Web Directories: The Questions You Must Ask for Your Internet Marketing Strategy

For those of you who are rookies to the Internet marketing scene, site directories are a great way to get your website indexed by Google from all around the web. Although they are a fast, easy, sometimes free, way to get link juice, web directories can be found everywhere you look on the distributed web.

So, how do you know which directory will be the best fit and produce the best results for your site?

No need to get stressed out. Next time your stumble-upon a reputable looking web directory, ask yourself the following questions:

• How long has the directory been online? Many Internet marketers feel that a domain that has been present for longer than 2-3 years will produce better rankings with Google.

• Is the directory selective with URL submissions? The more selective the directory is, the less links they will have. Don’t submit your site to a directory that appears to be a free-for-all of links.

• Lifetime or monthly cost? Many paid directory sites do, either, a lifetime subscription (flat fee) or charge you by the month. Generally sites that charge for a one-time submission fee are easier to manage and more reputable. Best of the Web is a good example of this.

• Will the directory allow you to edit your submissions? Think about all the changes your business has gone through. Whether it is your target audience, URL’s, keywords, etc. Choose a directory that will allow you to edit changes from the initial submission.

The key to entering your URL in a site directory is to do your research. You do not have to spend hours of time looking up reasons to join a site, but simply browse around the directory and look for any red flags.

It is extremely important to evaluate these directories and spend your time and money in a place that will give your site results. Think: smart marketing.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Your favorite directories?

Manage All of Your Social Media Networks at Once? We Do…and So Can You!

In order to run a successful business, you must be organizes, inside and out. With all of the social media networks and constant updates, mentions and followers, it is no wonder that our social media strategy can fall under the radar.

As the social media guru at GenNext, I can attest to the sweat, pain and tears (maybe a little exaggerated…) we have gone through looking for a social media platform that can fulfill all of our needs.

The key to finding this, we have learned, is simply through trial and error. But first you must establish the features your business needs to run an organized and manageable social media marketing strategy.

So ask yourself, what is your ideal social media platform? Here are the things that were essential to us:

• Scheduled Updates. Based on analytics, we schedule our tweets/updates to go out at particular times of the day, when they will have the best conversion rate. Therefore, if I want my blog post to go out at 3:00 p.m. sharp, I can schedule this in the morning and know that it is complete.

• Combined URL Shortner and Analytics. A URL shortener is a must for Twitter updates, but they mean nothing if you cannot track who is clicking on them. We use analytics to monitor our target audience to shape our marketing strategy to what our customers are looking for.

• Monitoring Twitter Mentions. In order to stay up-to-date on people mentioning your business throughout the distributed web, it is important to have an automatic system that informs you of when you are retweeted, direct messaged or commented on. We like to engage our audience and let them know that we are there for the social marketing needs.

Can you find all these things in one site? We did. HootSuite is a great organizational platform that fits all of our social media needs. But it might not work for your business. So, ask yourself, what are your social media marketing needs? Let us know…we can lead you toward a platform that will fit your business.

Bra’s and Facebook: A Social Media Inspiration for Your Business

Black. Pink. Leopard…I will let your mind do the rest. For those of you who are not avid Facebook junkies, like myself, you probably have no idea what these words even mean.  Well, it just so happens, that Facebook has been in the center of a social media-marketing storm.

Female Facebook users, from all around the globe, decided to implement a small “game” to raise awareness for breast cancer. All women (starting with only a few) bombarded the live news feeds with the color of their bras. Who knew that something this simple could become a ‘Grass-roots movement?’

Talk about viral marketing…within two hours, the Susan G. Komen Facebook fan page increased from 135 fans to 700.

Now, if this story doesn’t motivate you to get out there and brand your business, than I don’t know what will. With the power of the social media community, the Susan G. Komen Foundation was able to raise awareness about their cause, thus, causing an increase in donations, volunteers and event participants. Think of all ways your business can use social media networking to create and establish a visible brand, while driving traffic to your business.

Whether it is a contest exclusive to Facebook fans, releasing a discount coupon for your product, or hiding an eBook on your website to have people search for-get people excited.

Use the story above to inspire your business marketing strategy.     Think: How can I get people energized about my product/service? Don’t be afraid. The Internet is more forgiving than your think. If your idea doesn’t exactly “take off,” don’t get discouraged…just keep trying.

