Grab the Embed Code to share the Harlem Shake infographic on your site:

<a href="blog url"><img src="http://studentexperts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/How-the-Harlem-Shake-Happened-March6.png" alt="Student Experts Infographic" title="How The Harlem Shake Happened - INFOGRAPHIC" width="1001" height="13069"/></a><br/><a href="http://www.studentexperts.com/#infographic">Student Experts Infographic Marketing</a>

Everyone has a different reason to love Tucson, but one thing is for sure: It’s a very unique place. That’s why we decided to create this infographic about Tucson, our beloved home town. Please feel free to share it with your friends or send it to those East Coasters and Californians who still pronounce it “Tuck-son” (We all know a few!).

This infographic was created by Tucson content marketing firm Student Experts, proud purveyors of high-quality guest blogs, white-label content, and custom infographics.

Grab the Embed Code here to share this infographic on your website:

<a href="blog url"><img src="http://contentbystudentexperts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Tucson-AZ-Welcome-To-The-Old-Pueblo-Infographic-Web-1.jpg" alt="Student Experts Infographic Marketing" title="Tucson AZ Welcome To The Old Pueblo - INFOGRAPHIC" width="1000" height="3826"/></a><br/><a href="http://studentexperts.com/tucson-infographic-welcome-to-the-old-pueblo>Student Experts Infographic Marketing</a>

• Call to action – Blog posts are a great venue to announce a new, or changes to an existing, product or service.  At the end of any of those announcements, a specific call to action should always be present.  Introduce bitly to your smaller clients or a software like Link Trackr to more serious clients if they are not already monitoring click through rates.  Many of us know how addictive and fun tracking click through rates and testing content can be.  It should be illegal to deprive your client of that.

• Follow-up – What better way for a sales person to follow up with a potential client than to provide them with a relevant and valuable past post their company wrote.  It gives the sales person an opportunity to make a contact and show the potential customer they listen.  It also sets an authoritative and knowledgeable tone for the company.  If that person had any doubts about that company’s product or service, a relevant blog post may clear those doubts.

If you are looking for ways to educate your client on why a consistent, well written blog is a good idea, throw them these reasons.  A blog done properly will benefit their bottom line.  For some people, that is all they need to hear.

Photo: stevendepolo

We recently found ourselves at a large University Career Fair, where thousands of students swarmed employer booths seeking future internships and employment. Our table looked snazzy with a sign, job flyers, a Kindle Fire for collecting email addresses, and of course a bowl of candy.

Yet 20 minutes into the career fair, we hadn’t been approached by any of the students.  That’s when my colleague Sarah had one of those ah-hah, light-bulb moments.

At first I was skeptical about this improvised sign, but within minutes we had our first few interactions with students from all kinds of backgrounds!  Whether studying law, English, philosophy, computer science, or theater, all of these students had a passion for writing or design. The sign was working wonders; we were collecting tons of emails and handing out job flyers.

When it was my turn to hold the homemade sign I felt funny, like one of those sign-spinners you see dancing by the side of a busy road. But as nervous students walked by us, wearing their ill-fitting “interview” suits, many of them smiled, laughed, or mouthed the word, “no,” as they passed our table.

That’s our little guerrilla marketing story. Thanks for reading! If you have a similar marketing story where a homegrown guerrilla tactic was a big win, share your thoughts in the comments below.

We are currently  hiring content writers and graphic designers nationwide. Please visit our jobs page for more information and links to apply.

We think this is a great hairstyle for an editor.

Each month, our in-house team of writers and editors creates thousands of  business blogs for  SMBs nationwide. In addition to business blogs, we also create guest posts, website copy, interactive social media content, and custom projects.

While our production volume is very high and our turnaround times fast, our clients tell us that our work is better researched, of a higher quality, and more grammatically sound than the work of other freelance writers and services they have contracted with in the past.

So how do we consistently generate the kind of high-quality content that SEO and internet marketing firms are looking for? Aside from sentence-level changes, grammar, and spelling, the experienced editors at Student Experts look for the following when editing blog content:

1. Readability

When reviewing a business blog, our editors might ask, “Is it clear, cohesive, and fun to read?” Successful blogs will start off with an engaging statistic, or a journalistic lede that hooks readers right away. Here’s a quick comparison of a boring and a fun introduction for an optician’s blog about eye diseases:

• Boring: “Many people are nearsighted and need to wear glasses.”
• Engaging: “According to the American Optometric Association, more than a quarter of the United States population suffers from myopia, or nearsightedness.”

