Hitting the Wall...

What do you do when you hit the wall?  Every company, no matter the size, at some point is going to face an overwhelming challenge or “Hit the Wall”.  How that challenge is met is critical to the survival of the company.  Should the business leader become discouraged or defeated, then the business venture will most assuredly fail.  The ability to step back, access the problem(s) and stay focused on finding workable solutions is key to survival.

Recently, along with our affiliate partner NEX21 Partners, we gave ourselves a challenge to create and launch a new program called BestDealerJobs.com, and to do so in under 11 weeks.  We have previously taken on some pretty lofty goals in the past, but this was a new arena to most of us!

We hit many, many walls during the process: Building a webpage – not a problem, we do that. Match candidates with employers, again, not a problem. Our top notch HR team has done that for multiple companies for over 10 years. Build a webpage to both collect candidates and match them to the best suited employers. Now that was new to all of us. Oh, and we needed to complete this and market it across the country - all in 11 weeks!

Repeatedly, we hit the wall, but we worked together as a team to knock them down or push each other up and over them. In the end, we accomplished our goal!! BestDealerJobs.com  has been launched.  We are still tweaking and perfecting it, but the answer to the question for all of us at NEX21 Media & Partners as to ‘What we do when we “Hit the Wall”?’  We pull together and overcome!

Social Media Place is a division of NEX21 Media, LLC. NEX21 Media is a proud member of the Birmingham Business Alliance, Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce, Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, and The Better Business Bureau.

Building on Expertise

“What do you do?” It is a question we have all been asked and often.

Over the years I have held many job titles, and at times, struggled with the answer to this question.

You see our company is a little bit different in “what we do”. There are many companies that provide the services that we offer at NEX21 Media.  But what we do differently is we offer our services to suit and fit the needs you require to grow your business.  Rather than running all over town meeting with your website designer, social media coordinator, graphic designer, printer and a marketing team; all of these services can be obtained at one place. 

That is “what we do” at NEX21 Media, all under one roof.

Often times businesses feel they cannot afford or do not need marketing support. While the reality is, "how can any business NOT AFFORD specialized marketing expertise?"

Businesses of all sizes should consider a marketing plan the blueprint or road map to success.  (Please see our previous blog “The Five Broad Strokes of Marketing” for more information on marketing strategies.) Can your business really succeed without a marketing plan? Let us help you devise the best strategy to grow your business.

NEX21 Media pools multiple resources together under one roof, and we are here to assist you with making your business successful and grow. We handle many of the necessary tasks, freeing you to focus on what your business does best!

Let NEX21 Media develop a marketing strategy that’s right for you.

With “My Brand In A Box” you can build the services that are right for you.

Contact us at Marketing@NEX21.com

Social Media Place, is a division of NEX21 Media. who are proud members of the Birmingham Business Alliance, Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce, Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, and The Better Business Bureau.

Is LinkedIn the “Angie’s List” of Business Professionals?

Image courtesy of Google Images

“Generating new business opportunities through LinkedIn” is a discussion topic I recently discovered.  It was a discussion started by Beth Baxter, Co-Founder of Camper Café; I’ll share a few of her tips here below.

The topic really got me to thinking about how LinkedIn has evolved in a relatively short time. LinkedIn originally launched in May of 2003 and was specifically designed for professional networking. As of January of 2013 they report to have 200 million acquired users.

If you are like me, your first perception was LinkedIn was a site to aid in job searches. Employers are able to list their available positions and search through its users for qualified candidates. Conversely, job seekers can upload their resumes and review the posted opportunities that employers are seeking to fill. However, with the launch of Company pages, many businesses (especially small business) are finding they are able to build their company credibility and reputation with their LinkedIn recommendations.  Over 50% of users polled, state they are more likely to do business with a company they follow. That makes LinkedIn a very valuable marketing tool.

As previously mentioned, here are some of the suggested tips to making LinkedIn Company pages work for you and your company:

1) Keywords, Keywords, Keywords!  (You may remember this same topic from one of our previous blogs, “Are you a Successful Blogger?” posted October 25, 2012).  Your profile should be easily searchable, just as with your website. You want people to find you!

2)  Build good quality connections.  Get to know your individual contacts and engage with them regularly.

3) Give referrals.  The more you generously give, the more you will receive in return!

4) Join groups and follow industry leaders.  Consider participating in discussions and add useful content. Other users following or participating in the same groups will take notice.