So, with all of that encouragement, I expect you to all to go out and interact with your community in a fun and creative way.

What ideas do you have to maximize your Internet presence?

In the Midst of Haiti’s Tragedy, Social Media Prevails

At GenNext Media, our thoughts and prayers go out to the citizens of Haiti who were affected by the earthquake that devastated their country a few days ago. In this time of need, social media marketing has become the disaster relief of the future. The Red Cross has already raised almost $1 million for the country of Haiti through text message donations, Twitter outreach and Facebook groups.

Even in the face of disaster, social media has become the “go to” network for updates, donation information and pictures from the scene. Is this the tipping point of social media? Do you think that social media has finally gone main stream?

The viral outreach of the Haiti relief campaign has caused a break through in the way we are able to promote action and encourage outreach as fast as possible.  With the simplest process possible, the Red Cross, and other charitable organizations, took advantage of the popularity and simplicity of the Internet as a medium for immediate response.

Social media marketing has become the new wave of communicating and it will be interesting to see what the future holds. What do you think?

For a list of reputable charities taking donations for our friends in Haiti, check out this CNN article released this morning.

Facebook Marketing: 5 Surefire Ways to Give Your Page Clear Visibility

Facebook has gone from a small, Internet-based college directory to an International business platform.  Facebook is a network that gives you the insight into your target community, more so than any other social media site on the web. That being said, what good are all of these features if your businesses page is going unnoticed?

As your social media expert, and friend, I am here to unwrap your lonely Facebook page and give you the necessary tools and advice to frame your market and form a solid community around your business.

Here is the top 5 Surefire ways to get your page out there and get your business on the Facebook radar:

• Utilize Facebook Apps. One of the best “perks” to having a Facebook page, over a Facebook group, is the availability of all the applications you can use to better your page’s visibility and community. The “Business” section of the applications page has some great tools to add to your page. For Contractors, I highly recommend the “testimonials” application and for small businesses, I recommend using “Static FBML” to create a landing page, or other customizable tabs, for potential fans to go to.

• Advertise. Whether you put a button on your blog/website or run a paid advertisement for your page on Facebook, make sure you are making your presence known. I put a link to both of our Facebook pages in my email signature, and I also advertise it in the blogs and forums I frequently participate in.  Remember: every little bit helps, so don’t hesitate to try something and see if it works.

• Post, Share and Comment. Don’t abandon your page! Being an admin on a Facebook page is like taking care of a newborn baby, it needs love and frequent attention in order to grow. Post article links, pictures, information, etc. about 3 times a day.  If someone posts a comment, you should be very proud of yourself, but don’t stop there. Keep the person engaged by responding in a timely manner to let them know that you are listening.

• Use Other Facebook Pages to Network. Many of our fans, and leads to our website, have come from postings in other Facebook pages. Do a search and find some popular, frequented pages and start hanging out there.  Introduce yourself and mention the name of your business and many people will check your page out. The more you frequent these groups, the more relationships and credibility you will build, and thus, more fans you will produce.

• If your friends really love you, they will become fans. Facebook is the mecca of viral marketing for your business. Every time you join, post, or reference a page, all of your friends see it on their “Live Feed.” Ask your friends to become fans of your page. It is ok if they are not involved in the same industries and niches you are. In fact, this allows your page to reach people that you might have never found on your own. So ask your friends to give you a hand…you can buy them a drink at happy hour to thank them.

I have found that Facebook is a tough place to get noticed (probably because of the millions of people surfing the site), but if you have patience and a strategy, you will be seeing serious traffic and increased conversion rates within 6 months.

So go out there and make Facebook your marketing platform, but before you do that…how about you become a fan of two more pages? We promise to return the favor!

Become a fan of GenNext Media and Surefire Social Marketing on Facebook!

2010 Business Marketing Strategy: Allow Your Comments to be Heard All Over the Web!

As we ring in 2010, I feel that it is as important time to be making goals for your business, as well as your personal life. I am not referring to the far-fetched “impossible to reach” goals, but ones that you can actually fulfill with a sense of accomplishment.

Forget all the tips, tricks and tools bombarding your social marketing strategy and focus on the big picture of what you are trying to achieve: visibility.

