Internet marketing, particularly in traditionally offline industries, exposes a forest of low-hanging fruit, and provides a multitude of opportunities to quickly capitalize on relatively under-developed markets.  As online marketing technologies evolve and new strategies are developed, the opportunities for businesses to reach and convert consumers expand. This is especially true within those markets that are not wholly dependent on the Internet or those that use online measures as only a part of their overall marketing plan.

The latest tool to fall into the lap of online marketers is video and it has changed the game almost beyond all recognition. In more tech savvy markets, video is the standard since it allows as intimate a conversation as possible without meeting face-to-face.  An effective video can deliver tangible, bottom-line results.

For industries that have yet to embrace video as a strategy, it can go even further to establish a business as a clear market leader and add invaluable credibility to what you offer.  Whether you’re targeting local consumers or shaping your industry online, video is one of the most effective ways to speak to the customer – and for less tech-orientated markets the results can be truly profound.

So how does video make the difference?  Video can be used in two main ways to deliver value while maximizing cost efficiencies:

      1.  Traffic Generation: similar to article syndication, submitting videos online to sites like YouTube and DailyMotion leads to more referrals to your website, assuming your video displays your URL and is hyperlinked to a relevant page.

      2.  Conversion: arguably the main purpose of video content, stronger conversions and implied authority can create a more attractive proposition for customers and can help to move you out in front of your closest competitor.

The main and absolutely primary focus of your video should be its content.  While that might sound obvious, it is the quality of information that makes the difference (rather than quantity of backlinks or frequency of distribution as with other forms of online marketing strategies).

Your video content should speak to the quality of your brand and the products or services you offer, including appropriate and relevant images to the collection of genuinely helpful information.

This is your chance to paint your business as a credible, authoritative player in the market by answering a frequently asked question or common concern. Providing key, valuable insight into your target market can provide a significant boost to your reputation. This will pay serious dividends through strengthening your conversion rate and will make your video clip much more watchable than a blatant advertisement.

Don’t fall into the obvious trap of creating a promotional video.  A short video clip (no more than 3mins) focusing on your industry, product or service that offers some tangible benefit or advice has the potential to attract tens of thousands of visitors if done correctly. This can instantly position your business as a credible source of information and as a go-to for those interested in learning more about your industry.

Another tip for maximizing traffic juice from your video: close out your clip with a 10-second still of your logo, key slogan or product and contact details (including your direct ‘buy-now’ URL or equivalent).  Research into browsing behaviors indicates that these really do make a difference and that the majority of consumers are prepared to watch a quality video until comes to a natural end. It’s good to let them know who you are, and where they can find out more about your business.

Video can be a powerful tool if used correctly, and there’s no need to break the bank in developing ground breaking content in order to make an impression.

A clean, professional video that provides genuinely useful information can be created for under $100 on most freelancing sites, or even less if you have your own video camera. And this is for a product that can generate traffic for years to come, while also adding to the branding and conversion mix that truly reflects your business.

TIP:  Check out freelancing sites such as Elance (www.elance.com)  RentaCoder (www.rentacoder.com) for low cost video production.

Imagine – a platform of only business owners and business professionals that has over 140 million members and is growing daily; where the average income per member is $120,000 US.

And the best part? Almost no-one is using this to its full potential.

What is LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a business directory that specializes in finding businesses, talent, and opportunities. It is therefore a place to discover businesses and for others to discover you. A place to discover talent; for recruiting, outsourcing, partnering with, or consulting. In short, people who can help your business.

It is a place where you can see credentials, build a relationship first then trust. It is a place where you should be able to generate 4 – 5 leads per day for your business. 75% of your business should come from LinkedIn.

In short – you are the talent that others are looking for.

But are they finding you?

LinkedIn has a record number of searches per day for SEO, Reputation Management, Mobile Marketing, List Management, Web Development, PPC, Lead Generation, YouTube management, and many others.

Why is LinkedIn so Popular for Business?

The main reason is that it is a search engine where you can search for people rather than information. You can see their credentials, and get to know them first before you commit to anything.

You also get geographically targeted search results so you can search for local people.

LinkedIn is perfect for you if you have the skills that are searched for, or if you want to outsource to people with those skills.