LinkedIn is a leading method to improve and enhance Google searches for your company name. People will see and be directed to links for your LinkedIn profile when performing research on you, your product, service, or company. Therefore, it only makes sense that a LinkedIn Company page be a part of your digital marketing plan.

Brand Creation, Website Design, Social Media Marketing, Print Media, and Internet Marketing. Let us assist you with your Marketing needs. Email us at marketing@NEX21.com

Social Media Place is a division of NEX21 Media, LLC. NEX21 Media is a proud member of the Birmingham Business Alliance, Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce, Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, and The Better Business Bureau.

6 Helpful Tips to Maximize your Facebook and Twitter Business Pages

If like many other businesses, you are continually looking for ways to increase your social media presence, you are not alone. The following suggestions are quick, relatively easy to implement, and have been successful in helping grow our business. We wanted to share them with you.

1. Have an Eye-Catching Photo
Facebook is designed so that whenever you add a new friend or “like” a new business, for example, you see the profile photo for that person or business page. It will appear in News Feeds, as well as, beside any Comment users may leave. Your photo is your first impression and can be overlooked or actually draw users to your page.  
So be sure your photo stands out.

2. Update, Update, Update
I cannot stress this enough. Please do not let your page become stale. People will notice if you regularly update your page with new and pertinent information, and if you do not, they will likely not return. Updating your page at least twice a day can be a good start. If you don’t have the time to do it yourself, assign someone who is capable of doing so, and have it maintained it daily.

3. Videos & Photos are a MUST
Most people enjoy looking at photos or videos, and there is a good chance that if it’s something they like, they will ‘share’ it with others. So try to include either or both in your posts and draw users to your page.

4. Content Strategy
It is important to provide useful and engaging content, and have a content strategy. Share good articles. Also remember to occasionally thank your customers for their support, and make sure you have liked their page(s), as well.

5. Use HASHTAGS
Twitter can be very effective. Using the # symbol to categorize messages makes it easier for other Twitter users to search for specific or related tweets. The easier you are to find, the more traffic your pages will receive.

6. Follower Support
Getting followers can be a challenge, and it takes time to gain a number of them, so be patient. Be sure to follow those who are following you. Make sure you are not following spammers or low-quality accounts. Send out messages on Facebook asking people to follow you on Twitter. REMEMBER, Twitter followers hang out on Facebook, too!

Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226036#ixzz2OkJbnlTO

We are proud members of the Birmingham Business Alliance, Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce, Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, and The Better Business Bureau.


Social Media Place is a division of NEX21 Media, LLC. NEX21 Media is a proud member of the Birmingham Business Alliance, Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce, Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, and The Better Business Bureau.

My Brand in a Box TM

 Do you know your company’s Marketing Strategy?  How familiar are you with it? Have you reviewed it lately?  Do the pieces of your marketing campaign seem incoherent or spread to wide? If you are unsure of the answers to these questions, this article is for you.

First, let’s assess your current marketing position. Is your marketing task list is continuing to grow and, regardless of the new methods and efforts tried, are you unable to trace any success to your bottom line?

Are you aware of how much you have spent on marketing during the last six months?  Currently, do you measure or qualify any of your marketing efforts? How do you gauge if they are working and successful?
If you are unable to successfully answer these questions, now is the time to begin and implement a consistent marketing plan.

For example, if your website has not been undated in six months, it most likely could benefit from a tune up. It should be updated to ensure search engine optimization (SEO) and Adwords are working to the best of their ability and maximizing your company’s marketing efforts. Does your content skillfully tell your story and attract the potential customers you desire?

Courtesy of Google Images

Another question to ask, does your company have a logo?  Many small business owners feel they do not need a logo, and it is possible to build a profitable business without one.  However, an artfully depicted logo can help build awareness of what your business is all about and make it easily identifiable. Think about it, do you not instantly recognize those brown package delivery trucks or that red and white canned soda without having to read the name? A distinct logo sets apart your brand and creates brand recognition.

Today, you are constantly bombarded with various forms of Social Media, including advertising outlets from television, radio and print. But you may ask, “Why do I need a Facebook page or Twitter account?  I really don’t have time for that.”

This is a discussion we have held in our own company, on several occasions, regarding the varied areas of our work. Recently, a post was published that clarified the reasons of why even “Joe the Plumber” could benefit from a Facebook page. In the NY Times, David Freedman posed this question, “Why Would a Plumber Need Social Media?”  The responses were varied and some quite interesting, with as many saying no as yes.

