Are you being tempted by the dark side?

Are you looking for great results without the hard work?

If you are, you are heading for a very big fall because the grass most certainly isn’t greener on the dark side.

As an online marketer, search engine optimisation is vital for your survival. But the only effective way to boost your visibility is through an effective, white hat SEO strategy.

It’s not a quick fix, it’s a long term solution that needs constant nurturing. So if that sounds like too much like hard work to you, perhaps you’d better rethink your online marketing  career.

Creating a winning SEO strategy

If you’re hoping that I’m now going to say I was just kidding and you can achieve great rankings really easily – you’re going to be disappointed.

To be an SEO winner you’ll need the following on your shopping list:

• Well researched keywords
• A professionally designed website by someone who understands SEO
• A professional SEO copywriter to create reader-friendly copy
• A link building strategy

SEO is a slow burner – overnight results are unlikely (but not impossible, that depends on the competitiveness of your keywords) but if you keep at it and maintain your strategy’s momentum, you’ll get long lasting organic results.

And organic results means no hefty pay per click bill every month.

Creating a losing SEO strategy

If all of that seems like hard work to you, there are some techniques you can adopt to cut corners.

Of course, if you do that you will also encounter the wrath of Google which is never nice. Plus, your website will probably look shocking, read abysmally and will never convert a visitor in a month of Sundays.

Those lovely people at SEOmoz have produced a list of 32 SEO tactics to avoid. These are all black hat techniques which must be avoided at all costs.

Grab yourself a coffee and have a read through them and make sure your strategy is above board and whiter than white.

Some of the comments are really interesting too.

Over to you

What has been your most successful SEO strategy?

Please leave a comment and share your experiences.

Most people will either love social media or hate it – with the odd few thrown in who simply don’t ‘get it’.

But the problem is for those who hate or don’t ‘get it’, social media is here to stay and it will continue to grow. We’ve already seen Google join the party with Google+ so your days of keeping it at arms length are numbered.

It’s time to join in.

Personally I love it. Working as a freelance copywriter it has helped me not only gain new clients but its also enabled me to meet great people, boost my online exposure and find people to help me in my hour of need.

If you think to be effective you have to sit on Twitter or Facebook all day, you don’t. Having said that, an occasional look in when you feel like it won’t help either. You must have a regular presence but that doesn’t mean it has to rule your life.

What social media is all about

Have you ever been guilty of saying:

“I can’t see the point of Twitter”

“Why do I want to know what a complete stranger’s had for lunch?”

“It’s not as if anyone reads that stuff anyway.”

“None of my customers use it so why should I?”

The strange thing is, people view social media as some sort of ‘new age’ passing fad and yet it’s just traditional networking that is carried out online. It makes people more accessible so you can actually get to speak with those people who normally hide behind a wall of stern secretaries.

It’s a social activity so it’s just about chatting, building relationships and being interested in other people – just like face to face networking. The only difference is you don’t have to get into your car and drive to an event (which in itself is a God send considering the price of petrol these days).

What’s there not to get?

If you’re an avid face to face networker all you have to do is transfer those skills to the online community. You already know that a sales pitch never goes down well at networking events so you’ll know that’s not how to conduct yourself on social media either.

Build a strategy

Just as with traditional networking, you won’t get results overnight. You have to devise a long term strategy that’s right for your business.

If you decide to blog you’ll need a plan, lots of ideas and a blogging schedule. When you start to tweet you must build time into your day and make it part of your routine if you want it to be effective.

Becoming part of the growing online community is a great way of getting your business known. Be generous with your information, have conversations, ask and answer questions – by participating and engaging you will draw people to you and start to see results.

Over to you

Have you started using social media? If so leave a comment and tell us how you’re getting on.

Perhaps you’re still resisting – what’s stopping you from joining in?

Leave a comment below and let’s start a conversation.

Internet marketing is vitally important for your business.

Not convinced?

OK, utilising activities such as article marketing, social media, blogging and other content creation will have a dramatic effect on your business’ online visibility and exposure.

Just in case you are still sitting there shaking your head, take a look at a few facts and figures that were compiled earlier this year by Pingdom about internet usage, social media, email etc.

So if you’re ready, prepare to be blown away.