Benefits of Using LinkedIn

- You can only have one profile.

- You can generate leads all over the country and even the world even if you have a free account.

- You can use apps on your profile which help you to showcase yourself and your business.

How to Use LinkedIn:

You need to have a well written and well-presented profile that is SEO optimized with keywords. It is best to have a salesletter or similar copywriting for best results. Only talk about what you do for your clients and how you do it. Your past is irrelevant, unless it shows your experience in your current position. Use apps to help you. Slideshare is a good one to use as you can upload powerpoint presentations or YouTube videos to slideshare which will then show on your profile.

Always keep Search Engine Optimization in mind as people need to find you. Also, make your email address visible on your profile.

A systematic approach to networking works best. So decide first what you’re going to offer, and make sure it will pre-close clients for you, and generate relationships with your prospects. It should help you find business, and generate value for your leads.

In our case study, a start-up business approached his target market and asked them if they knew a good accountant in their area. They had one of three responses: No, I don’t know an accountant; yes I know an accountant; or no response.

He mentioned his business only in his signature with a keyword rich sentence and a link. He contacted 100 prospects. Of those 100, 22 responded that yes, they did know an accountant and made a referral. 43 responded that they didn’t know an accountant, and 35 gave no response. He then wrote to the accountants, told them that they came highly recommended and asked if he could recommend them to others.

The results: one accountant offered him $500 to buy his list of people in his area who needed an accountant. And 21 people wrote back and asked about his SEO services. He made five sales resulting in $4300 income.

Now you don’t have to offer the same, but you need to offer something of value. This way you will build excellent relationships and trust with your prospects.

For more information on LinkedIn, visit Attraction Marketing, and search for the article: The keys to Success on LinkedIn.
This article courtesy of SiteProNews.com

Once you’ve done the keyword research for your website, you can then use those phrases strategically in your article submission campaign. By creating keyword focused articles, you’ll get much better results from your article marketing efforts by helping search engines to associate your website with particular keyword terms.

This article gives some quick article marketing tips on how to appropriately use your keywords in your article submissions:

1 – The Headline:

The purpose of your headline is to indicate the topic of your article.

Try to place the keyword phrase that you’re targeting at the beginning of your headline. This takes some thought – the goal is to create a headline that would capture the attention of your potential reader, but that also prominently displays the keyword phrase. The title also has to be grammatically correct and contain correct spelling.

The best SEO-friendly titles just look like a great title – no one should be able to tell that you have specifically crafted it with your keywords in mind.

Please note: In addition to the keyword research you completed for your website, it’s a good idea to also do keyword research for the topics of your articles. The phrases associated with your article topics will naturally be longer, say 3-8 words long. They are more specific than the main words that are associated with your website, but that makes them perfectly suited for article topics.

The main difference between these two types of words is that the ones you use in your title and article body are what you’d like the article to rank for, and the keywords you use in your resource box are the ones you’d like your website to rank for.

2 – The Article:

The topic of the article is determined by the title.

Try to repeat your keyword phrase in the first 5 sentences or so of the article, in a natural sounding way of course.

Then, just write naturally about your topic. Since the keyword phrase is closely related to the topic of your article, then variations of the phrase should appear naturally in your article. Don’t try to force it too much, and by all means don’t pepper your article with the keyword phrase.

The most important part about the article is that it is easy for a reader to understand and that it provides helpful information. So, focus on writing a well-written article that teaches your reader something. After carefully placing your keyword phrase in the 5 lines, don’t worry too much about how many times the keyword phrase appears in the article. It will show up every once in a while as you naturally write about your topic.

Also, it’s okay for the phrase to appear in different forms, for example, ‘race cars,’ ‘racing cars,’ ‘race car gear’, etc.

3 – The Resource Box:

The resource box is where you can tell a little about yourself and your business and where you can encourage the reader to click the link leading back to your website. This is also a great spot to put one of the keyword phrases that you’d like your website to rank highly for.

Many directories will allow you to create an anchor text link in your resource box. With an anchor text link, you can use your keyword phrase to form the link that leads back to your website. This helps search engines to associate that phrase with the topic of your website and can influence the search engine ranking for your site for that phrase.