Some things, however, are proven. Social Media can provide customers a way to share online “word-of-mouth” referrals, allow companies to offer coupons to attract both return and first- time customers, or supply basic website maintenance tips to businesses.

These are all areas in which we can help and advise you, and here are a few examples of the business solutions we offer:

Brand Creation, Website Design, Social Media Marketing, Print Media, and Internet Marketing - All of it!  You can pick and choose the services you and your company need and build your own individual Box.

Let us at NEX21 Media assist you with your Marketing needs.  Email us at marketing@NEX21.com

Social Media Place is a division of NEX21 Media, LLC. NEX21 Media is a proud member of the Birmingham Business Alliance, Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce, Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, and The Better Business Bureau.

Social Media Design Blueprint - YES!

Source: tentsocial.com via Mile on Pinterest

What Does It Take To Be Successful?

Picture courtesy of Yahoo Images

Personally, I am a HUGE football fan!  I honestly cannot remember a time when I was not.  I am a product of a “mixed collegiate” marriage as my father was an Alabama fan and my mother is an Auburn fan.  Over the years I have learned several things from faithfully watching football, as well as, having a son who played over 6 six years of middle and high school football.

A few traits, in particular that I have seen echoed in both business and football, are strong discipline and work ethic.  Should you ever listen to a successful coach talk about his team, he will usually comment on his team’s strong work ethic, discipline to train, endurance to practice the long hours it takes to succeed, and all while attending to and maintaining their academic requirements.

Business owners are required to be disciplined, as well.  Successful owners will develop strategies and stay the course, focusing on their core markets and carefully monitoring and measuring their success. This discipline and measure enables them to overcome obstacles such as under capitalization, which is often a result of poor planning, poor location or poor management skills.  While these problems can be difficult to resolve, they are not insurmountable. An owner’s willingness to ask for help when needed and the drive to stick with the plan, when the odds are against you, is what it takes to succeed. Winning, whether it is at football or in business, requires dedication, endurance and discipline. It is generally not easy and is fraught with competition and obstacles to be overcome, but the victory is well worth it!

Vince Lombardi once said “It's easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you're a winner, when you're number one. What you got to have is faith and discipline when you're not a winner.”

Businesses are similar; they need to have faith and be disciplined during the entire year, not just for the ‘big game’. They should strive to make the business, as well as, its employees skilled and able to execute at all times. When you strengthen the ‘players’ and hone their discipline, you strengthen the ‘team’ (the business) and establish a ‘playing field’ for the individuals and the business to WIN!

At NEX21 Media we strive to be CHAMPIONS for each of our clients. When we help them to achieve success, we are successful! Let us join you in forming a ‘winning team’!

Customize your Marketing Strategy with My Brand in a Box! Let us assist you with your Marketing needs. Email us at marketing@NEX21.com

Social Media Place is a division of NEX21 Media, LLC. NEX21 Media is a proud member of the Birmingham Business Alliance, Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce, Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, and The Better Business Bureau.

How Does Google+ Affect Search Results?

+1 helps people discover relevant content—a website, a Google search result, or an ad—from the people they already know and trust. The +1 button appears on Google search, on websites, and on ads. For example, you might see a +1 button for a Google search result, Google ad, or next to an article you're reading on your favorite news site.

Adding the +1 button to pages on your own site lets users recommend your content, knowing that their friends and contacts will see their recommendation when it’s most relevant—in the context of Google search results. In addition, a user's +1's appear on the +1 tab of their Google Profile. While +1’s are always public, users can choose to make the +1 tab visible or invisible on their profile.
When a signed-in Google user is searching, your Google search result snippet may be annotated with the names of the user's connections who've +1'd your page. If none of a user's connections has +1'd your page, your snippet may display the aggregate number of +1's your page has received.

See more here....

How Google Works

The First Two Marketing Tools Every Business Needs

No matter whether you are a one man shop or a startup with major financial backing hiring a hundred employees, the first two marketing items your business needs are a website and business cards.

Why a website?  In this uber digital age, every business has to depend on their website to tell their story.  Even back just less than 10 years ago, if you needed a plumber, you would pull out your phone book and “let your fingers do the walking”.  When you found the listing for the local plumber, you gave him a call.  But in today’s world, most of us “have an app for that”.  So, in today’s digital age, you also have to be sure you’re using the correct content to drive your site to the top of the search engines.