Email

Whether you use email as a marketing medium or simply as a method of communication, it is a vital part of your business. Just take a look at these stats:

• 107 trillion – The number of emails sent on the Internet in 2010
• 294 billion – Average number of email messages per day
• 1.88 billion – The number of email users worldwide
• 480 million – New email users since the year before
• 89.1% – The share of emails that were spam
• 262 billion – The number of spam emails per day (assuming 89% are spam)
• 2.9 billion – The number of email accounts worldwide
• 25% – Share of email accounts that are corporate

Amazing eh? When you see those sorts of numbers you suddenly realise how reliant we have become on technology for our businesses and every day lives.

And that’s just the start.

Internet

This is the biggy – especially if you’re still unsure whether your business should be online or not. Bearing in mind there are 255 million websites (as at December 2010) with 21.4 million added in 2010 there is an enormous opportunity for online marketers.

Add in the following stats on internet usage and you’ll see why the internet is the place to be:

• 1.97 billion – Internet users worldwide (June 2010)
• 14% – Increase in Internet users since the previous year
• 825.1 million – Internet users in Asia
• 475.1 million – Internet users in Europe
• 266.2 million – Internet users in North America
• 204.7 million – Internet users in Latin America / Caribbean
• 110.9 million – Internet users in Africa
• 63.2 million – Internet users in the Middle East
• 21.3 million – Internet users in Oceania / Australia

When you view these figures as a potential market for your products and services you’d be mad not to be making the most of it.

But what about the new(ish) kid on the block? Well…

Social Media

Yup, social media is here to stay and is sure to morph into all sorts of new forms over the coming years.

It has opened up new lines of communication making it easier than ever for consumers to voice their opinions.

If you are one of the many people who still think social media is just a passing phase, take a look at this:

• 152 million – The number of blogs on the Internet (as tracked by BlogPulse)
• 25 billion – Number of sent tweets on Twitter in 2010
• 100 million – New accounts added on Twitter in 2010
• 175 million – People on Twitter as of September 2010
• 7.7 million – People following @ladygaga (Lady Gaga, Twitter’s most followed user)
• 600 million – People on Facebook at the end of 2010
• 250 million – New people on Facebook in 2010
• 30 billion – Pieces of content (links, notes, photos, etc.) shared on Facebook per month
• 70% – Share of Facebook’s user base located outside the United States
• 20 million – The number of Facebook apps installed each day

That doesn’t look like a passing fad to me.

If you want to grow your business exponentially, get on the internet and join in the social media conversation.

Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter, blogger and social media groupie

As a website copywriter, I have been know to harp on about your website copy should address the needs of your reader.

What do I mean?

Basically, your content must focus on the benefits of your product/service to the reader rather than focusing on your company and its accomplishments.

That may sound easy but it isn’t. To create great copy that’s compelling, you have to distance yourself from your business which is why many companies opt for the services of a professional copywriter.

Writing for your reader is the way to go but that doesn’t mean you have to totally forget about yourself. You still need an outlet on your website where you can shout about you and what you’ve done. And that’s what your ‘About Us’ page is for.

Do people really read the About Us page?

Yes.

We all need to know who we are buying from - the face behind the business. We want to be reassured they are someone we can trust which is why the About Us page exists. So don’t blow it.

Meaningful

Make it meaningful which means don’t fill it with jargon and technical speak. You won’t impress your reader just because you know a few long words. If your content isn’t meaningful it won’t have an impact.

Be yourself

This is your opportunity to sell you as a person. Which means don’t use a stock photo on your About Us page, use one that shows you and your team – why hide?

Be real

Write in a friendly conversational style. Tell your reader why you started your business. The process you went through to develop it into the company it is today. Make it a human interest story – but make sure it is real. Don’t try and pull the wool over your readers’ eyes.

Don’t hide

If you want your contact details on this page make sure they’re accessible and include:

• A valid email address
• Telephone number
• Full postal address
• A map

Back it up

Include testimonials or sound bites from happy customers. But make sure you reference them – a testimonial without a name is worthless.

Your About Us page is very important. It’s not a main sales page but it shows your reader who you are and why they should do business with you.

Use it to show your human side and connect with them.

Does this look familiar?

This is the Google 10 box that appears at the top of your search results. It shows 10 local businesses that relate directly to your search term (so in this case it is builders).

Ever wondered how companies get listed here? Or haven’t you given it much thought because you thought it was bound to be expensive?

