Show #2: March 28, 2009
Listen / Download Now:
- Segment #1: Web 2.0, Simple Ways to Maximize Your Online Content Exposure
- Segment #2: Steve Urquhart Interview, Article: 3/4 of World’s Messages Sent by Mobile
- Segment #3: Mike Deardoff Interview,
- Segment #4: Power Points with Steve Urquhart
Steve Urquhart, Vice President of Workforce Performance at Workforce Florida, Inc.
Mike Deardoff, Vice President of Deardoff Automotive Group
Notes and Links:
14 Ways To Maximize Your Online Content Exposure
Getting on the first page of Google.
The first page of Google is now the holy grail of marketing achievement. It has also become the
most competitive battleground for Internet marketers and website optimizers all jockeying for
position in a wide variety of different methods. Some methods work. Some do not. And some like
cloaking are considered improper and get your website permanently shut down. What the search
engine providers ultimately want is for you to get the most relevant results, not the site that has
been optimized with tricks and methodology designed to fool the search engine. The algorithms
for detecting the good results from the bad results are continually improving. They are also
effective at helping the search engine providers’ ban misleading marketers from our search
results and closing down websites that use “Black Hat” Optimization.
Google and other search engine companies now employ a team of expert web detectives to flush
out and defeat the Black Hat optimizers. If you are unfamiliar with that term you may have already
paid a Black Hat optimizer thousands of dollars to optimize your website and had little or short lived results. With many companies frustrated with wasted budgets and poor results from
optimization, we are seeing a trend to the natural and pure side of Internet marketing. We refer to
this as organic or natural optimization. Optimized Online Media is one method, which uses only
white hat or organic optimization and is quickly emerging as the most efficient method to
dominate the highest positions on the search engines without having to pay a monthly fee per
term as you would with pay per click.
Use Online Media instead of optimizing your website to drive traffic.
Did you know that there are over 200 million websites on the Internet? No matter how much you
spend on optimizing your website the chance of boosting your page rank even into the top 100,000 sites is slim to none. However, using a site to promote your business that is already ranked in the top 20,000, makes a lot of sense and dramatically increases your chance of landing on the firstpage of search results. But, it takes even more than that to guarantee results.
Optimized Online Media leverages syndicated online media and SEO methodology to improve
search engine results over a broad spectrum of search phrases. The goal is to increase company
revenues by driving highly qualified traffic to their websites with as many optimized search
phases as possible, not just a few. Since it does produce the most relevant text results and this
is what the web crawlers are looking for, it should never be defeated by the search engine
providers. Optimized Media is proving to be a big advantage to companies seeking more visibility
on a wide spectrum of searches and better and longer lasting results from their media or
SEO/SEM campaign.
Write Internet articles that get published and attract readers.
There are several important rules for success to follow for publishing on the Internet. You need
crisp and concise content, but also a method of distribution that will reach millions of readers and
get your article to the top of the search engines.
First of all, you want to make articles short, establish your knowledge and give useful advice. Writing 5 bullets or 4 paragraphs are just enough to generate interest and get click through. Too much information and extremely long articles will cause readers to click out. An easy way to jump start writers block is to start by writing 5 bullet points, then expand to one paragraph on each point. Another method is to use Q&A. Write 4 questions you would want to be asked in a newspaper interview, then answer them. Use “Frequently Asked Questions.” What are the most frequent questions people ask you when making a buying decision. Ask and answer them in your article. These are the same questions people will type into Google when looking for your product of service.
Anything you have previously published off-line under non-exclusive agreement also works. Content from books, articles, or interview transcripts can be published on the Internet to reach a new and larger audience. However, you do not want to republish exact content that previously appeared in other Internet locations. Google can detect duplicated content and it will adversely affect your search results.
Write PFB (Problem Feature Benefit) articles. Begin with the problem clients are having and then explain how your features or service solve the problem and end with the benefits. Write anecdotal articles. Write about a real customer experience using the PFB formula. Exclude names unless
you get written permission.