Also at the top of your needs list, business cards are the most inexpensive and highly used face of your business.  They give everyone you meet a quick snap shot of your company.  With a catchy logo and unique design, you can make a lasting impression that will drive business your way.  So, if you’re just starting out or trying to decide where best to put your marketing dollars, make sure you have done these two things well.

For help with a website or the right business cards for you, or to answer any questions you may have, don’t hesitate to contact us!!

Email us at Marketing@NEX21.com

Social Media Place is a division of NEX21 Media, LLC. NEX21 Media is a proud member of the Birmingham Business Alliance, Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce, Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, and The Better Business Bureau.

Trade Show Blues

Are you tired of working trade shows and not receiving any benefits? Have you found yourself hoping and wondering if and when the next person will stop by your booth? Trust me. We all have experienced it in one way or another. Most of us feel attending a trade show can be exhausting, especially if it’s a long one.  After being on both sides as an exhibitor and attendee, I thought sharing a few tips below may make your next trade show into a HIT.

1. Have a good giveaway, one that stands out and is useful in the time period we’re living in.

2. If it’s an all day show, make a schedule for another co-worker to join you, BUT REMEMBER to bring someone energetic with a friendly personality. You don’t want to scare the people away.

3. Bring good brochures & literature, but not too large & oversized; remember people are receiving things at every booth and you don’t want to make it any more difficult to carry with your items, which may end up in the trash.

4.  Supply candy or treats as an attention grabber to get them to stop by your booth.

5. Arrive early to get a chance to walk around and meet all the other exhibitors and possibly get their business cards.

6. Make sure when signing up for a booth try to get one closest toward the front. Being in the back can cause the prospect to miss your booth, become distracted by all the other viewers, or become too tired and give up by the time he gets to you.

7. If you’ve found a good prospect at your booth, get their information and follow-up with them later. Remember you may just have another good prospect waiting and you don’t want to miss them by sharing your entire business model with the other person. You have to be polite but expedient with your encounters.

Social Media Place is a division of NEX21 Media, LLC. NEX21 Media is a proud member of the Birmingham Business Alliance, Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce, Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, and The Better Business Bureau.

Liberty Park Pumpkin Patch a Huge Success!

The Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce Liberty Park Business District hosted The Annual Liberty Park Pumpkin Patch near the Shops of Prominence in Vestavia Hills, AL.  With the help of the community, businesses, and volunteers, double the funds were raised for The American Red Cross this year.

The purpose of the event is to help the area businesses increase traffic and customer awareness for the shops in the Liberty Park area, by providing fun, food, and entertainment for the entire family.








 We look forward to continuing this annual event and making it better and better each year. 
Furthermore, we were able to bring our community together for a fun, windy fall day!
Again, we thank everyone for their support!

Social Media Place is a division of NEX21 Media, LLC. NEX21 Media is a proud member of the Birmingham Business Alliance, Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce, Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, and The Better Business Bureau.

What Can Google Analytics do for You?

Do you really know who is checking out your web-site?  Do you need a Blog???  How do you know?   Then the first place to start is Google Analytics (GA), it is the most widely used website statistics service.  The basic service is free of charge but there is a fee for the premium version.  It tracks visitors from all referrers, including search engines, display advertising, pay-per-click networks, e-mail marketing and digital collateral such as links within PDF documents.
GA's approach is to show high-level, dashboard-type data for the casual user and more in-depth data further into the report set.  GA analysis can identify poorly performing page with techniques such as funnel visualization, where visitors came from (referrers), how long they stayed and their geographical position. It also provides more advanced features, including custom visitor segmentation.

Integrated with AdWords, users can now review online campaigns by tracking landing page quality and conversions (goals).  Goals might include sales, lead generation, viewing a specific page, or downloading a particular file.  (source Wikipedia)

Here are 4 tips to remember when getting started:  (source toprankblog.com by eprokop 1) 

1. Filter Irrelevant Traffic:
Throw out the ad and keep the good…Some good filters to start with are:
* Traffic from your company’s internal IP addresses.
* Remote employee IP addresses.
* External consultants or venders, such as outsourced web development or marketing teams.
* Your home IP address if you plan on checking your website from home.