Be sure not to use the same phrase each time though – you should have a list of keyword phrases for your website, and you can alternate those in your resource boxes. If you use the same phrase as anchor text each time, it can look suspicious to search engines, which could have negative SEO consequences for your website.

Let’s recap the main things to remember when creating an SEO friendly article:

=> Do your keyword research, and find phrases to target in your articles as well as phrases that you’d like your website to rank for.

=> Write naturally. The phrases that appear in your article should not be conspicuous or awkward sounding. They should just be a natural part of a helpful article.

=> Be sure to use proper spelling and grammar. This is necessary for the article to be published and also for readers to be able to understand what the article is saying.

After doing this a few times, writing an SEO-friendly article will be like second nature. You’ll become very skilled at creating content that’s useful to your readers, while at the same time crafting an article that will attract the attention of search engines.

Steve Shaw has helped thousands of business owners worldwide build traffic, leads and sales to their websites, and he wants to help you do the same – grab his free report giving you a blueprint for attracting sustainable, dirt-cheap, long-term, targeted traffic to any website…including yours! Go now to http://www.submityourarticle.com/report – some people have used the same information to boost their traffic by up to 600%!
This article courtesy of SiteProNews.com

The Internet has helped countless individuals and businesses to make significant amounts of money online. In order to be successful with your online marketing campaign, it is imperative that you avoid the common mistakes often made by those new to the industry.

One of the most common mistakes made is simply the failure to take action. This is usually just due to over-thinking and constantly changing your plans. Some call it ‘paralysis by analysis’. Once you have properly planned your business, it’s time to take the necessary action. Sometimes this pitfall can be attributed to perfectionists. If you spend all your time tweaking the design of your website, you will never get to doing the tasks that will really take your business forward. If you are not happy with a particular aspect of your website or products, it may be a good idea to hire a designer to help you out behind the scenes, allowing you get started with more important things.

Another mistake is not planning an online advertising strategy that best suits your needs. Don’t re-invent the wheel. You can try to emulate other people’s success by analyzing what works for them and what doesn’t. A good idea is to put your goals in writing and put them in a prominent place that you will see every day. As you complete each goal, you can mark it as completed. You will likely end up adding new goals down the road in order to keep your business moving forward and to keep you motivated.

Some internet marketers focus solely on the cheapest methods and tools. This can be counter-productive to your efforts since it’s true what they say – you get what you pay for. This is especially true when it comes to online advertising.

When advertising, it’s usually more effective to focus on quality over quantity. Numerous poor quality ads will probably not produce as much results as a single high quality advertisement. A poorly done advertising campaign can do real harm to your business reputation and brand. But, they do happen. When they do, it’s best to not let it get you down and instead use it as a learning experience.

As long as you find your most effective methods of online marketing and keep doing them on a consistent basis, there is no reason why you won’t be successful. Use any possible mistakes as a learning experience in order to improve your next campaign and don’t get distracted with anything that doesn’t provide value to your overall business model and goals.

One of the most powerful ways to build a successful online business is by creating relationships with your visitors so they can begin to trust you and feel comfortable ordering from you. One way of building these relationships is by having a mailing list so you can keep in contact with your subscribers. This helps form a bond and will start to build that foundation of trust and credibility.

Sending out weekly online newsletters or mailings is a great way to solidify the trust relationship. But who do you send it to? Taking the time and effort to build a responsive email list is not easy but it certainly can be done.

The ten tips below will help you get started building that all important list of names and email addresses.

1. Privacy Guarantee – One of the most important things you can do is guarantee the visitor’s privacy. Be sure to let them know their information will never be given out or sold to anyone under any circumstances!

2. Easy Sign-Up – Be sure to put a quick and easy sign-up form for your visitors. You do not want your potential subscribers chased away by having to click through a maze of forms. Make the sign-up as easy and fast as possible.

3. Multiple Forms – Don’t make the mistake of just putting one sign-up form on your site. Be sure to have one on every page. Not everyone will go to your homepage. Also, be sure to add subscription forms to your Facebook page and other social networking sites.

4. In Plain Sight – When putting the sign-up form on every page of your site, be sure to put them on the top of the page on either the right side or the left side. I have read that the left side is more effective.

