Internet Marketing Expert: 2012

Sunday, 25 November 2012

The Dream Center Partners With Influencetv.Org To Draw Support For National Causes

The Dream Center, a volunteer driven organization that finds and fills the needs of individuals and families alike, is proud to partner with InfluenceTV to entice holiday spenders to shop for a cause. InfluenceTV is a not-for-profit organization that aims to change the way America spends money, and starting today those who shop on www.influencetv.org, will have the opportunity to donate a portion of their proceeds to various life-saving programs provided by The Dream Center. Buyers have the chance lend a hand to individuals involved with the Emancipated Youth, Foster Care Intervention, mobile food distribution, Human Trafficking, and at-risk teens programs.

“We are so excited to partner with InfluenceTV,” says President and Founder of The Dream Center, Matthew Barnett. “People can find comfort that their money is going towards changing lives for the better; what an amazing gift to give this Christmas!

Thousands of products are available on the online shopping network, such as household cleaning items, jewelry, skin care products, inspirational books and more. With every purchase made, there is no additional cost as manufacturers have previously discounted all of the goods, leaving a portion of every sale to support a specific outreach.

Customers can choose from the six of The Dream Center causes:

Under the Bridge: An outreach ministry that serves 1,500 hot meals every week to the homeless population of Skid Row and the surrounding areas.

Emancipated Youth Home: A transitional residential facility that will serve as a bridge to self-sufficiency for youth who have recently left the foster care system, ill-prepared to face adulthood independently. This project is scheduled to begin Spring 2013.

Food Truck: A mobile food distribution program that delivers bagged groceries of USDA and fresh rescued foods to homeless, low-income and food insecure families at 26 locations throughout the inner city of Los Angeles. Recipients include single mothers, families living below the poverty level, disabled individuals, the unemployed and the elderly.

Project Hope: A shelter that provides a safe place to those rescued from human/sex trafficking in the United States. By rebuilding their physical, mental and spiritual wholeness, Project Hope prepares women for their return to society, empowering them with the ability to build trusting relationships, and with life skills that equip them to be productive members of the community.

Dream Center Teen Discipleship (DCTD): A residential program that that specializes in academics, substance-abuse education, anger management, character development, and behavior management for at-risk teenagers ages 12-17.

Project Prevention: Provides families with the necessary items – ranging from appliances and furniture to cleaning supplies, and food – to make sure that homes with minor children satisfy the requirements of Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.

To give a gift with purpose, please visit www.influencetv.org and for more information about The Dream Center and it’s various ministries, please go to www.dreamcenter.org.

About the Dream Center

The Dream Center, a volunteer driven organization that finds and fills the needs of individuals and families alike, was founded in 1994 and currently serves over 50,000 people each month.

Services and programs offered include residential rehabilitation programs for teens and adults, a shelter for victims of human trafficking, transitional housing for homeless families, mobile hunger relief and medical programs, and a foster care intervention outreach. Programs such as adult basic education, job skills training, and life skills counseling are also offered to homeless families and individuals.

The Dream Center’s record of success has led to the launch of over 100 independent Dream Centers nationally, as well as internationally. http://www.dreamcenter.org

ABOUT INFLUENCETV.ORG

InfluenceTV.org is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to change the way America spends money shopping. Through its content-rich video-centric website, shoppers can buy goods and services they use every day while designating a portion of the purchase price specifically to the Cause or charity that they want to help.

Shopping To Help Victims of Human Sex Trafficking

Shoppers can help rescue teenage girls from human sex trafficking, as well as support several other worthy Causes, by using their money to buy products on Influencetv.org.

With a menu of more than 5,000 available products, Influencetv.org (www.influencetv.org) gives consumers the opportunity to donate a portion of their purchase to a life-saving Cause. This does not cost the shopper a single penny more because all of the products have been discounted by manufacturers, leaving a portion of every sale to support a specific Cause.

The Dream Center Project Hope program, eases the painful suffering of female victims coming out of prostitution rings.

“Sadly, America is the world’s biggest consumer of modern-day slavery,” said Dr. Michael K. Clifford, Chairman of InfluenceTV.org. “Here’s an opportunity for everybody to support these young women by purchasing everyday products and services at InfluenceTV.org.”

“Our not-for-profit provides as many options as possible for people to spend their Influence in a positive direction,” said Clifford. “We invite all charities to join InfluenceTV.org and help people who are suffering live better lives.”

Clifford said Project Hope was the right choice for the first Cause. “These young women have suffered unbelievable, extensive, physical and mental trauma,” he said. “They will die unless they receive professional physical, spiritual and emotional healing in a safe place full of love.”

ABOUT INFLUENCETV.ORG

Shoppers Rescue Teens from Streets with InfluenceTV Purchases

Shoppers can rescue Emancipated Teens from being dropped off on the streets when the Foster Care money ends at 18 years old. After hundreds of Foster Homes, teens are left with no money, nowhere to go, many times on Skid Row to fend for themselves. They are targets for pimps, gangs, sex traffickers, or drug dealers. Now Shoppers can help provide a safe home for these lost children.