2.Set Up Goal Tracking:
This is very important part of planning your website, whether your website’s goals are to sell products, answer customer service inquiries, capture leads, or get visitors to view certain pages, the goals for your website should reflect your overall business goals.  Measuring your site’s performance in regards to goal completions is the most important application of web analytics, so it’s essential that you setup goals as early as possible.
* Sales
* Feed subscriptions
* Call back requests
* Lead captures

3.  Set Up Custom Alerts
Custom alerts allow you to rest easy between analytics sessions by alerting you to significant changes in important site metrics.  Some good custom alerts to start with are:
* Big fluctuations in traffic (both positive and negative).
* High bounce rate.
* Changes in Adwords spend (for linked accounts).

4.  Create Custom Dashboards:
Custom dashboards are great time savers because they put your most important analytics data front and center. Although you may to take some to get used to using analytics before putting together your first set of custom dashboards that way you will have a better idea of which combinations of metrics will be most useful to have at a glance.
You can create up to 20 custom dashboards per profile, so don’t limit yourself. You will find that certain combinations of data naturally make sense to be reviewed together.  Some examples are:
* Traffic: total, sources (organic, paid, referral), and top keywords.
* Goal tracking: sales, subscriptions, downloads, comments, etc.
* Visitor behavior: page views, bounce rate, new vs. returning, and time on site.

For help with setting up your Google Analytics or just to answer questions you may have don’t hesitate to contact us!!

Contact us at marketing@NEX21.com, or NEX21 Media.


Social Media Place is a division of NEX21 Media, LLC. NEX21 Media is a proud member of the Birmingham Business Alliance, Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce, Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, and The Better Business Bureau.

Keywords, Keywords, Keywords…Are you A Successful Blogger?

 Recently I was given this assignment to write blogs and at first I thought, “how am I going to do that?”  I’m not a writer.  I don’t know the first thing about blogs.  So, then I did what I always do when given an assignment; I turned to the internet and did some research.  I discovered that evidently I am not the only person facing this dilemma; there are literally hundreds of sites with advice on how to write your blog.  I was given the advice to write about my own experiences and I thought, “now who would want to read that?” 

Many sites I have read recommend keeping your blog short (fewer than 250 words) and to make it amusing to keep your audience engaged.  Evidently, we have all developed ADD.  You would think one was writing a script for a movie in reading some of this advice. It’s overwhelming!!  But, it seems like if you just try to clear your head and write what you know (in our case a few things about Marketing) or what you’re passionate about (e.g., your dog, your model train collection, or your kids), then before you know it you’re a successful blogger.

We are always here to help you with any Marketing needs you may have for your business or non-profit.

Email us at Marketing@NEX21.com

Social Media Place is a division of NEX21 Media, LLC. NEX21 Media is a proud member of the Birmingham Business Alliance, Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce, Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, and The Better Business Bureau.

Search Engine Optimization(SEO) for the "Do-It-Yourselfers"

1. Add Google Analytics to each page

Be careful, you can really get overwhelmed with all of the website tracking variables in the application. Just for basic use though, it is pretty simple to understand. The program will show you number of website visits, website pages visited, how long a viewer stayed on a particular web page, and many other things, such as keyword usage, Search Engine sources used, etc.

2. Reduce Code Jibberish

Google stays on the prowl for relevant and unique website content. JavaScript and CSS in the HTML code make it harder for them to find it. All scripts and CSS files should be added as external files to reduce the time it takes for search engine spiders to find the actual content as well as reducing the code-to-content ratio. Remember that excessive code not only slows the page’s loading time, but it also increases the possibility of coding errors that, whilst they may have no direct impact on the site’s SEO, may still cause difficulty for the search engine spiders. This is more for you to insure your developer understands or if you are tackling building a site yourself.

3. Add a blog

Adding a blog to any site gives your clients the opportunity to add fresh content easily and regularly. Search engines love fresh content and if you encourage your client to update the blog on at least a weekly basis, or hopefully even more regularly, you will be giving them a distinct SEO advantage. You can explain to your client that blogs naturally attract search engine traffic and they can take advantage of this by not only adding content as often as possible, but to allow visitors to ask questions or leave comments.

The interactivity of the blog also adds value to the site and can also increase the likelihood of potential customers social bookmarking it and sharing it their social networks, but remember to look out for spam comments and to remove anything that looks like duplicate content.
Blogs also increase the size of the website over time and this can provide a major SEO benefit in the form of an increase in website authority and a higher number of pages to leverage with internal links.