Well here’s a news flash for you – your Google Local listing is free.

If this is old news to you and you’ve already claimed yours, well done you’ve taken the first step to boost your online visibility. But how are you using it?

Have you just claimed it and left it at that?

This listing is a great free marketing tool for your business.

When creating your listing you’ll have the opportunity to add video, photos, receive customer reviews and list events. All sorts of data that can be used to enhance your SEO.

Utilising all of these tools will help generate more business for you. And you can also manage its effectiveness through its analytics making it a tool that is:

• Versatile
• Free
• Interactive

You can enhance it by getting customers to write a review, list new offers and events to keep it fresh.

It’s free so make the most of it. 

Despite living in a virtual age there are still many businesses out there resisting the urge to have a website.

Some of the common arguments about not buying into virtual real estate are:

• It wouldn’t suit our customer base
• We get enough customers without having an expensive website
• I don’t understand all that computer stuff
• It’s too expensive
• I don’t want to sell online
• I don’t have time for one of those

The problem is just about everyone else is online, especially your customers. So when they search for a supplier they’ll be choosing from your competitors – you won’t even be in the picture.

To convince you it may be worth taking the plunge, here are 4 reasons why you should consider a website for your business:

1. 24/7

Do you really want to have to be physically there for your customers all the time?

Achieving the ultimate work/life balance is tough but when you own your own company it can be impossible.

Unlike you, a website doesn’t need to eat, drink or sleep and is open for business 24/7. Your customers can browse it whenever the urge takes them. By giving them all the information  they need they can research at their leisure. Plus if you offer a comprehensive FAQ section, you’ve practically got your own online customer service team.

2. Credibility

People research before buying. Your website and its content will help instantly build rapport and credibility with perspective customers. Talk to them directly through your copy and they will be more inclined to do business with you as they will already feel as though they ‘know’ you.

If you don’t feel confident enough to create your own website copy, hire a professional copywriter to write it for you. That investment will ensure your website contains copy that is powerful, search engine friendly and will convince your customers to get in touch and buy.

3. Money

As I mentioned before, a website is open 24/7 so you’re not restricting your trading times. People can shop with you in the middle of the night if they really wanted to. With over half of all UK consumers now regularly shopping online (Forrester UK Online Retail and Travel Forecast 2008-2014), if you don’t have a website you’ll be turning your back on a vast untapped marketplace.

4. Widen the net

Your website will widen your marketplace. You won’t have to rely on local customers and word of mouth anymore. With a website you can reach national and international markets. This could lead to business growth, diversification…the opportunities are endless.

Budgets are tight for everyone at the moment so if you can’t quite run to a full blown website try some of the alternatives. I’m thinking of websites such as BT Tradespace and myProspot. Both of these offer the opportunity of utilising their powerful platforms and extensive social marketing tools to market your business.

So as you can see, there really are no barriers to getting a website.

Online marketing – love it or hate it, if you’re a business owner you have to get to grips with it.

As the vast majority of the population use the internet to search for products and services these days, if you you don’t have an online presence you will be missing out on a massive marketplace.

But that doesn’t mean you can just lob any old website into cyber space and people will come running with open wallets.

Being online badly can seriously damage your business

The first thing to remember when starting out in the online world is that the internet isn’t a static entity.

It changes at an alarming rate so you must get to understand it and keep up to date with the latest thinking, ideas and pitfalls.

Being successful on the web will take time, patience and money. If you chuck any old thing together on the cheap you’ll do yourself more harm than good. After all if you had a High Street store you would make sure your window display was attractive and enticed people in the door.

Your website is your virtual High Street store so it must be professional, appealing and tailored to your business needs.

One of my favourite blogs is Copyblogger. A post appeared on there a while ago by Mel Brennan called 6 Online Marketing Mistakes that Will Kill Your Business. Mel takes you by the hand and leads you through the 6 no-nos of internet marketing.

Grab a coffee and have a read. Whether you think you’re web savvy or not, it’s worth taking a few minutes to check it out and make sure you’re not committing any of these cardinal sins.

Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter

Loads of companies are now using social media – applications like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and blogs are transforming the way they interact with their market.

Are you using social media? Are you monitoring its effectiveness? I’m guessing you answered yes to the first question and went quiet, or whispered no to the second.

