Author Archive
How To Fuse Your SEO & Social Media Activities
Posted by: | CommentsAny business or organisation that relies on a website for their survival will be all too aware of the importance of high page rankings and high visitor numbers.
In the olden days it was enough to highlight a few keywords, pop in some metadata and let the search engines do their bit. But with social media fast becoming one of the most powerful marketing tools available, it’s crucial now to take it into account when developing a website.
Fusing your SEO and social media activities can give your business or organisation a huge boost, and get your click counter going through the roof, so here are some ideas to get you started.
What is SEO?
SEO simply stands for Search Engine Optimisation. Most people have a general understanding of SEO, but in the last few years knowing all of the ins and outs has become even more important.
Websites that are search engine optimised will have a good percentage of key words, well-written text and plenty of links to other sites. This helps search engines know that the site is trustworthy and informative for the person making the query.
What are social media activities?
Social media activities encompass everything on the internet that involves interacting with other users. Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Google+ are just a few examples of this internet phenomenon.
Whole communities are built around swapping shared interests, providing a unique marketing tool for anyone looking to increase their brand awareness.
Why is it important?
Fusing your SEO and social media activities is important as it can increase the profile of your business or website and bring more visitors to your site.
It also gives search engines another factor with which to assess the usefulness of your site. For example a pages with lots of ‘likes’ or recommendations will rank more highly than those with none.
It can also help you keep track of your target market. Following who shares your link and why can provide useful information, allowing you to focus on a specific area or even rebrand to target a new audience.
For anyone who is self employed, social media optimisation is even more important as most individuals are employed on their reputation. The increase exposure should help to get more work pouring in.
Installing social sharing buttons onto your website
An easy way to begin fusing your SEO and social media is to install social sharing buttons in your website.
These can now be found at the bottom of a lot of webpages and allow visitors to share the contents of the page with a single click.
This will then appear on their profile, where other users will see it. If they have similar interests to the original visitor, there’s a good chance that they’ll have a look at your site too.
By using a tracking service, you’ll be able to collect and analyse data from these buttons to see what impact they are really having on visitor numbers.
Creating a social media page for your website
Another way of increasing your social media profile is to create a page for your business or organisation.
You can use this space to advertise upcoming events, promote your current work and connect with users and prospective clients.
However you can’t just create a page and expect it to work its magic. One of the most important aspects of social media is being active and continuously engaging with visitors.
The social media is the human face of your company. So by continually updating your page, sharing associated information from other pages and becoming involved in online communities, you can make your business appear friendly and approachable.
Social media may not give you instant results, and your visitor numbers are unlikely to shoot up over night. But with online communities growing and spending on social media sites set to increase, this is an aspect of business that simply can’t be ignored.
Featured images:
- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
Clients That Cause Issues
Posted by: | CommentsThis may sound a bit weird (especially for a newbie freelancer) but if you’ve been doing freelancing for a while, you definitely know that there are clients that are not really worth it. This post explains what bad signs to keep in mind so that you can screen out all the “bad” clients out there. 
The Why
Before going into the details how to read the signs of a bad client, I’d like to touch on why you need to do that. The thing is that lousy clients will never be happy with your work. For starters, it’s just psychologically difficult to work with somebody who is never satisfied with whatever you do, even if you go the extra mile. Secondly, such a customer will never give you positive referrals or testimonials that you might use for getting more clients.
What’s more, you’ll have to basically force them to pay you what you agreed upon before. If you’re not one of those who enjoy harmful emotions, you don’t want to work with such customers. They’ll try to either postpone your payments or find a reason to pay you less than you agreed to work for in the beginning. As you can see, there’s enough why’s to make you really want to stay far away from such clients.
Warning Signs of a Bad Client
Having outlined why you need to be aware of the issues that a bad client can cause, I’ll give you an idea of what to keep a really weather eye on.
Not a Fan
If your customer does not really like what you did before (after checking your portfolio), it basically means that he does not trust you and your skills. In the first place, it’ll make it quite hard to agree on the prices that work for you and ensure that you can provide high-quality work. Such a client is basically a bargain hunter.