4. Make each page unique

Google ranks the relevance of each website according to the content it contains, and is always seeking relevant content not contained anywhere else on the Internet. This means that the content of every page needs to be completely different not just from any other site on the Web, but also any other page on the same site. This raises the issue of duplicate content, the dread of all site owners.

Put simply, if you publish any content that appears somewhere else on the Internet, you run the risk of being ignored by search engines because the algorithm will be looking for content that sets your site apart.

Unique content removes any such impediments from your site and your design standards will support your clients’ SEO. It is also worthwhile pointing out that wherever you include snippets of information contained on other pages within the site to tempt the visitor to follow the link, you run the risk of being penalized for duplicate content. So be careful of the wording used in the snippets so that it provides a summary without repeating any of the words actually used.

5. Use meta description tags

META Description tags are what appear in the search engine results pages – they give the web surfer an overview of what the site is about. Put your marketer’s hat on and write a description that convinces visitors to click on the result. This is your site’s first opportunity to attract visitors, so it’s vital that you give your client the best chance of standing out from the other results.
Remember, Google also uses meta description tags to differentiate web pages (although not as much as title tags) so you also need to be careful to describe each page differently to avoid any duplicate content issues. Including free offers, guarantees and a phone number can improve the click through rate on your clients’ SEO ranking.
Make sure to limit the description tags to 160 characters in length, including spaces.

6. Remove repetitive wording from the website layout

It’s worth repeating again that unique content is vital to the success of any site’s SEO. When designing a website layout for a client it is tempting to include information such as copyright text, contact details and maybe even company mottos on every page of the site. If there is not enough unique content on every page then you run the risk of your client’s site being penalised for duplicate content. That’s why it’s important to remove such repetitive wording from the website layout so that the true informational content of the site is not diluted in any way.

7. Add footer links to every page

Linking between web pages using plain text links, with the target SEO keywords in the anchor text, can provide a significant boost to your clients’ SEO rankings. The problem is that most good website designs use graphical, JavaScript or Flash navigation that don’t use anchor text. If this is the case, you can use footer links to link between your pages, with the keywords you want to rank for within the anchor text of the links.

8. Create a separate web page for each keyword or keyword phrase

The best way for a website to rank for a particular keyword phrase is to create a web page targeted to that phrase with the keywords in the TITLE tag, META description tags, body copy and URL. This means that it is critically important to create a separate web page for each product or service that the client sells, as well as category pages if they are needed. A dedicated page for each product or service will also ensure a good user experience as they will land directly on this page from the search engine results, making it much easier for them to buy online or submit a form for more information.

9. Use keyword rich title tags on each page

TITLE tags appear in the title bar of the browser and are one of the factors used by search engines to determine the content of your page. Rather than including the company name in the TITLE tag, use the keywords that your client wants to rank for. This will give your client a solid advantage for ranking in the search engines. Make sure to limit the TITLE tags to 60 characters in length, including spaces, so that the full text of the title tags appears in the search engine rankings and doesn’t get cut-off by Google.

By integrating all of the above suggestions into each of your website design projects, you will give your clients the best possible chance of generating sales and profits from search engine rankings.

Quantifiable Lift With Social Media Over Traditional Marketing

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=126821

Questions for Social Media Experts.....

             

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What can’t be done with social media?

This may be one of my favorite articles to date on social media from Website Magazine.

Social media enables marketers to increase awareness, educate an audience, and eventually develop trust with fans and followers

The ultimate aim of participating for both brick and mortar and virtual (Web only) businesses, however, should be sales and conversions For success in that regard, the importance of having firm social media processes in place is vital.

The approach to social media participation differs for every company and every individual. Message tone and style are often best left to brand strategists, but it is the execution that obviously matters most. Different processes often lead to inconsistency – breeding distrust and perhaps even disloyalty – which is particularly harmful for brands both personal and professional.

To ensure your social media participation does not lead to a similar fate, consider implementing a social media posting schedule which covers how each day (or day of the week) should be used as it relates to sharing content and collaborating with those that support the brand. Let’s call it a social media posting time frame. Heavy social media users can look at the time frame as one day, whereas the time frame for medium or light users of social media may be a week or even a month.

To that end, below you will find a social media posting schedule which could be employed by your social media team. While the volume, tone and style of posting will differ considerably between organizations, following along with these general tactical approaches will yield opportunities to influence the conversation and drive revenue through social media participation.