Think about it, if no one knows what your business is all about, then what is the point of wasting your valuable time on a marketing plan? My advice for the New Year is to increase your visibility on the Internet by following your industry…But where do you find these people? I thought you would never ask…

The answer is simple. Blog commenting and forum posting is the BEST way to follow thought leaders in your market and appeal to your customers at the exact same time.

Do some keyword searches for your niche market and see what blogs seem to have a large, active audience. Now, all you have to do is read, listen and make your comments heard. Here are some ways to get noticed and convert your posts into new leads:

• Stay on Top. Treat your blog commenting as if your were ordering tickets for your favorite band off of TicketMaster. The earlier you are, the better seats you’ll get. It is the same with blog participation. In order to make a informative, eye-catching, unique post, you must be one of the first ones on the board. Visit your most popular industry blogs during the time they generally post their information. If you check early and often, you should have no problem being one of the first ones there.

• Make a Disagreement. By no means should you enter a blog looking for controversy, but it is important to remember to stick to your values and opinions. If you disagree with a particular post, don’t be afraid to express your feelings. By stating a disagreement, you establish respect and provoke emotion…the key to successful business marketing.

• Inflict Humor. Recently, as I was going through my daily networking plan and posting to industry blogs and forums. I accidentally made the mistake of posting my comment in the wrong thread, and was not able to erase it. This thread was one of the most popular hangouts for participants. I was bombarded by negative comments: being accused of spamming, not abiding by the forum rules, etc. I replied with one simple comment, “Oops! Sorry about that everyone! I can’t get anything past you,” and much to my chagrin, I received nothing but positive praise, more connections and increased traffic to my site. So, when in doubt, use your sense of humor, and a little charm, to make an impact.  You will build a solid rapport and establish credibility.

Use these tips as a guideline for all of your online comments and posts. Remember to stay true to yourself, and don’t be afraid to travel outside of your comfort zone. 2010 is the year of change…so start now!

Social Media Marketing: 4 Reasons To Launch Your Social Web Campaign Now!

Social media marketing is the hottest “business reality-show” that’s generating leads for businesses of all sizes. As every business owner knows, leads are the lifeblood of their companies. Getting a consistent flow of profitable leads today is hard.

At a time when customers use social networking to search, discuss and explore new ideas and opportunities, “Companies have no choice. This is where their customers are going,” reported USA Today on August 27, 2009.

Advice on how to implement various social media marketing opportunities like Facebook, Twitter, Delicious and others abound. However, like any media campaign, you need to make sure your social media program is strategic, measurable and encompasses the entire spectrum’s of opportunities that are right for your business.

Four key reasons social marketing will lift your business prospects are:

• You can easily dominate your market at little to no cost. Because social media marketing is SEO on steroids, it has the ability to reach across all the important places for your niche on the Internet.

• Using the right content distribution and management strategy will get you a consistent flow of quality leads.

• You have control and can literally get started within hours if you want. Even better, you don’t need to go through a sales rep or purchase process.

• You can leverage expertise and become an authority in your niche with “followers” in social media groups. You business will be the “first call” when customers want to learn about products and services in your niche.

Bill Bean, president of Green Planning & Coaching noticed right away how adopting social marketing, “changed my approach to marketing completely! I had a website for 2-1/2 years that never brought in a single lead because I had no mechanism to collect email addresses of visitors, no analytics and no promotion through social media. I just launched my new website—and I already have prospects signing up for my newsletter. Amazingly, I’m also already getting responses to blog postings on LinkedIn and other green community sites I learned to participate in.”

Never in the history of consumer selling have companies, from one-person shops to multi-national corporations, been handed such an effective, low-cost opportunity to carry out promotional efforts. Learn how to leverage this effective new tool for your business or you will soon be left behind.

Chris Marentis is a serial entrepreneur and recognized Internet Marketing expert having served as SVP at AOL and CEO of Clearspring Technologies. For more information on Online Marketing and Advertising, go to GenNext Media LLC. today.

Social Media Training and Analysis: Social Marketing Success in Only Two Easy Steps

Proper business marketing requires having a system for your content development and proper keyword use. Read below for some valuable tips.

