Archive for the ‘Online Business’ Category
Monday, July 19th, 2010
If you’ve written off SEO (search engine optimization) as a search engine marketing tactic in favor of the presumably easier PPC campaign (pay-per-click), boy are you missing the boat!
I am not going to talk about HOW to optimize your site for the search engines, but rather, showcase the tremendous importance it has for the success of your campaign, your website, and even your company related to traffic.
Before we talk about the future, let’s go back. Way back. Remember BANNER ADS? Sure, they’re still around. Actually, they’re still all over. But when is the last time you recall seeing a banner ad on a site and clicking on it? Chances are, you don’t…because you didn’t. This is so common, there’s a term that’s been created called “banner blindness“.
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Tags: google, PPC, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engines, search heat map, SEM, SEO, SEO vs PPC
Posted in B2B Internet Marketing, B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business, Website Development | No Comments »
Monday, March 29th, 2010
Ok, if you’ve spent any time inviting friends on Facebook to become a fan of something, you know it can take forever. Here’s some quick instructions on how to invite all your friends instantly.
- Click “Suggest Friends” under the profile image.
- If you’re using Firefox, Chrome, or Safari as your browser, copy this code:
- javascript:elms=document.getElementById(‘friends’).getElementsByTagName(‘li’);for(var fid in elms){if(typeof elms[fid] === ‘object’){fs.click(elms[fid]);}}
- Paste it into your browser’s address bar and hit enter on your keyboard.
If you’re using IE, you still have to click all your friends manually.
That’s it. Hope this helps.
Tags: facebook, LinkedIn
Posted in B2B Internet Marketing, B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business, social media | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
Something I experienced over a 3 second period on my walk into the office building this morning inspired me to write this.
It was a deep inhale of brisk, downtown Grand Rapids air. I actually had to take a double sniff. The first inhale caught my attention, but it was that second deep, lung filling gulp of air that whisked my mind away to the warm breeze of Cancun, Mexico.
It was that smell. A magical mixture of clean air and something on the grill that did it. I was no longer walking down the sidewalk of Ottawa Avenue, I was relaxing pool side at the Royal Caribbean Resort with my wife, being served a mixed drink as the sun beat down on me (my mind works very fast).
Ahh, what a feeling.
The point? Let me get to it…
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Tags: hiring, LinkedIn
Posted in B2B Internet Marketing, B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business, Uncategorized, Website Development, social media | No Comments »
Thursday, February 18th, 2010
We all want the best possible deal. However, the best possible deal is not necessarily the lowest price we can find. That is the point I try to make to people when showing them how to find what they are looking for online.
The internet gives today’s consumers much more power than they had 20 years ago. Today, I can easily compare the selling price of TV in California with the same one selling in North Dakota. The problem this causes for sellers is that they have to put as much emphasis on added value as they do on price.
Low prices are simply not enough anymore. Sure, it will get you listed at the top of an ascending search for having the lowest price, but that is just the starting point. Are you expecting all your clients to buy on pricing alone? What if your price isn’t the lowest in the world? Remember, this is the World Wide Web we are dealing with here. Users can research retail information from around the globe.
You have to do more today than just deliver a low price. Don’t get me wrong, price is a great starting point…but do you want to build your business around first-time and one-time shoppers? Or, do you want to do business with shoppers that come back to the same place because they feel like they get more from their purchases than just a low price? (more…)
Tags: B2C Internet Marketing, business, helping others, Online Business, successful website
Posted in B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
The web, as many know, is a new beast. Long gone are the days of first grabbing your phone book, flipping to the “Moving Company” section, and looking for the best looking ad or simply the nearest company. Back in those days the “leg work” of the sale was done after the initial contact. The rise of the internet era has completely reversed this train of thought.
Consumers are now looking to have the work done by researching online, reading other customer’s reviews, and gathering as many facts as possible BEFORE any contact is made with the business. As potential buyers, today’s shoppers first leverage the power of the internet in their shopping experience. They don’t want to be contacted until they are ready to be. A shopper empowered with search engines is able to gather vast amounts of extremely precise decision-making data before even thinking about contacting a seller. (more…)
Tags: B2C Internet Marketing, business, consumer, data research, information, web marketing
Posted in B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
I just received an email from Google Apps and am grinning from ear to ear. Google announced, “…we will be phasing out support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 as well as other older browsers that are not supported by their own manufacturers.”
Amen!
IE6 was released in August of 2001! Yet people still use it today, not taking advantage of the latest technology. Could you imagine in 2001 using a browser from 1992. No, you wouldn’t because the experience would be so much different (Mosaic was starting development in December of 1992!)
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Tags: browsers, google, ie6, internet explorer 6, LinkedIn
Posted in B2B Internet Marketing, B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business, Website Development | No Comments »
Monday, January 25th, 2010
I have had this same question posed to me several times over the last year and I thought it would make a good blog post.
It’s no secret the last year has been very difficult for people personally and professionally. The good thing, however, is that the economy is looking up and the downturn has produced a lot of opportunity.
But here’s the question: How can I stay motivated when things are hard?
For me, motivation is assisted mostly from attitude. Keeping an upbeat attitude is key even when you feel like you’re getting kicked in the gut over and over again.
What else is a big motivator? Money. You need it to survive, and you really need it for your business to survive. So here’s a quick way to think positive and get motivated.
Start by thinking about how much money you NEED to make to pay your bills and be happy per year (that’s X). Something very realistic.
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Tags: LinkedIn, Motivation, Sales
Posted in B2B Internet Marketing, B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business | No Comments »
Friday, November 20th, 2009
For some companies, times are tough. So when a marketing manager or CMO (chief marketing officer) receives an email from an “Internet marketing specialist” who can get their site to the top of the search engines for a specific phrase, the company might jump at the opportunity.
Marketers beware…these “opportunities” from these “Internet marketing specialists” may not be as good as they sound.
Here’s a real world example that just prompted this blog post.
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Tags: Fraud, Internet Marketing Specialist, LinkedIn, Scam, Search Engines, SEO
Posted in B2B Internet Marketing, B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business, Website Development | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009
A very common statement made by clients to their design firm is, “Make my logo bigger.” In some instances this might be a good thing, like on a billboard where your target audience is doing 70 MPH (on a slow day). But I’m here to help you understand why “make my logo bigger” regarding your website is actually, believe it or not, a pretty bad idea.
Let’s face it. You love your company. With the logo being your staple, why wouldn’t it be BIG on your website?
The answer actually has two parts: Your logo doesn’t sell and visitors really don’t care.
Now, let me explain.
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Tags: LinkedIn, logo design, make my logo bigger, web design, website design
Posted in B2B Internet Marketing, B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business, Website Development | No Comments »
Friday, July 3rd, 2009
Today was an amazing day down here in the Dominican Republic on many levels. Although I leave tomorrow to come home, I am not returning alone. I’ll be bringing memories of all the kids we had the opportunity to help and meet while we were down here home with me.
I’ve been feeling like I wanted to help others who were less fortunate than myself for the past six months or so. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, or how I could help, and then this opportunity arose. I personally believe that everything happens for a reason and I immediately decided I wanted to go.
I purposefully decided to not draw any preconceived notions of what it was going to be like. I’ve seen presentations from people who have attended mission trips in the past, so I had an idea of what it MIGHT be like, but I decided to just go and let the experience happen. WOW am I glad I did. I would have never guessed in a million years how powerful it would be!
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Tags: charity, dominican republic, helping others, mission trip, personal growth, vision trust
Posted in B2B Internet Marketing, B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business, Website Development | 1 Comment »