Greeting and Salutations:

 

Most likely, you would not walk into a room and start demanding attention from everyone, and you should not do that within social media channels, either. Greeting an audience signifies your arrival, your presence and, more importantly, your availability. Conditioning social media workers – those posting and actually participating – to be sensitive to their roles in the existing conversations will go a long way toward establishing respect and credibility in the minds of consumers.

Start Listening:

 

Once you’ve made the availability of the brand presence known, it is time to start listening to the conversations occurring within social media channels. What feedback have you received from fans and followers since your last social media engagement? What news or events are happening within your industry? Knowing this information will position you well in the next step of sharing content.

Begin Sharing:

 

Once the listening phase has begun (it should technically never end), you can start sharing content. What content can be shared? Whatever you have available! From new product pages or microsites, to blog posts and formal announcements, anything can be shared as long as it is supportive of the brand's underlying objective. Aligning the content shared with the trends and topics currently circulating in social media channels, however, will aid in resonating the message.

Make Connections:

 

Without actual relationships, the Internet really is just a series of tubes. It is the conversations occurring between brands and consumers that establish trust, loyalty, respect … and sales. Designating a period of the social media participation time frame to engage in direct outreach will yield new followers and fans and broaden your membership base. The opportunities afforded to those with larger audiences can’t be underestimated.

Engagement (Fun):

 

All work and no play makes for a really lame social media profile. Sharing stories of staff members or loyal users, running contests, giveaways or surveys, are all ways to show the personal side of your organization and increase engagement with a business or brand in social media channels.

Finish Strong:

 

Realize that social media participation is never complete – it is an ongoing conversation which requires near-constant attention. Providing a strong finish to specific time frames provides yet another opportunity to get in front of an audience, tout accomplishments (sharing content), make a few shout-outs (making firmer social connections) and deepening engagement by summarizing the events of the day.

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Posted Jul 29 2011, 02:00 PM by Administrator

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EVENT SUMMARY

Facebook Success Summit 2011 is a live online conference that will empower you to use Facebook to better engage customers (and prospects), gain more exposure and grow your business. The world's leading Facebook pros will show you how.

Join 19 experts, including Guy Kawasaki (author, Enchantment), Mari Smith (co-author, Facebook Marketing), Dave Kerpen (author, Likeable Social Media), Paul Dunay (co-author, Facebook Marketing for Dummies), Jesse Stay (author, Facebook Application Development for Dummies), Robert Scoble (co-author, Naked Conversations), Michael Stelzner (founder, Social Media Examiner), Jay Baer (co-author, The Now Revolution), Chris Treadaway (co-author, Facebook Marketing), Amy Porterfield (co-author, Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies), Andrea Vahl (co-author, Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies) and experts from Intel, PETCO, Applebees and Intuit—just to mention a few (scroll down to see full list)!

Event runs October 5 to October 25 (fully online).

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Creating Facebook Like Box in 8 Simple Steps

From Kitchen Flavours Blog ~ Thanks!

With so many people asking me about how to link facebook and blog? how to create a fan page for blog? how to create Like Box for blog? I thought of making a post on this....as all these questions carry a common answer and it will be helpful to others who are not familiar in doing this. I thought a simple step-wise pictorial can be helpful...Check out each step and read completely once and then start creating....

STEP ONE: Open Facebook in a browser and click Create a Page.

STEP TWO: Click on the Artist, Brand or Public Figure - in the category choose chef - in the name box type your blog name - check that box to accept terms and conditions and say get started.

STEP THREE: If u already have an account in facebook, login using it. If not then create an account and then login.

STEP FOUR: I created a new account for demonstration, so I got this message.

STEP FIVE: Click on the activation link, which came in your mail box. Hooray! facebook page is created for your blog.

STEP SIX: Now add an profile image to your fan page, then click on Add Like Box under "promote this page on your website". Copy the URL (indicated by an arrow in the top).

STEP SEVEN: Now place the copied URL in the box below Facebook Page URL. You can adjust width (according to your sidebar), color, etc.

STEP EIGHT: Finally click on Get code, when you are done with all the necessary changes. Then a pop up window appears (as shown in the pic. below) copy the code in the first box and place in your blog by visiting Dashboard - Design - Page Elements - Add a Gadget - HTML/Java script. Click save and the facebook fan page is created for your blog. Yippee! it's so easy....Enjoy....

NOTE: Click on the images...to get a zoom look. It is always recommendable to have a separate page for your blog rather than your personal page.