Content Development

If you want a successful small business, you will need to have a set of certain marketing strategies in place. The first part of your marketing plan should focus on content development. Is it fresh and relevant to what people are looking for today? There are sources you can check, like Twitter and Twitturly.com in order to find out the latest trends charted for the day. Use these sources to incorporate imperative information into your content. It is important to follow the trends so that you are always on the forefront of what people are searching for. Are you offering something for free? Use your social media tools to give away such things like free information and reports, or coupons and special discounts. Items like these are great at grabbing the user’s attention, building your credibility, and leading to a sale.

When you are distributing your content on the web, the first thing to take note of is that your copy is search engine optimized. Your content needs to be written in a very specific manner so that Google can easily find your relevant article when keywords are typed into the search engines. When the keywords are strategically placed, your content will be among the top of the list and ensuring you more website traffic.

It should be noted that this web marketing strategy can be abused and therefore, work against you. Search engines are more advanced than they were several years ago, and merely stuffing the content with your keywords in inappropriate places will not get you more website traffic. The spiders that search for relevant content are able to find informative and well written articles while sifting out the ones that are simply packed with keywords but provide no substantial information.

Keywords

If you are looking for the right keywords to add into your content, you first need to do some research. Do a search to find out what other web surfers are using in order to find information on your page. This also works for phrases you want to include in your content. When you collect a list of relevant keywords, you can then implement them into your copy. Take note that they need to go in specific places: title, teaser, subheads, and sprinkled throughout the meat of the content. However, be careful not to go overboard on the density and get banned as a spammer. You need to make sure the keywords fit seamlessly into the copy without compromising the integrity of the information.

This system of online marketing is incredibly solid. If you follow these steps and develop a system that works for you, you will be able to manipulate the social media tools to work to your greatest advantage. It requires research and skillful writing, but when done correctly will increase your internet visibility and thus get your more traffic to your site.

Chris Marentis is a serial entrepreneur and recognized Internet Marketing expert having served as SVP at AOL and CEO of Clearspring Technologies. For more information on Online Marketing and Advertising, go to GenNext Media LLC. today.

Internet Marketing For Small Business: Don’t Be Left Behind With Your Traditional Marketing Strategy

Attention Small Businesses: The old way of doing marketing doesn’t work anymore. Still relying on ‘advertising’? You’re sunk – unless you learn the new way of reaching your market.

Imagine a 28 year old starts a business competing in your market. You spent years building a brand and reputation in your community. One day, you realize it is all taken away by this person who became an “authority” overnight. This is going to play out with businesses all across the country over the next few years. So what can you do to stay relevant?

Some business marketing tips just aren’t all that successful anymore. What worked for Internet Marketing for small business a few years ago is not necessarily what is going to pull in the customers and the profits in today’s social media-dominated environment. In order to stay in tune with your niche and prospective customers, it is important remain current with your efforts—from marketing communications to brand strategies. Rather than allowing your competition to pass you by, you can update your marketing strategy and keep your business relevant.

The new, effective marketing for small business is a shift in focus from “advertising” to “engaging.” What this means is that you are getting in the middle of discussions that are happening on the social web, building relationships and attracting customers—not because you have the best ad, but because you are offering valuable information to these conversations.

You may hear reference to the “distributed web.” This is related to the fact that people are going to search engines like Google and Yahoo and even YouTube to find solutions to their problems. As customers become savvier, they are beginning to see banner ads and other forms of advertising as gimmicky and even scammy.

In fact, consumer studies show that 78 percent of customers value peer recommendations versus a small 14 percent who trust advertisements. A move away from this type of marketing to a more social method is your ticket to staying relevant and competing with the big dogs in your niche.

Because of this change in the online environment, you will see greater results for your small business if you focus on meeting these customers where they are. Utilizing content distribution and affiliate marketing are two simple and relatively easy ways to connect with your ideal customers and convert them into buyers.

How content distribution works

Content distribution is creating keyword-rich articles, audios and/or videos to provide quality content for customers and then distributing around the web in key places where your customers will be seeking information. The reason for the key-rich content is because search engine spiders are crawling around the web trying to find content that contains certain keywords.