5. No Life Story – Don’t ask for a ton of information when trying to get people to sign up for your mailing list. You don’t need to know their phone number, address, gender, birthday, etc. The person is going to wonder what you want all that information for and they will be inclined not to give it to you. A name and an email address is all you need.

6. Double Opt-In - Always provide double opt-in for your subscriptions. So after they sign-up, an email will be sent to them to give them a chance to confirm their subscription. This will protect your subscribers from being added to unwanted lists and it will also protect you from being reported for spam.

7. Free Gift- Always offer a quality free gift to everyone who signs up for your mailing list. Show them you appreciate them and are willing to give something to them as well. I usually offer a free ebook with helpful, quality content. Put the download link in the welcome subscriber email you send out so they can access their gift immediately. Don’t make them contact you or wait for it.

8. Email Signature – Be sure to offer a sign-up form or link in your email signature. A lot of people will sign-up directly from an email.

9. Forward to a Friend – Encourage your subscribers to forward copies of your mailings to their friends and associates. Offer incentive contests. For example, whoever gets the most people to subscribe gets a free gift or big discount on their next order.

10. Ad Swaps - Contact other newsletter publishers and ask them to do an ad swap. You will run a blurb about their newsletter if they do the same for you. You can also exchange blurbs on your welcome email that is sent to all new subscribers.

Bonus Tip: Be sure to offer quality content and products in your mailings. Add some contests (for example: a trivia challenge), some fun and encourage your readers’ interaction with you. This will go a long way in building that foundation of trust which in turn will bring you much more business!

Don’t be one of the 95% of people who fail at their online business. Terri Seymour can help you make money online. Find out how to increase your traffic and sales with her popular “How to Build Your Online Business” ebook for FREE at: ==> http://www.SeymourProducts.com
This article courtesy of SiteProNews.com

It’s really simple: ownership of the copyright in work a business pays for can often be critical for successful commercialization of that work. Unfortunately, the U.S. Copyright contains arcane provisions that will often produce a counter-intuitive result – leaving full copyright ownership with the contractor. How could this possibly be? Internet attorneys, advisers and businesses cannot afford not to be aware of the applicable laws.

Background:

When copyrightable work is created by an employee, the work can become the property of the employer in one of two ways: either by qualifying as a “work made for hire” as defined in Section 101 of the U.S. Copyright Act or by having the employee assign the work to the employer.

A “work made for hire” can be created by an employee or by an independent contractor. If created by an employee within the scope of his or her employment, then all such work is automatically owned by the employer as a “work made for hire.” No written agreement or mention in an employee manual is required, though this may be recommended.

HOWEVER, when work is created by an independent contractor, then the law starts getting strange and, as time has passed, out of touch with reality. The work created by an independent contractor will only qualify as a “work made for hire,” and therefore owned by the employer, IF (1) there is a written agreement that the work is a “work made for hire” and (2) the work falls within one of the following categories: “a contribution to a collective work, as a part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, as a translation, as a supplementary work, as a compilation, as an instructional text, as a test, as answer material for a test, or as an atlas.” When was the last time you hired a contractor to prepare a test or an atlas?? If the work does not fall in one of these categories, then even a written agreement stating that the work is a “work made for hire” will not be effective in causing the work to be owned by the employer. In such a case, only a written assignment of copyright will be effective. Computer software, websites, graphic work, and music will often not be considered included in one of the “work made for hire” categories.

Let’s be clear on this, the default under the law is that copyright will be owned by the contractor UNLESS there is a written agreement that the work is a “work made for hire” (if it qualifies under one of the listed categories) or the work is assigned in writing to the employer. This is a counter-intuitive result – but that’s the law.

To make things worse, what if a business has all of the correct documents in place with the independent contractor, but the independent contractor, hired a different independent contractor, and did not have the correct documents in place with this second independent contract. Well, you get the picture.

What Is An Independent Contractor?