Blindly using social media without monitoring it is a bit like driving your car blind folded – your message is delivered quickly but it’s likely to hit a brick wall any second.

In the olden days you only discovered there was a problem with your products or services when someone picked up the phone or wrote a letter to tell you – by which time it was too late and you were left trying to make amends.

But social media has opened up a new platform from which dissatisfied customers can vent their anger. The difference being, if you monitor it, you can jump on problems and solve them before they get blown out of all proportion.

By monitoring what’s being said about you, you can:

• Measure your effectiveness
• Find out what people are saying about you and your business
• Identify problems/opportunities and react quickly
• Discover who are the leaders in your industry and what they are saying

How to monitor what people are saying about you

As my copywriting business is marketed solely online, I use a couple of tools to help me monitor what’s going on:

Google Alerts

This is a great tool to find out what people are saying about you on the web. Your alert can be set up for any phrase - I have one set up for my name (Sally Ormond) and another on my business name (Briar Copywriting).

Google alerts emails me every time either of these search terms are found on  the web. 

Social Mention

Social mention is a real time social media search and analysis tool. Again you can set them up for specific search terms and you’ll get an email alert whenever it crops up within the world of social media.

Why this is good to know

Today’s online world makes it very easy for someone to write something derogatory, about you or your company, knowing it will quickly reach a massive audience.

So if you make the decision to use social media marketing it pays to keep one eye open. A lot of the biggest brand names are using applications like Twitter to find out what people are saying about them so, should anything go wrong, they can act quickly and in a personal way.

This pro-activeness will make you stand out from the crowd. You’ll be seen as a company that listens and cares about its customers. And that’s priceless.

You’ve heard the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover”, well I hate to say it but people do. Not only that, but they’ll also judge you and your company by your written content whether in emails, on your website, blog, articles or brochures.

Going back to your school days, wasn’t it always the best looking kids that got to be Head Boy or Girl, or head of the sports team?

Looks do matter (even though we try to convince ourselves that in today’s ‘equal’ society it doesn’t) so you have to make sure all your marketig materials are as good as they can be - in content and aesthetic appeal.

Be attractive

To me, as a copywriter, the copy on your website or blog is paramount. Of course, your website designer will tell you it’s your sites design and your graphic designer will tell you it’s your brand, logo and print materials.

But it is your copy that does the hard work engaging with your reader and getting them to place an order. But if you don’t have a good looking website or blog no one is going to hang around to read it.

Mind you even if you have a stunning website but your copy is shocking, they’ll leave so you have to attack both issues and get them right if you want to be successful.

There are many things you can do to make your website gorgeous, but rather than listing them all, let’s take a look at the things you should avoid and all costs.

• Think about your copy

Understand your audience. They have a specific needs which you must identify and satisfy.

Don’t try and talk to everyone. When you write your copy just have one reader in mind. If you try to cater for everyone you’ll end up with a confused mess that won’t tell anyone anything.

As for the length of your articles and blog posts, be sensible. Your reader is going to be time limited (aren’t was all?) and so although they’ll want answer to everything they won’t want to site and read their way through an encyclopedic work. So make sure your copy is well balanced and complete but keep it relatively brief.

• Make it easy to read

It’s not just your website site design that should look attractive, your text should too. But I’m not talking about which font to use, I’m referring to the use of short paragraphs, bulleted lists, headings and sub headings.

If your reader is faced with a wall of text that extends down their screen which the have to scroll through, they will be severely turned off.

By breaking up your copy up into manageable chunks, they can dip into your copy and read the most relevant parts to them.

Make it easy to read using a high contrast between text colour and background – go for black on white or white on black.

• Be engaging

Your headline must grab your readers’ attention. If it doesn’t you may as well forget everything else I’ve mentioned as no one will be reading your copy anyway.

Produce dull copy and no one will read it; write about yourself and no one will read it; fill it with jargon and no one will read it. There is only one thing you must keep in mind – what does your reader want to know. To give you a clue it will probably have something to do with ‘What’s in it for me?’

• Less is more

Don’t overdo colours and graphics in an attempt to make your copy stand out and look appealing. Going over board will end up looking messy. Stick to a few colours that tie in with your company’s image.

Basically, keep it simple.

This is important because…

Getting your copy or design wrong could kill your site. Remember to consider both elements and ensure they work together.