Not only is the second example more interesting, but it adds the clout of a respected industry organization and an authoritative outbound link to the blog. From the introduction, editors will ensure that the blog flows into a well-organized body, broken up into logical bullets, lists, or subheadings for easy consumption. As an example, you’ll notice that this blog offers a very readable layout. It starts with a direct introduction, then is followed by a numbered list of parallel points and a brief conclusion.

2. Links and Anchor Text

Building up SEO authority by linking out from your blog posts to authoritative third-party sites is one of the main benefits of business blogging. That’s why our editors check outbound blog links for domain authority, quality, and relevance. Ultimately, we strive to link to content that is appropriate to the client and that readers will find useful. Editors also pay special attention to the link anchor text used throughout blog posts. We vary anchor text between posts, using business- and location-based keywords whenever possible. For example, in a blog post for an HVAC company about repairing home heating systems in time for winter, we would use anchor text such as “Fall heating tune-up” or “heating system maintenance.” The HVAC business may also focus on keywords for its air conditioning and duct cleaning services, but since those services are not relevant to this particular blog post, we would not use those phrases in the link anchor text.

3. Client Parameters

We use a streamlined content management system to keep client’s keyword strategies and special requests up-to-date and organized.  An editor will check all blog content against a client’s parameters to be sure the writing is furthering that client’s marketing goals.  Maybe a business always wants to use a trackable toll-free number in the call-to-action? Or, perhaps a client has discontinued a product and no longer wants to mention it in their content. Our CMS, combined with our editorial quality assurance, keeps clients happy and greatly reduces the need for revisions.

This is just a quick snap-shot of our writing and editing process.  Get in touch with us today to learn more about how Student Experts delivers high-quality, white-labeled content to internet marketing and SEO firms.

Photo credit: Evil Erin

Rand Fiskin – Rand is one of the most transparent people in online marketing.  On this blog, he chronicles multiple aspects of his business, SEOmoz, including the company’s revenue.  His insight into company culture, customer acquisition and leadership are second to none.

Social Commerce Today – Online marketing inherently includes social.  Many of the posts on this site profile the main players in social commerce and lessons we can learn from them.  There are also specific posts regarding marketing and sales through social platforms.  This site is not shy to predict the future based off of industry trends and their readers respect them for that.

Altered States of Marketing – David Cohen’s bio says it all: “Not a guru or any other clichéd phrase marketers use to describe themselves. I believe marketing is about storytelling, earning trust and making promises you can keep.”  David provides great insight into the psychological part of marketing as well as specific ways to think differently as an online marketer.  His first post is from this year and like most blogs as they evolve over time, you can expect his content to get even better.

Want to share an online marketing blog that creates a lot of value for you?  Please do in the comments below!

Photo: stevendepolo

This blog is adapted from a presentation given by Christian C., a Student Experts Project Manager, at one of our Friday lunch meetings. Thanks Christian for encouraging us all to stay healthy! 

While sitting in itself may not be especially hazardous to your health, it’s all the things that you aren’t doing while you are sitting that are working against you.  You aren’t burning calories, your metabolism slows down, your leg muscles aren’t being used, and your spine is compressing.

When you couple this with living in a society that already encourages sedentary living spent watching television, playing video games, driving in a car, and  browsing the Internet, we’re all effectively playing a prolonged version of Russian Roulette as we neglect our bodies with countless hours off our feet.

Fortunately, there are various actions we can all take to diminish the negative effects of sitting in a chair for eight or more hours a day, such as taking breaks and doing basic stretches, not to mention exercising when you aren’t on the job.  Bring your mind and body into balance while on the job by checking out this resource guide and trying some of the techniques suggested.

• Why Brief Exercise Doesn’t Cut it for Office Workers
• The Truth About Sitting Down 
• The Importance of Taking Breaks from Work
• Stretches for the Office
• How to Build an Ergonomic Home Office 
• All About Eyestrain
• Avoiding Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSIs) 
• Incorporating Exercise into Daily Life

Got any healthy tips for workplace ergonomics, stretching, and finding times to exercise? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Photo Credit: Meagan Fisher

Wouldn’t that be nice? In reality, the recruiter is most likely sitting at a brightly lit desk with hundreds of resumes in her database and not enough time to even read most of her emails.

Due to the competitive and fast-paced nature of recruiting, there are a few missteps that can get even the most impressive candidate’s resume tossed in the trash. To increase the chances that your resume is actually read by recruiters and employers, avoid these five common mistakes :

1.     Typos
If anything is misspelled or grammatically incorrect in your cover letter or resume, it will immediately take away any credibility you have as a job candidate.  Check also for the correct spelling of the company you are applying to, because many businesses today use unconventional spellings, such as LinkedIn.