There are multiple factors that can be applied to determine whether there is an employment or an independent contractor relationship. Here some of the factors that will be considered and no single factor will be determinative:

1. Does the hiring party have the right to control the manner and means by which the work is created?

2. Who provides the equipment and tools needed to produce the work?

3. Is the hired party working on the hiring party’s premises or on their own premises?

4. Does the hired party have discretion when and how long to work?

5. Is the method of payment hourly or by the project?

6. Is the hired party getting any benefits offered to employees?

7. Is the hiring party withholding taxes?

Implied License:

If you don’t obtain copyright ownership in work you commissioned based upon the above analysis, then all might not be lost. Usually, when work is commissioned and paid for, then the hiring party and independent contractor understood that the goal of the project was that the hiring party was going to use the work that was created. This would create an implied license. Whereas, a “work made for hire” agreement or a copyright assignment, MUST be in writing, a license (other than an exclusive assignment) does not have to be in writing.

The complications begin when trying to define the scope of use granted by an implied license. For instance, if a website was developed for a business, then the business would have the right to use the website for the purpose for which it was created. However, could the business “white label” the website and license it out to third parties? Could the business modify the website or take components from the website and use them for a different purpose than for which is was originally developed?

Bottom Line:

Make sure you don’t fall into this trap for the unwary, and end up paying a lot for a product that you cannot properly exploit.

William Galkin, Esq is an Internet lawyer who has dedicated his legal practice to representing Internet, website, e-commerce, computer technology and new media businesses in the U.S. and around the world. Go to http://www.galkinlaw.com/services to learn more about agreements needed by websites.
This article courtesy of SiteProNews.com

Name any business that seemingly came from nowhere and went on to become a number-crunching machinery, running high on a steady flow of profit. Be it Starbucks or KFC, every business enterprise started off as a small one in terms of the amount of capital invested. To make a business go big, one doesn’t necessarily need a huge capital investment as much as they need a business vision. It’s the vision that makes all the difference. Colonel Sanders or Zoe Siegl always dreamt big and had a plan to follow up that dream into reality. Don’t expect your business to create a market sensation unless you know the trick of finding products for your customers.

Importance of a Definite Business and Marketing Plan

Even though the dark cloud of recession is expected to finally fade away in the next few years, it can still be a major financial risk to start a small business on your own. A business plan should include details about the type of business you want to run, the amount you are going to invest, your partners in various stages of it, the market that you wish to carve out for yourself, and the basic infrastructure of operating the business on a daily basis. This business plan should include a full marketing plan that contains the methods in which you wish to deliver the finished goods to the consumers as well as market your company’s shares.

Emergence of New Media

A marketing plan can literally make or break a company’s reputation. In the cutthroat business atmosphere today, it seems that the more radical the marketing ideas are, the better chances they have of succeeding. Gone are those days when you could depend on the television commercials, newspaper ads, magazine spreads, and radio broadcasts to popularize your brand. There are several reasons behind this, such as a lack of engaging television shows or radio programs and distrust in the way newspapers manufacture daily news. More and more people are spending time online for their studies, entertainment and work purposes. Internet has simplified our lives in so many ways that its time we begin to fully realized its potential for marketing business products. More than any other form of media, Internet ensures higher rates of profitability, return on investment and increases in the market saturation to meet the targeted results.

Social Networking Sites

There are different ways to harness the potential of this new media, depending on how much money you wish to spend on marketing. If your primary focus is on product manufacture and you wish to devote minimal money and attention to marketing, try employing the simple method of marketing on a social networking site. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, among others, give you the option to write status messages which will be displayed to all your ‘friends’ over email or whenever they log in. Using this status bar, you can promote your business by mentioning attractive offers or links to special discounts on your business website. You may even highlight the fact that you are offering them an undeniable business proposition where they only stand to profit.

Whether you are going to launch a Business to Consumer or Business to Business enterprise, utilizing the help of the latest alternate marketing strategies to efficiently lure prospective customers is essential to your eventual success.

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By Simon Johnnson

Simon Johnnson is the director of content for Executive Gift Shoppe. They specialize in business card holders and other desk accessories.

Article Source: Alternative Strategies to Market Your Business Venture

“Build it and they will come” the saying goes.

Not.

You can build a blog or video site and you can still be lacking connections.

Connection is the nuclear core of social media. But you must make an effort in order for that to happen.

Whether you have a social media home business, traditional brick and mortar business, or an online business, you must get into the social trenches and connect and converse. It is that simple and that plain.

