Becoming an Expert in your Field

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inthenews_snowIf you want to grow your business it is imperative to become an authority in your field. In my industry that is best done through content marketing. By regularly making blog posts, engaging in social media and utilizing email marketing to spread the good word about your brand, product or industry. While there may be industries where this technique does not work as well, most businesses with a product or a service will find it to be a win, win scenario.

I have a roofing client who is ever diligent about his web presence. In late October we began focusing on the hazards of New England weather as it relates to the roofing industry. We made blog and social media posts on ice dam prevention and preparing gutters for winter weather. The excessive snowfall and recent publicity surrounding roof collapses has sent the news media, home and business owners to the internet in search of an expert on roof snowload and ice dams. Guess who  came to the top of search engine results? The online marketing effort has paid off ten-fold. While my client has received more phone calls than they can handle and the hits on the website are so high that the server has crashed, we have attained our 15 minutes of fame and have succeeded in our mission to become the go-to authority in the roofing industry.

It’s all about content

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In the early days of the internet it was acceptable for a company to copy and paste information from their brochure onto a web page and launch it into cyber space never to glance at it again. But those days are gone. Today the internet is all about content – fresh, new, innovative information. The concept as to why it is important to regularly update a website is simple.

  1. Even robots get bored with repetitive information. It’s like getting a newspaper week after week that has the same content. Search engines will reward those who take the time to post fresh content by boosting their page rank thereby giving them an edge against the competition.
  2. Fresh content gives customers a reason to return. Like new merchandise in a store, new content increases the likelihood that a customer will return and make a purchase. The math is simple – fresh content translates into higher sales.
  3. A business owner will be able to better track what works and what doesn’t work if they are regularly making changes. Without anything to use for comparison how is a business owner to judge what works and what doesn’t. Analytics tell the story on a day to day basis.

Of course, one of the best ways to post new content is to blog regularly. But that’s another story.

Five Tips to Get Noticed in 2015

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It isn’t easy to stand out on the web today as it is saturated with companies vying for attention from the same customers. But, if you carefully mold your brand and deliberately target your local market niche online you will be noticed.

Here are five basic rules to follow to boost your visibility online.

  1. Build a graphically appealing interactive website:

    A static website is not good enough. Your website is the face of your company and a powerful marketing tool. It is imperative that you provide customers with what they are looking for in terms of the product and services that you have to offer. Beyond that, the functionality must be flawless and the content engaging.

  2. Don’t be pushy:

    The goal is to build a relationships with your target market. Becoming an authority in your field and building trust is the best way to lure a potential client away from a competitor. Use social media platforms to offer an insightful view into your industry rather than pushing products and services.

  3. Email Marketing:

    Email marketing is still alive. Sometimes potential customers need to be reminded that you can fill a need for them. Don’t be afraid to reach out and touch your audience with a timely email or a special offer.

  4. Think like Starbucks:

    The coffee industry has done a remarkable job stroking their customers and making them feel as though they are part of the brand. You will notice that Starbucks rarely mentions it’s products on their sites – instead they focus on consumer benefits and offer their customers a platform to engage in the Starbucks wonderfulness.

  5. Have a branding plan:

    To have a successful brand you must have a business plan that defines your market and goals, know where to find your customers online and know your competition.

What Should I Blog About?

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blogMy best source for blog topics are the questions that my customers ask me on a daily basis. With every week that passes it seems that there is at least one question that emerges as “The” question of the week. Last week the question was “Do I really need to Blog” and this week the question is “What should I blog about?

Often one of the first obstacles business owners encounter is the concern about sharing information that they feel they might otherwise be paid for. Why share? Here are three good reasons.

  1. Your goal is to become an authority in your field. You want to become the go-to resource for information on your industry. By providing useful, relevant information you will also be helping your competitors customers and they just might decide to switch teams.
  2. I use the internet like a Ouija Board, plugging complete sentences into search engines as I look for answers … and I am rarely disappointed. It is safe to assume that if one person is looking for answers to a question that there are other people who are struggling with the same problem.
  3. Sharing information helps to build trust. Potential customers will see that you are a reputable business owner and the next time they need a product or service in your industry you will come to mind.

Blogs are presented in several different formats.

  • There are lists where the blogger elaborates on such topics as the Five Best WordPress Plugins.
  • A How-To blog is more of an ordered list that explains how to do something such as How To Export My Database.
  • Comparison Blogs compare two products or services weighing the advantages and disadvantages of both. I recently used a Blog to make a camera purchase and the information was valuable.

There’s no need to worry about your creative writing skills – if you are good at what you do then you should be able to speak (write) about your own industry with authority. If you write in a conversational tone as you are speaking directly to a customer you will be find success. Go ahead and try it … you will find the process rewarding and it will add value to your business.

Content is King

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Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.

content_marketing
Whether your business is service based or product based, content marketing is the key to successful online marketing. When people search online their primary goal is usually to find something they need or want, and your content is the main way people are going to find you and learn more about your business, products and services.