Unrealistic Expectations
You client may not understand how things work in your industry and ask you to do something that is either not really possible or at least not for that sort of money that he offers. As a professional, your duty is to explain it to your client that he wants something that is not actually doable in your circumstances. In case it’s just impossible because of the unavailability of that technology, you can just tell your customer what’s up. If his price is unrealistic, you still need to let him know why, but you also need to go into the details why it is so. Just explain what doing something he wants would involve and how that would influence the prices you’re going to have to charge. Your client will get your point if he’s a rational being. Should he not, it’s just not your client.
Overspecific
In case your client wants to discuss every single (however insignificant) aspect of your work, you need to stay alert. It’s a very bad sign, because such an approach from your client will slow down the project a great deal. Sometimes clients want you to explain just about everything that you do in terms of technology (how to create a contact form in PHP, etc). If it’s your case, just refer them to some web educational resource or just tell him or her that you’ll have to charge for educating him. Don’t get me wrong, a certain degree of education is a mandatory and integral thing when working with a customer, but that does not mean that you need to go really in-depth and share all your knowledge and teach him all the skills you know. There should be a limit.
Slow Thinker and Doer
From time to time, you may stumble upon customers who communicate in a really slow way. You send him an email message and he replies in like 3 days or a week. Should you be OK with that, then it’s perfect, but ,if you like to really focus on one thing for a long time span, you’re going to have issues with a slow client. The truth is, it actually makes sense to specify in your initial agreement how often you need to reply to each other’s messages.
The DIY Client
Though it’s sometimes perfectly OK to have total freedom at what you do with your client’s project, it’s not that positive in the long run. The thing is that even if your client tells you to do whatever you think best and just get back to him with a ready site or whatever you provide, it’s definitely gonna backfire down the road. That’s because once you send him a completed project, the client starts finding “issues” with something that you invested a whole lot of time and efforts into. The best way would be to break your project into logical milestones and just double-check with the client if everything goes well every time your reach a milestone. Thus you can be sure that you won’t have to redo everything from the gitgo.
The Bottom Line
As you could see for yourself, you absolutely need to read those bad signs, because doing so allows you to get rid of all the bad clients. That allows you to focus on the good ones and do more high-quality work for them. And it’s instead of proving something to your bad customer or just begging him to pay for the work that you actually did for him. Did you have a bad customer? What’s your experience?
Images By: Paul Cross – CC BY 2.0
Infographics Popular on Social Media
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If you’re one of the millions of people who enjoys the infographics that circulate on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest these days, then you’re not alone. You’re also in quite good company if you’ve wondered whether or not infographics could help you make a success of your product or company in the same way! Infographics make terrific marketing tools because of the way they combine all the goodies that are necessary to catch people’s eye – color, information, design, and wit. Regardless of your target audience or subject of choice, you can definitely make them work for you.
Check out the following graphic for some key information on how you can put the infographic trend to work for you. Learn what ten elements are present in every successful infographic on the web. Learn the numbers in regards to how infographics have risen over the past few years. Even learn which sites will present the best marketing platforms for your graphics!
The Review of Reviews
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Have you ever tried a new product or service, and loved it so much, that you just wanted to tell everyone you know about it? And even everyone that you don’t know? If so, you are not alone. 75 percent of reviews posted on review websites are positive, and 82 percent of people find user-generated reviews to be valuable or extremely valuable. What does this tell us? That people like to hear about the things that they buy, before they buy them. That people trust other people when it comes to trying out products. So then it goes without saying, that when a review is bad, people are likely to listen. Most businesses are nothing without their consumers, so never be afraid to make your voice heard when you have an experience with a new product or service; whether it is a good review or a bad review, the important thing is that it matters.
How can SEO services pump up web traffic?
Posted by: | CommentsHow can SEO services pump up web traffic?
The goal to bring in organic traffic is the dream of every web manager. Given the changing algorithms engineered by search engine biggies, the need to be one up in the game has become more than a need; it is the question of survival today. While you cannot single handedly take on the job of generating traffic, SEO companies that you choose can help you.