It is all about connecting and creating a magnetic conversation with people that draws them towards you.

But why are people in social media not doing that?

Maybe they do not know this powerful 5 step “Avalanche Process” for getting new customers and keeping them in social media.

The first thing you must do is connect with the social media culture. It is what marketing is about in social media. Some people think that they can be anti-social in social media and think they can broadcast their message and people will still come.

That simply is not going to happen. Not in social media. You do not build ‘it’ but instead, build relationships that can become doorways and then eventually become customers.

Here is the “Avalanche Path” you can follow:

1) Connect –> 2) Conversation –> 3) Value –> 4) Doorway –> 5) Customer.

Let’s take a quick look at each step:

1) Connect

Connection with people is where success in social media starts. Connect with people on Twitter, on Facebook, on LinkedIn, on Youtube, on Orkut, or every other niche site out in the social sphere that matters. You must connect.

Here’s a little tip:

Connect to those who are looking for you. They will find you if you are visible, and accessible to connect to.

2) Conversation

This step is where the conversation with people starts. You talk about the prospect and where they want to go. You talk about what they want to talk about. You study their profile, pictures and videos on their social sites because you can learn a lot just by paying attention.

Then make sure that you stay in touch and listen when they are communicating with you. If you do that, they will want to stay connected to you.

3) Value

This step is where you bring in the magnet to pull them towards your message. Show them value they can obtain with your message in their life. Show them how your message can help expand, increase, enlarge and improve their life. You do it through tips and how to’s in videos and blog posts and podcasts, as well as tweets and twips. Show them how you can make their life easier and show them how to do something they want to learn. You show them how to be or do something. If you can increase the size of their dreams, you can get them as a customer.

The more value people perceive you have for them the more likely they will walk through the “Doorway.”

4) Doorway

This is the doorway to conversion where you convert them to a customer. You must convert prospects into customers if you are going to have any kind of business. That is simple to do.

Give them an offer where “No” is impossible to say. That is the secret. Give first and then make the offer so compelling they cannot say “No.” We do it all the time. We just ran a social media special on our training products and it blew the roof off our shipping department. It has created a flood of new customers and new orders for us. All we did was give them an offer that was difficult to turn down.

The secret of success we experienced can be found in the word “Give.”

Give away something they must have, and something that will improve their life, and they will get it.

5) Customer

This final step is where they purchase your message, products, or webinar or event. This is the beginning of your relationship though – not the end.

Here you must start building the relationship between you and the customer even more.

Give more than they expected and throw something in for free they were not expecting. Give them a free download or ebook and let them see a Private video collection as a special.

Encourage more. Make sure that you send a note of encouragement and stay in touch with them.

Thank them more. Make sure they know you are thankful for their business and connection. We send out free downloads all the time to say thanks that some people paid $$$ for in the past. Thank them in everything you do and they will come back for more.

Get your customers addicted to your Value, Message and Emotions. They will become more than a customer. They will become a loud speaker for you and tell everyone you know you are the best at what you do.

That is what you want to happen in your home business or traditional business in social media marketing.

Doug Firebaugh is one of the Top Social Media strategists, MLM, Network Marketing Home Business Trainers, Speakers / Authors in the world. Over a Million people a month read his training letter. You can subscribe to his FR-ee training letter and get 3 free gifts at http://www.passionfire.com FREE ebook: http://www.newrulesofhomebusiness.com
This article courtesy of SiteProNews.com

Internet marketers, webmasters and business owners have used the popularity and power of social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, to expand their brands and advertise directly to their prospective customers. The marketing strategy, known as Social Media Marketing, or SMM, forms a direct line of communication between the business and the consumer, allowing companies to personally shape and control their brand online.

While the potential is there for social media branding, many companies and businesses fall far short of their goals due to poor planning and implementation. They forget about what makes social media so powerful: socializing.

Anyone can set up a social media account and start posting updates, links and pictures. But it takes strategy to make a social media profile work for your business, strategy that many brands miss. Facebook and Twitter are riddled with posts and links that are strictly promotional. They post links to their newest items for sale, special offers and discounts, inspirational quotes from famous people, and links to their latest articles.