Blogging and Social Media Marketing are the two best ways to get your information in front of the public. The key to making your efforts work for your business is to make sure to provide quality content that will benefit your target market. It’s all about becoming an authority in your field.

Are you legally using online photos?

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Clever monkeys are just copycats: Animals learn skills by imitating others.
Clever monkeys are just copycats: Animals learn skills by imitating others.

This week I was contacted by a local realtor who questioning an image that appeared on one of my clients websites. A quick Google search told me that the image of a nearby town waterfront had originated from the realtors online portfolio. After apologizing to the woman, I removed the image and decided to do a little research on copyright laws as they relate to sharing and using online images.

The social networking age is largely driven by the sharing of online images and, as you can imagine, US Copyright laws are struggling to keep pace with technology.

When is it legal to use another person’s photo or image? Here are a few simple rules.

Did you take the photo or graphic?

Unless you did the work for a client in which case it belongs to the client it is safe to assume that if you created the work than you likely own the copyright and can use it however you like.

Plagiarism VS Copyright

While plagiarism can be avoided by giving credit to party in question the same rules do not apply to copyright infringement.

My best advice to avoid problems is to use Public Domain Images which are free of known copyright. Here are the links to a few of my favorite sites.

http://www.freenaturepictures.com
http://www.morguefile.com/
http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/

Five Web Content Writing Tips for Success

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The most daunting task that business owners face in the website design process is writing dynamic, inspiring content that will lure visitors to dig further into their website. When crafting web copy the most important objective is to be sure that your content speaks to the needs of prospective clients. The goal is to solve their problems and speak their language.

Here are a few basic tips to keep in mind:

  1. Use a Conversational Tone. Write like you speak and avoid stilted verbiage.
  2. Show your Passion. There is no greater sales tool than a business owner who wears the love for their work on their shirtsleeve.
  3. Use Testimonials to Build Credibility.What people are saying about you and your business matters.
  4. Less is more. Be clear and concise and avoid excessive tech talk where you risk losing your visitors.
  5. Focus on Benefits.Remember that you are solving a problem for your customers. They need your service or product and it is your job to tell them why.

As you peruse the internet be aware of the perils you face as consumer. This will help you to be an intuitive seller. A good place to start is on the home page which is like the cover of a magazine. The information on the cover should tell them all that they need to know. Flipping through the contents will give them a more in depth view.

What should be upfront?

  • Who are you?
  • What is your specialty?
  • What exactly do you do?
  • What can you do for the client?
  • Who are your clients?
  • How can the client learn more about you?

Storytelling & Fame

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Storytelling is one of the oldest and purest forms of marketing and today’s social media platforms provides brands with the perfect venue to tell their tales. Used properly, companies can boost sales and solidify customer relationships.

It can take time to master the art of storytelling which should be simple, authentic & engaging. New England based Dunkin Donuts has done a bang up job on social media. The brand’s new Face Book ‘Fan of the Week’ campaign offers customers the opportunity to get their 15 minutes of fame by beckoning fans to submit photos of themselves enjoying their favorite DD product. Each week the winner will have their name and photo up in lights on a billboard in Times Square. Now there’s a That’s a simple campaign that has has created quite a nice of incentive.

Top ten facebook brands are:

  • Coca Cola
  • MTV
  • Disney
  • Red Bull
  • Converse
  • Starbucks
  • Walmart
  • McDonalds
  • Blackberry
  • Subway

      • Want your 15 minutes of fame?

      Click on the following link and upload your photo. Dunkin Donuts Fan of the Week

Marketing with Infographics

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What is an infographic?

An infographic is a fun way to share material about a topic without using a ton of content. Infographics creatively transform information in a way that helps people learn and inspires them to share. Here’s an example of an infographic on why WordPress should be the website platform of choice for your business.

wp_infographic

Can a BLOG help your business?

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The term BLOG comes from the two words Web and Log. It is a discussion or an informational web page compiled of multiple entries or ‘posts’ that are usually displayed in reverse chronological order. Most BLOGS are interactive in the sense that they allow readers to post comments.

Many of my clients visibly cringe when I suggest that they include a blog on their website. The idea of writing a weekly article seems a daunting task to many business owners. However, the rewards that can be reaped by sharing valuable information are priceless.

Put the image of a lengthy dissertation to rest and instead, think about a BLOG as the opportunity to share blurbs of information about a topic on which you are an authority. Certainly anyone in business can up with an informative paragraph or two about a product that they sell. It’s a matter of disciplining yourself to regularly embrace the platform.

Here’s how I have worked blogging into my hectic schedule. I belong to a local BNI chapter where each member must present a 60 second commercial to the group about their business on a weekly basis. I use this opportunity to simultaneously develop a weekly blog post on the same topic.

How successful is my BLOG? After taking a close look at my website analytics I learned that the day of the week when my website has the highest number of hits is on the day of my blog post. While it may be difficult to specifically measure the benefits of sharing information, I embrace the philosophy of givers gain. If I am providing readers with information about a product that they want to know more about, than my BLOG is a success.

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