Here is how:
Building a link pyramid
One of the top priorities of every SEO company is to give its clients the exposure they need to get their business running. The company unmasks the client’s potential to help prospective customers see what they can get from the company marketing the product/service.
However, there is a fine line between excessive marketing and marketing with a purpose. Link building can help the company in question build a strong network of supplier/partners and also tap into their markets for new customers.
Ad placement
An approach that more often than not brings results is AD placement. The SEO Company you hire must be capable enough to launch an ad campaign by carefully considering potential platforms with exposure in mind. For instance, ad placement on a popular social networking site is far more rewarding than the same in a related market niche. Placement is more about finding audience and making sure exposure is built. This in turn generates organic traffic.
Campaign management
Every SEO Company that exists boasts of providing the best campaign management services but, what you should understand is that for the company you run to progress, proper campaign follow up is the key. It is not always about launching the campaign, it is more about assessing if the milestones are reached as per target or not.
When you sit down with your team to go through the services of an SEO company, don’t buy into deals which promise a huge range of services. Some of these services may be of no use to you in getting organic traffic. What matters is how each of the service can translate effort to traffic.
Tools Of A Marketer; ‘It Could Be You’
Posted by: | CommentsA good marketer is someone who has the insight and the foresight to recognize those marketing tools which would best suit their marketing campaign – someone who throws caution to the wind and follows their own natural, finely-tuned marketing senses. At the end of the day, this comes down to confidence – and having the guts to follow your own instincts can often make or break your career, which is why it’s so scary. Half the battle is keeping up to date with the latest marketing tools to hit the marketing shelf, so what does your average marketing shelf consist of and what tools are available for use. 
The marketing tools come in so many shapes and sizes, but we’re focusing on two different categories – online marketing and offline marketing. To give you an insight into what tools are available in both we’ve explored them below.
Offline Marketing Tools
It’s amazing how many businesses are overlooking the traditional offline marketing methods which are at their disposal. Many have opted to favour the digital marketing methods because of their novelty and newness, but this isn’t always the best thing to do. Does digital marketing appeal direct to your target audience, or in reality would offline marketing technique better suit your target audience? Offline marketing techniques are great for building a close, personal relationship with your prospects and will often rely on your ability to communicate and the quality of service you offer.
– Networking Events
– Meetings
– Leaflets
– Brochures
– TV Commercials
– Telemarketing/Lead Generation
– Appointment Making
– Sponsorship
– Advertisements
– Newsletters
– Word of Mouth
– Direct Mail
These some of the most popular offline marketing tools which you could utilise, and while it’s good to identify what would best promote your business, you need to establish a clear plan of action which outlines how you will use them, what investment your business will place into each sector and how you will measure results. Success is different depending on what business area you operate in – talking to experts and looking for key industry metrics will help in the search for ROI.
Online Marketing Tools
Digital marketing has become very popular with many marketers, and why not? Nearly everyone uses a computer or mobile phone and therefore you are able to communicate directly with your target market with minimum fuss and cost; which is why they are so appealing;
– SEO
– PPC
– Content Marketing
– Social Media
– Email Marketing
– Advertisements
– PR
– Newsletters
These are the marketing weapons which you have at your fingertips; however it’s essential you establish a thorough marketing strategy prior to choosing your marketing tools. This should give you an understanding of how your target audience perceives your businesses and what channels would best appeal to them.
Now you know what tools are on the shelf, all that is left is to pick the right tools.
How To Manage Your Mail In An E-Commerce Business
Posted by: | CommentsA proper way of organizing mail in an e-Commerce business should be done from the start. If you don’t have a good system in place, you will experience a lot of problems when your business booms. Here are a few ways to manage your mail.
Franking machine
First of all, you need a franking machine to be able to process all your mails in the shortest time possible. Sorting and processing your packages by hand poses a high risk for errors. With a franking machine, you get the correct weight and postage for every single one of your packages. You don’t have to pay for extra charges for over or underpayment. You will also eliminate your trips to the post office as you can top up your credits in the convenience of your office. A franking machine can be rented or purchased so you don’t have to worry about the costs. There is a wide range of franking machine models for home, small and big businesses available. What’s more, you get huge discounts if you frank your mail.