You can find the best keywords for your business by utilizing free web tools, such as Google’s Keyword Tool, finding out what keywords your competitors are targeting and what your customers are plugging into the search engines. Once you have a keyword and phrase list, you place them into your titles, headings, tags and content and distribute them to a number of free article directories online. This is how you become a search engine spider magnet.

The search engines will find your content, place it into the search engine results, and the customers will eat-up the quality info you provide. Once you have established yourself as someone who knows your topic, the customers will then come to your business when they need a solution to a problem.

How to utilize affiliate marketing

What if you had dozens of people who knew your business and wanted to share it with others? This is basically every small business owners dream. Affiliate marketing can make it happen. Marketing 101 tells us that word of mouth is the number one best marketing method, and affiliate marketing is where it’s at.

Because people are more likely to trust recommendations over advertising, affiliate marketing is becoming one of the most effective methods for pulling in customers. The typical affiliate marketing program is based on the business owner paying affiliates who refer a paying customer to the business. Rather than having to pay people up-front for marketing on your behalf, you only pay when the customer makes a purchase. This is ideal for small business owners who typically do not have a lot of money to invest in marketing.

To ensure you have quality affiliates who will spread your message as effectively as possible, you can offer trainings and reports to keep them connected with your business. Furthermore, by doing this, you are creating loyalty and trust with your affiliates who will in turn do a better job marketing for you.

Is it possible to have free internet marketing? With content distribution and affiliate marketing it is. Thanks to a plethora of no-cost article directories at your fingertips and affiliates you only pay once you’ve made a sale, you can create a free internet marketing strategy that works.

Chris Marentis is a serial entrepreneur and recognized Internet Marketing expert having served as SVP at AOL and CEO of Clearspring Technologies. For more information on Online Marketing and Advertising, go to GenNext Media LLC. today.

2010: The Year of Innovation or The Year of Interruption?

As the holiday season comes to a screeching halt, I can finally catch my breath…or can I? Being apart of a social media marketing business has the ability to consume your every move, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Forget about the holidays! The distributed web knows no holidays! Whether it is Christmas, Hanukkah or New Years…the Internet NEVER stops. Therefore, neither can you. I guess it is the price we have to pay to do something we really enjoy and call it our job.

2010 is going to be the year of the distributed web, but I am not sure we can handle much more innovation. Between retweets, blog entries and scheduling pings, I don’t know how many more social media outlets I can handle! So, when does innovation go so far that it becomes an interruption?

Pete Cashmore, Mashable’s king of social media marketing, questions whether the “real-time web” could do us more harm than good.

I’d say, I would have to agree.

With the upcoming transition into the New Year just days away, I think it is that time to analyze your ability to plan, organize and remain productive with all the innovations and changes to the social media world.

• Create and Build Meaningful Connections. I know how cliché it sounds, but really, you cannot be friends with everyone, especially when you are trying to, effectively, run a business. Utilize sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook to foster close-knit relationships with people, in your niche market, who are seen as valuable connections and can help your business achieve its goals.

• Make the Most of Your Social Media Efforts. Twitter. Facebook. LinkedIn. MySpace. Friendster. I think you get the point. With the overwhelming presence of social media sites, it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE for a human being to effectively be present on all of them. Stick with the Big 3: Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Concentrate your efforts and maintain a solid presence within these sites. If you have these areas under control, then you can begin to dabble in other areas.

• Do What the Analytics are Telling You. At GenNext Media, we check Google Analytics multiple times a day to stay abreast on what our market wants to read, and what they don’t. Once you realize that people are more interested in reading your articles on social media marketing vs. lead generation, you can concentrate the majority of your efforts in that area. After all, your overall goal is to give your followers what they want, right?

• Strive to be an Expert in Your Industry. Your social media presence is not about selling. I repeat, your social media presence is not about selling. Before you start tweeting, making updates and replying to your followers, you must decide what type of presence you want going to have within the distributed web. Don’t use your social media efforts to increase your bottom line. Be helpful, personable and informative and you will have no problem selling your product. Social media is an online community and you have to prove your worthy before anyone will do business with you.

As 2010 hits, we will be bombarded with the new innovations and technologies of social media. Now, you have no excuse not to be prepared! Don’t get overwhelmed by all the new bells and whistles being released to the distributed web, just stick to your plan.

What is your plan for the New Year?

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