Look for ideas in obvious places. Look on your on your website and brochures sales
presentation. Search for articles on Google for your key words. Ask other staff members and
have a brainstorming meeting. Ask your clients what they want to learn more about. Ask your
clients what is their buying criterion. These last two can be done in a survey to your database and
will give you great information to use in all of your marketing vehicles.
Where you publish articles will make a huge difference.
Your articles’ ranking in search results on Google, Yahoo, MSN and the others will make the
difference between hundreds of readers or millions. The value or page rank of the site that hosts
your article will influence if you land on the first page or fifth page in a search. Many authors write
great content and then publish on low ranking Ezines, blogs and free PR services. This may be
gratifying to see your content online, but to most potential readers it will be lost in the back pages
of the search engines.
There are syndicated news networks like UPI and Reuters and other Internet specific news portals that have massive distribution to millions of readers and pull a very high page ranking on the search engines. This is where you want to get published. Most of these sites only accept content from accredited or approved contributing editors. Working with an approved media agency can facilitate publication on these sites. The best advice I can give writers is – if you are going to take the time to write articles, also take the time to get it read by millions of readers.
A guide to best practices for your online media campaign.
Many of the following ideas have come to us from our clients. In addition to gaining dominance on
the search results on the first pages of Google, there are many different ways companies can
proactively leverage Online Media to support sales marketing and other activities. Implement these tactics to get the best results from your online media campaign.
1. Increase your reach – How many potential clients are aware that you exist? This is the
most fundamental aspect of all marketing. How many of these searchers are visiting your
website. How many Google first pages are you listed? Your first goal is to get on the first page for a wide variety of search phrases in your industry so consumers in hunt mode
can find you.
2. Get more traffic – Link your articles to your website(s) to make it easy for interested readers to click through.
3. Build a client database – Once clients get to your website, collect their email addresses and interests. Add these to your database for permissive personalized marketing.
4. Retain clients longer – Use your articles to position to your company as a market leader.
Set the market’s buying criterion and provide clients information on how to use your
product or service. Become the market leader, provide valuable information and you will build client preference and improve retention.
5. Improve response from email campaigns – Send out links to published articles in promotional email campaigns.
6. Use as a sales closing tool – Send links to published articles to clients in advance or
during presentations. This will assert your position as a leader, convey your value
proposition and improve credibility, which can help close sales. Before the Internet,
companies used to mail news clippings to clients to “make hay” from their publicity. Now
you can accomplish the same result with the speed of email and show market dominance
by demonstrating high Google ranking for phrases commonly used in your industry. In
addition to the ranking each article provides information that buyers are seeking to guide
purchase decisions.
7. Credibility building – Companies that provide the most information and best information
always lead in mind share. This is an important aspect of becoming the top company in
any market. The same information that may appear to be self serving posted on your
website takes on more credibility when published as a news article. Company officers,
employees, sales staff, everyone in the company can proactively direct clients to news
articles with links or by typing a phrase into Google to demonstrate a company’s
dominant position in the market.
8. Information reference material – Instructional information can be published in articles to
save the time of explaining procedures or processes. Using editorial for this purpose also
positions the author as an expert in her or his field.
9. Become the best source of information in your industry – Control the flow of
information and you control the buying criterion. Chet Holmes International has been
using this methodology with its “core story” concept to help clients gain superior access
to high-level decision makers and build market dominance for companies in a myriad of
industries.
10. Better than newsletters – Enhance the personalization on your monthly contact with
clients by providing article links to subjects of individual interest to your clients rather than
a newsletter about your company that is generic and uninteresting to most readers.
Generic newsletters also cause opt outs of database clients. Personalized marketing by
providing articles based on the clients subjects of interest increases retention and gives
the client the feeling they are being treated as an individual, not being spammed.
