You've probably seen plenty of business sites with blogs, but maybe you've been hesitant to get one going yourself. After all, it takes time and effort to make sure that you're putting out content for your audience - wouldn't it be a better idea to focus your efforts on techniques that will actually help get customers to your doorstep?
Peg McDermott
So you went out and bought the most expensive web design that money could buy, but did you really get your money's worth? Just because you've paid for something to be extra-fancy doesn't mean that it's useful for your visitors, or that it's doing you any favors in terms of SEO. Here are some of the traps people frequently fall into when they assume that more expensive sites are automatically better.
We saw a hint of the future last year when Facebook introduced the Timeline format for personal accounts. Some loved it, some complained, but eventually everyone was moved over to the new design.
Just as search engines update their algorithms from time to time, SEO as a marketing tool is constantly evolving. Practices that were both effective and encouraged five years ago are likely not the same ones you'd want to use on a website today.
If you're one of the literally millions of people who is using LinkedIn only as a personal résumé and business-related social network, you're missing out on the numerous ways that this powerful site can help your marketing strategy. Here's a list of tricks you can use to turn your LinkedIn account into a marketing workhorse:
One of the great things about YouTube is that the site can be used for so many purposes - entertainment, education, promotion, or a combination of the three. The sheer amount of visibility that your company can get by just having a few well-constructed promotional videos is staggering, and it's something you shouldn't ignore if you want to get the absolute most out of your marketing strategy.
If you were ever in any doubt about the effectiveness of social media and online marketing, looking at the successes of other businesses can really help turn you into a believer. Seeing what these companies have done with their campaigns may inspire you to do some forward thinking of your own!
Facebook keeps expanding the ways in which page admins can customize their business pages, but a lot of what you can do is limited by how much you understand about the developer side of Facebook. However, you don't need to be a programmer to make a great looking custom tab if you use one of the free apps out there that can help you turn your creative ideas into actual pages for your Facebook presence. One of the most popular free apps is the iFrame App by Wildfire, and it really couldn't be easier to use.
Getting traffic to your website is the first key to getting people to buy your product or service. If you've been having trouble getting those numbers heading in the right direction, it may be time to switch things up a little and try some different tactics.
As we head into February, hopefully you're starting to see how the changes you've made to your marketing strategy for this year are manifesting. However, trends are hardly static, and as soon as you start implementing one set of tactics, new developments emerge that can help you decide how to fine-tune your efforts.
Social media marketing is obviously a huge deal in the context of building a name for yourself online, and converting that name into followers, and then into leads. But in a sea of countless social networks, among which Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ are the current frontrunners, how can you know exactly where your efforts would be best spent?
There's a lot of talk about growing a strong social media presence for your business, but in the end there's no point if you can't convert your reading audience into a buying one. To make 2012 your biggest year ever, here are seven tips for turning followers into customers.