tool. Try joining a group that is interested in what you have to sell. Then, try interacting with the group and after the group becomes well-acquainted with you, you can indirectly tell them that you are selling the things that they are interested in.
   2. The News Feed is also another great tool that you can use in Facebook to market your profile page as well as your website. In the News Feed, it will be able to announce whatever it is you are doing to your network of friends.
3. You can also try advertising in Facebook Ads. Although it might cost you some cash to advertise in Facebook Ads, you will see that it is quite affordable and it can definitely attract the attention of your network.

These are the reasons why you should advertise in Facebook and some of the many available tools that you can use to market your products, services or your business website.

Through Facebook, you will see that internet marketing has never been easier before. Here, you will get the traffic you want and you will also get the tools you need to effectively market your business.

To read more Facebook articles and blog posts, please visit NovakSocialMedia.com 

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Twitter announced that they now offer more targeting options for your Twitter Advertising.

Target by interests: by @usernames and interest categories

• · Target @usernames, to build an audience with similar interests to that @username’s followers.
• · Choose from a wide-ranging list of 350 interest categories.

Target by device 

• · Tailor your content to reach users on laptops, desktops, tablets or smartphones.

Target by gender

• · Target by gender when you want to reach just the guys or just the gals.

You can get more details here http://app.tweet.twitter.com/e/es?s=1259914507&e=6448&elq=13c102ec32b14036a12644ce30de53bf

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Energy FitBox is a kickboxing studio in Ontario, Canada. I’m quite impressed with how the business manager and founder, Anna Songui keeps her members excited about their session. She has have a very active Facebook Page and highly engaged members.  I can see why now! :>)

Energy FitBox High Energy Kickboxing Class – Ontario, Canada

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Photo Source:RubenLicera.com

The word Social Media either makes you cringe or perk your ears up with curiosity and wanting to know how to utilize it for personal or professional purposes.  I remember that the term social media wasn’t used until around 2008 and I recall eyes rolling in a person’s head, scoffing at the idea of using it a marketing, communication, and even a relationship building tool.

My Early Years in Social Media:

I was drawn in first from curiosity: What is Twitter and what is the big deal? How on earth would a person use Twitter, then later Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn as a marketing/communication/relationship building tool?  My love for organization and technology propelled me into the world of “social media” and I fell in love with all of it. I am a detailed oriented person, so I dug in deep, into the weeds learning all I could about each channel and how to make it work for me in an efficient manner and what tools could do it best.   I enrolled in Online Marketing courses and learned how to create an online presence with article writing, video, and local marketing tactics; then jumped into social media training where I learned how to build a platform, based on goals and objectives, integrating tools for efficiency, time management, monitoring and measuring results. I applied all I learned towards myself, and then decided to offer it as a service for people who didn’t know how to set up an online presence with social media.

My Confession:

So what is my confession? I can relate to people’s resistance to the use of social media.  It does take time and effort, and a willingness to develop a new habit.  Most people resist social media because it appears over-whelming, challenges their technical abilities, and well, forces you out of a comfort zone – social media is non-traditional, and you’re welcome to think outside the box when it comes to strategy, connecting with people in different ways, and not being afraid of how people will respond to your tweets, Facebook posts, Pinterest boards and so on.

I spent the past five years learning how to be social online and how to utilize tools to measure, analyze and manage my time across social channels.  I like the early learning phases because I went in with an innocence, and it was super easy to read, share, and add value not worrying about what people thought of me.   As I progressed and learned the nuisances of each channel, the evolution of social media wasn’t so much about being online, but about creating a way to attract and retain people’s attention, getting them to respond to a call to action, participating in a “conversation”.  I began to feel a personal responsibility toward the people in my communities, not wanting to “pollute” my channels with garbage but with valuable content.  I feel that if someone is following me, I better give him or her something entertaining, info-worthy, valuable, so sometimes being social is a burden.  I’m not complaining, I have a love-hate relationship with social media, but if I’m going to help you with your social media, I will put myself in your shoes, and I will bend over backwards and anticipate what you need now and in the future and put those strategies and tools in your hands.

Social Media does take a lot of time.  Researching, Planning, Putting it all together in a way for people to digest and consume, as well as able to store it somewhere for future use.  My confession is Social Media is useful but a responsibility and a burden.  I need you and we all need each other to make social media platforms a better place for parents, kids, college students, professionals, teachers, speakers, coaches, other marketers, and human beings.

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