2.     Unprofessional Email Address
It is fine if your friends know you as softballbaby89@gmail.com, but do you really want to use that same email address when applying to jobs? Sign up for a more professional email account that uses your name and simple numbers or professional keywords if necessary. You can then use the professional account to send and receive job correspondence without worrying that a recruiter might accidentally see your strange Gmail chat status.

3.     Inability to Follow Directions
Pay attention to the application instructions. If a company asks for a Word document and you usually send PDFs, then take the time to convert and send a Word file instead. Also pay attention to any requests for specific information such as salary requirements, work samples, or references. If you don’t follow the recruiter’s exact instructions, then the recruiter will likely skip over your resume and move on to the hundreds of other candidates who did follow directions.

4.     Boring Cover Letter or No Cover Letter
A cover letter lets employers know that you are that you are a genuinely interested applicant  and not just hitting “send” a million times on Career Builder. Take advantage of the cover letter to market your skills, personality and intelligence.  Unless the recruiter requests “no cover letters,” you should always include one.

5.     Missing Keywords
If you see keywords or skills in the job description, then take the time to thoughtfully include those words in your resume and cover letter. The first thing that many recruiters will do is search your cover letter and resume text for the keywords and skills they need.  If you submit a PDF resume, then be sure that it is saved in a searchable format.

Have you ever sent a resume out only to realize later that you made a terrible mistake on it? Feel free to vent or share your resume “learning experience” with the rest of us in the comments! Students, recent graduates and not-so-recent graduates looking for writing opportunities in Tucson can check out our current job openings.

Photo Credit: Dita Margarita

Infographics. This word seems to be on the tip of every SEO and internet marketer’s tongue. Infographics are images containing visual representations of statistics, demographics, historical time lines, and factoids about a certain topic.

What is it about these colorful data visualizations that make them such compelling pieces of content?

Below we’ll explain the top three reasons to consider infographics as a part of a content marketing strategy. We will also share some helpful links for getting started with infographic design and marketing.

Why Create Infographics?

1. Infographics Are User Friendly

2. Infographics Have Social Value​​

Which would you rather post to your Facebook wall, a link to a blog post listing statistics about the economy, or a stunning image that animated the same statistics using charts and information design?  Users on networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest will likely find more value and fun in sharing a visual infographic than a plain old blog post. Featuring original infographics on a business social media profile, blog, or website can also create a more positive brand image for that business.

3. Infographics Build Links

Marketers can submit infographics to third party design websites, bookmarking sites, and social networks, with links pointing back to the original infographic URL. While many of the links from third parties such as Pinterest or Flickr will be “no-follow,” populating such sites with an infographic image can help increase referral traffic. Additionally, other blogs and websites may find your infographic on a site like Visual.ly, and then choose to share it with their audiences using embed code or a  “follow” link attribution. While distributing an infographic, marketers can optimize the infographics’ embed code with the links and varied anchor text of their choice.

If you are considering infographics as part of your  online strategy, be sure to partner with a content marketing provider offering infographic research, fact-checking, design and editing. To learn more about marketing with infographics, check out these helpful links.

Links to Infographics Resources

• For an overview on infographic marketing, including research, design, and distribution, review a copy of Unbounce’s “The Ultimate Guide to Marketing with Infographics.”
• In a recent interview with Eric Enge from Stone Temple Consulting, Matt Cutts discussed Google’s quality guidelines and how infographics fit in to the big picture.
• For infographic design inspiration, check out Mashable’s Infographics board on Pinterest.
• A blog post from SEER Interactive features a list of the best places to distribute infographics online.
• SEOmoz has a great post on how to get the maximum number of links from an infographic. This post also features a helpful list of third party sites accepting infographic submissions.

Photo credit: Brett Jordan

Does your client’s website content look this old?

When was the last time you suggested to a client that they update the content on their website?  Did they actually follow through and take your advice?  In this post, I’ll discuss why industry specific, up to date media terms are a good idea to incorporate into on-site content.

Sure, fresh content can influence search rankings.  And that’s important.  However, once visitors get to the site, will they see updated industry terms they hear in the media and want to know more about?  Or will they see content with lots of generalities and terms from years ago?

Here are a few examples of up to date media terms:

Healthcare – single-payer medical insurance, health reform

Auto Sales – hybrids, electric vehicles, 40mpg

Dentistry – same day dentures

Implementing new language is not an attempt to take advantage of “buzz-terms.” Americans genuinely absorb what our mainstream media broadcasts.  Proof?  You can match anything being talked about on television with the top searches on Google Trends.  If a client’s website doesn’t fall into a definite niche, use Google Trends to find current industry language.

If you’ve been trying to get a client to understand this, then show them this article to prove you’re not the only one saying  it’s a smart investment to update their on-site content.

What updated industry terms do you know that your clients would benefit from having on their websites?

photo credit: stevendepolo