Branch or Warehouse
Next, find out where your customers are. If they are on the other side of the country, you might as well open a branch or a warehouse there. The closer you are to them, the better services you can give. You can give them cheaper shipping rates and faster delivery times. There is also a lower chance for your product to get damaged in transit because of the short distance it travels. Your customers will thank you for this service.
If you can’t afford a warehouse, use a fulfilment service that has its own warehouse. They can store your products for you, prepare them for shipping and deliver them to your customers.
Returns and Exchanges
Have a solid system in place for returns and exchanges. These are factors that affect a customer’s decision to buy. If you have excellent returns and exchange policies, there is a high probability that your customers will buy because there is less risk on their part. They can order 2 sizes to see which one fits and return the other one that doesn’t. Be sure to pack a returns/exchange form together with their orders and a return address label. This way, you can be sure that your items arrive safely and on time to your warehouse. Your staff won’t also have any problems updating your system because all the information that they need is already in that form. Your customers will also be happy that they can receive their credits faster.
Good mail organization and management is crucial to any e-Commerce business. Remember that you rely heavily on this aspect of your business so invest time and money in it.
Shipping Secrets Of Successful E-Commerce Sites
Posted by: | CommentsThe best e-Commerce businesses share one secret to their success. They give generous shipping policies to their customers while keeping their costs down. Here’s how you can do that.
Form a partnership
If you are just starting up, find a courier that will become your lifelong partner. Negotiate discounts and special perks for bulk shipments. Find one that has excellent customer service. You don’t need a courier with low shipping rates but crappy service. Your customers will suffer in the end.
If you’ve already started and find yourself using 2 couriers or more, try and form a partnership with one of them. Explain to them how you want the relationship to move into a partnership. Choose the one with the best rates combined with good customer service. If you must, show the couriers all your offers so that you can get the best deal. Also, be ready to give them a forecast of your growth so that they can commit to a partnership because they know that they will also benefit from it.
Welcome all returns
If you have a very good returns policy, you will surely encourage customers to buy more. This will eliminate customer doubts such as “what if it does not fit?” or “what if the color is different from the actual?” and other questions that make customers hesitate to click the Purchase Now button.
Make sure to display your returns policy in your shopping page. Include a return slip and address label in every package to make the process easy. Your ultimate goal is to make your customers happy to encourage repeat purchases.
Open a branch near your courier
If you don’t own a warehouse, it would be a good idea to open a branch near your courier. This makes the process quicker and cheaper. If you deliver your items to your courier, you can save a lot on transportation costs. Your items will also arrive in good quality especially the ones that are fragile as the travel time is short.
If you can open a warehouse near your courier and near the bulk of your customers, the better. You eliminate a lot of costs and improve your shipping time. Your courier can also pick up items from you several times a day allowing you to offer special services such as next-day delivery with a late cut-off time. Delays can also be lessened if not eliminated. If your customers send returns, they will be able to receive their credits faster.
Rush deliveries but not returns
Always treat orders as rush deliveries. The faster you can get the items out the door, the better. Offer overnight deliveries but do the opposite with returns. Customers won’t mind ground shipping as long as they receive their credits. If you can arrange a returns program with your courier then do so. For example, your customers can contact your courier and schedule a pickup of the return items when they are at home or when they are in the office. This eliminates missed pickups and delays.
Now that you know the secrets, apply them to your own shipping process and you should be able to see an improvement not only in your shipping but in your sales as well.
Image By: Daniel Broche – CC BY 2.0
3 Best Social Media Campaigns from the Super Bowl
Posted by: | CommentsSuper Bowl ads are the equivalent of the coolest guy getting all the girls. They’re a big deal (or at least they believe they’re a big deal), and they attract people to them. Some of the best Super Bowl ad campaigns this year were a bit surprising with GoDaddy, Volkswagen and Doritos. They’ve gone beyond the call of duty, and in some cases, beyond the call of the necessary. 