While the above posts are an important aspect of social media marketing strategies, they fall short if left unbalanced without the social aspect. Good social media gurus don’t just share their links and promotions with their potential customers, they share conversations and create friendships with their loyal followers.

How to Really Connect With Followers

Effective Social Media Marketers should:

1. Promote products, services, and deals less often and instead share advice, tips, and tools that enrich their followers’ lives, inspiring them to share those same tips with their followers and friends. Thus begins the viral marketing campaign via social media.

2. Never ignore messages, comments, and posts from followers and fans. Social media gurus are responsible for reaching out to followers as friends and equals, emphasizing the “social” in social media.

3. Repost and share helpful information and tips from followers, fans and customers. For example, if a business focuses on the sale of baking products, featuring recipes and photos from fans via social media will excite followers and promote more sharing, growing the brand online.

4. Actively engage in conversations with fans and followers; thank them for sharing the company’s message, products, services, and posts; and form relationships and strategic alliances with customers. Make followers and customers feel important while remembering that they are important to the survival of the business.

5. Reach out to bloggers via social media, offering compensation such as free products and services in exchange for a rave review or hosting a giveaway, which will then be shared via social media. This turns the follower’s audience into the company’s audience for very little investment.

6. Put a face to the social media profile, especially on Twitter. Social media users want to know they are conversing with a person, not an entity. By giving the company an individual’s voice, it enables a true bond to be formed. This could mean having multiple accounts so that the CEO, CMO, and head of customer relations are all involved in SMM efforts.

By employing the ideas above and brainstorming potential strategies unique to a business’s brand, companies can, and often do, execute successful social media campaigns for Internet marketing that go above and beyond their own expectations.

Article by Helen Palmer. For a ton of information, social media marketing tips and expert advice on online marketing for your small business, the author recommends http://www.SocialMediaSorcerer.com.

This article courtesy of SiteProNews.com

If you own an online business, you need to provide an About Us page. Unfortunately, many sites neglect to give this page the attention it needs and deserves. Many people do not realize the importance of an effective About Us page.

Your About Us page has the distinct purpose of letting people get to know your company, which will help build the foundation of trust and respect that is needed for a successful online business. For certain businesses, the About Us page can also be used for recruiting new employees, sales reps, etc.

So, take some time, look over your About Us page and see if it utilizes any or all of the ten features listed below.

1. Company History – Give a brief history of your company and how you got started. Explain how long you’ve been in business, the purpose of your business and your experience. This is also a good place to add your mission statement.

2. Focus on Benefits - Be sure to focus on the benefits your company will provide the customer. Your potential customers want to know what you can do for them, not how you do it.

3. Introduce Yourself and Crew – Be sure to give your name and the names of those who work with and/or for you. You would be surprised at how many About Us pages I have read that contain no names whatsoever! Give a very brief background on yourself and your workers so your visitors can get to know them.

4. Special Skills and Accomplishments– Highlighting any special skills you have or accomplishments can help to build your credibility and separate you from your competitors. If your company is a green company be sure to highlight that as well. Let people know what your company stands for and against.

5. Toot Your Horn – Provide testimonials, awards and names of notable clients. Don’t be afraid to let people know exactly how accomplished you and your company are. This will also help build credibility and trust.

6. Use Photos – Be sure to add some photos of yourself and your workers (if any) so people can feel more human contact. Actually seeing the person or people behind the website will make it more believable.

7. Personality and Passion– Give your company some personality. Accentuate the passion and commitment your company possesses. Let your readers see the human side of your company.

8. Social Media – Be sure to add your social media site links. This will give your readers another avenue to keep in touch with your company.

9. Coffee Clutch – Write all of this information as if you were sitting over coffee and chatting with your visitors. Don’t make it sound like a dull cookie cutter page. Add life, vigor and sparkle to your writing.

10. Contact Info – ALWAYS thank your visitor for coming to your site and offer your contact information. Let them know you are available to answer any questions or concerns. Adding your physical address is shown to raise the level of confidence in your company as well.

Although the About Us page is often overlooked by the site owner, it can be a very powerful way to attract customers and increase your conversion rate. Do the research and take the time to write a compelling and powerful About Us page that will boost your credibility and gain the trust and respect your business needs to survive!

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This article courtesy of SiteProNews.com