11. Improve your website page rank – Articles published online with activated links create
inbound links to your website. Most search engine algorithms count inbound links as one
method of establishing the page rank of your website.
12. Improve customer service – Publish helpful “how to” or “how to avoid mistakes” articles
that customer service reps can direct a client to with common problems. This can save
hours of time and expense for companies in phone help time and improve you customer
relationships.
13. Collateral material – How many brochures are given out each year and how many
people actually read them? Put your company’s most valuable promotional information
online in interesting and credible editorial format. Benefits are increased reach and increased
readership –linked to your website for increased commerce and retention.
14. In advertising – Traditional advertising is in decline at a rate never seen in history. Even
powerhouse publications like the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times have
made drastic cutbacks and layoffs due to reduction in ad revenue. In fact, 92% of consumers
today are turning to search engines for their purchases and information. Online PR and
getting to the top of a search page can even improve your traditional ads response by
giving a memorable phrase that can be typed into Google as a call to action/ response
vehicle. Chet Holmes says, “just go to Google and type in “double sales”. This makes
your ad more memorable, establishes market position and gives clients a memorable
phrase to relate you to the next time they are on their computer. This is much easier to
remember than your phone number or most URL names of websites used in traditional
ads as a response vehicle.
Chet Holmes International creates and runs Optimized Online Media campaigns that are guaranteed to get you on the first page of Google for a wide variety of search results. The campaign designs are personalized and optimized with keyword research for each company to attract their ideal clients. They are published only on top ranked syndicated news portals guaranteeing first page ranking. We also perform website makeovers to maximize conversion rate of traffic from all sources. Please call for an appointment to get your optimized campaign design today.
Contact:
Scott Setterlund
CHI SEO/SEM Representative
scotts@chetholmes.com
www.chetholmes.com
208.608.2919 mobile
208.629-2226 direct
The 10 Natural Marketing Advantages of Small Business
John Jantsch | December 29th, 2008 – 05:18 AM
(43) found this useful. Do you?
As companies large and small wrestle with the realities of a challenging economy, I think it’s the perfect time to be a small business.
Small businesses possess certain natural advantages in economic downturns that make them much more flexible and able to survive and thrive in slow markets. In addition, I think 2009 will be the year of the small business. The market is hungry to connect with companies and products that are more personal and real.
In recognition of this coming trend I’ve listed what I believe are natural competitive advantages that will give small businesses the opportunity to thrive in the coming year.
1. Focus – In order to survive, most small businesses must adopt a narrow market focus. In doing so, they can develop a premium reputation for serving that narrow market.
2. Reach – Small business owners are so close to their markets they can experience what their market experiences. They can deliver CEO-level experience to any size client who can connect with a client better a 25-year veteran and author of two books on the industry or two 20-something whiz kids from McKenzie?
3. Nurture – Small businesses can grow with customer needs. Often, they can create products and services that address highly personalized requests at a moments notice.
4. Surprise – The best small businesses understand the value of surprising their clients from time to time. A simple interrupt in the system can become a system for a small business.
5. Transform – Small businesses can obtain new data from a market, or even a client or two, and dramatically change their business model to align with a new opportunity.
6. Partner – Smart small businesses create networks of strategic partners and address the needs of their clients with the best and brightest every time.
7. Automate – The proper use of technology allows small businesses to put up big shop follow-up, service and prospecting without the overhead. Plus, they can outsource the boring work.
8. Educate – Lacking big ad budget, small businesses must educate their prospects before they can make any ground selling them. This trust building process makes selling unnecessary and delivers the ideal client relationships.
9. Meaning – Small business is personal. Markets are hungry for businesses that allow them to connect to something beyond the products and services. Small businesses can deliver a story that has meaning.
10. Play – Why does someone start a business anyway – To get more life, to develop a passion, to get free? It doesn’t really matter that freedom comes with an 80 hour work week. Passion and purpose are sexy and contagious.
Think Big, Act Small!