A New Metric
GoDaddy’s success in the social media campaign came in at 95%, but many believe the reason for this is because there was a new metric added to the measurement of success. Even so, they still did a great job at getting the attention of the nation, and if you don’t know why – you soon will.
GoDaddy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-1oixpSShs
The day after the Super Bowl, these guys had the highest sales numbers in the company’s whole history, but to be fair, the other advertisers had not released their numbers at the same time GoDaddy did. That’s not to say they didn’t earn their top place in the Super Bowl. They used three major methods to gain that top spot: creativity, content teasing and calls to action. Their ad did a great job of eliciting an emotional response from people, even if it wasn’t a positive one. They received 290,000 tweets about the ad, but most of them were a little offended by the kiss. Did you turn the sound up on that commercial? You can really hear the ‘smack’ in those lips, so turn it down if sloppy, wet kisses offend you.
Doritos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9lYt6GcAxc
This chip giant used social media to get their fans involved. Doritos called out to all amateur film-makers, imploring them to submit their commercials which will be crowned by social media users. A Facebook application was created to streamline this process, allowing people to vote, watch interviews with the directors of the commercials and witness Michael Bay phoning up the finalists (which may be slightly more entertaining than his movies). This campaign was an outright success, and it’s all social media’s fault.
Volkswagen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H0xPWAtaa8
Even though some of the opinions on this Volkswagen commercial ranged from ‘insensitive’ to ‘racist’, it got a great response from most people. Overall, the ad was well received and did a fantastic job of spreading the happiness that our Minnesotan-Jamaican actor was trying to spread. It even got itself a parody commercial in YouTube.
It takes some good effort to make it in the Super Bowl when the competition is some of the best in the world for business. But these guys have earned their rights to gloat and their rights to sales.
How To Add More Strings To Your Bow As A Modern-Day Web Designer
Posted by: | CommentsIt is becomingly increasingly more difficult for web designers to make a decent living on purely design projects alone. In recent years there has been a boom in the web design industry which has paved way for a wealth of potential business for the modern-day designer. That of course has also allowed an increase in the field’s competition, meaning that it really is boiling down to survival of the fittest out there (in business terms that is!).
So if you’re a web designer that is struggling to gain business, what can you do to increase opportunities and boost your own professional potential? The good news for any 21st century web designer is that there are a couple of things that you can do to kick-start your career again.
Be Versatile
The first key to success in virtually any industry is to be versatile. Instead of solely undertaking web design projects, a good web designer will be able to adapt and work across a variety of mediums, optimising their scope for business. This can be in the form of undertaking graphic design work such as logo and brand designing, creating business cards and letterheads as well as designing and producing business brochures and flyers. 
If you own a web design company consisting of several web designers then this should be an easy transformation. The benefit of having a team of staff is that each of them has their skills and strengths so you should identify what these are and then you can assign them the relevant projects as and when they come through.
Make Sure You’re Mobile
In today’s digitally-saturated society, every web designer must have mobile web design skills in their arsenal. There is a huge demand for mobile optimisation of websites currently, so if you or your design team can’t produce mobile web designs then you will certainly be missing out on a healthy chunk of business. Get trained!
Get Educated
Today there are many ways of learning new skills or programs by taking courses or modules to develop your knowledge of the web and everything it has to offer. By investing some time and effort into learning a new design tool, for example, you have the chance to apply fresh ideas and applications to virtually any project you undertake in the future. Local courses can usually be attended in the evening or at weekends (ie outside of your usual working hours), plus there are plenty of online qualifications you can sift through in the comfort of your own home. There’s no excuse not to add another string to your bow by spending some time expanding your horizons.
Don’t Just Sit There
Another great way to ensure that you keep up with the competition is to attend web design seminars and conferences. Rifled with leading experts, brand new technology and business innovators, these corporate events are a great opportunity to identify the current and forthcoming trends in your field and how you can incorporate them into your business model, allowing for maximum business growth in the coming months and years.