5,000 available products can be purchased on Influencetv.org (www.influencetv.org) giving Shoppers who care about others the opportunity to donate a portion of their purchase to a life-saving Cause. This does not cost the shopper a single penny more because all of the products have been discounted by manufacturers, leaving a portion of every sale to support a specific Cause.

Emancipated Youth, a dedicated housing program of The Dream Center, offers a safe home to begin this difficult transition from spending a childhood being transferred to hundreds of Foster Care homes to stability with training for adult life.

“People would be surprised to know how awful the Foster Care system has become, leaving teens confused, angry, and without hope or direction,” said Dr. Michael K. Clifford, Chairman of InfluenceTV.org. “The Dream Center is making a real difference in Los Angeles. We are calling on Shoppers to buy their everyday household goods from InfluenceTV designating a portion of the purchase to rescue these future Americans. Make a difference in someone else’s life then you will make a difference in your own life.”

ABOUT INFLUENCETV.ORG

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ABOUT INFLUENCETV.ORG

Shoppers Help Teens Find Freedom from Jail

American Teens are under attack with drugs, gangs, prostitution plus violence lurking around every corner. Shoppers can now help teens stay out of juvenile hall.

Holiday Shoppers on InfluenceTV have a unique opportunity to save teens by providing a safe home at the Los Angeles Dream Center.

With a menu of more than 5,000 everyday household products, Influencetv.org (www.influencetv.org) gives consumers the opportunity to donate a portion of their purchase to a life-saving Cause. This does not cost the shopper a single penny more because all of the products have been discounted by manufacturers, leaving a portion of every sale to support a specific Cause.

The Dream Center Teen program serves youths between the ages of 12 and 17 years old from across America in a residential ten-month Christ-centered program that specializes in academics, substance-abuse training, anger management, character development, and behavior management.

“America is a very different place for a teen to grow up in than when I was a teen,” said Dr. Michael K. Clifford, Chairman of InfluenceTV.org. “When you buy something for your family you can now help provide a safe home keeping a precious teenager out of jail, a pathway to more crime. We invite shoppers to come to the Dream Center to meet these teens with our terrific staff.”

ABOUT INFLUENCETV.ORG

Shoppers Help Feed Homeless with InfluenceTV Purchases

Shoppers can help serve 30,000 hot meals every week year round, meals delivered hot under bridges with love, 40,000 poor households get bagged groceries monthly, 30,000 more feed thru partner nonprofits, all by buying their everyday household products thru InfluenceTV.org.

More than 5,000 available products can be purchased on Influencetv.org (www.influencetv.org) giving Shopper who care about others the opportunity to donate a portion of their purchase to a life-saving Cause. This does not cost the shopper a single penny more because all of the products have been discounted by manufacturers, leaving a portion of every sale to support a specific Cause.

Under The Bridge, which is just one of the Food Services Program of The Dream Center, serves 1,500 hot meals every week to the homeless population of Skid Row. Under the Bridge offers many life-saving services to the homeless community which is rehabilitating to prepare these precious people for re-entry into their communities.

“People would be surprised to know how close to being homeless millions of Americans, especially single Moms are in America,” said Dr. Michael K. Clifford, Chairman of InfluenceTV.org. “The Dream Center is making a real difference in Los Angeles. We are calling on Shoppers to buy their everyday household goods from InfluenceTV designating a portion of the purchase to feed the homeless. Make a difference in someone else’s life then you will make a difference in your own life.”

ABOUT INFLUENCETV.ORG

Shoppers Feed Hungry Less Fortunate

Shoppers can now take a seat on the Food Truck, a non-profit that delivers groceries to the poor, by using their money to buy products on Influencetv.org.

Food Truck, of The Dream Center, provides USDA quality and fresh groceries to more than 40,000 hungry people every month. A model deploying nationally, the program is especially valuable to young single mothers plus working poor families with average annual incomes of just $15,000.

“Poverty is a devastating reality in every corner of this country,” said Dr. Michael K. Clifford, Chairman of InfluenceTV.org. “The dedicated volunteers at Food Truck are helping end the suffering by giving away one million pounds of food every month on the streets, but more is needed. InfluenceTV provides caring shoppers with the ability to spend their Influence in a positive direction for the Food Truck.”

ABOUT INFLUENCETV.ORG

Saturday, 24 November 2012

Shoppers Rescue Teens from Streets with InfluenceTV Purchases

ABOUT INFLUENCETV.ORG

Shoppers Feed Hungry Less Fortunate

Shoppers can now take a seat on the Food Truck , a non-profit that delivers groceries to the poor, by using their money to buy products on Influencetv.org.

ABOUT INFLUENCETV.ORG

Shopping To Help Victims of Human Sex Trafficking

Shoppers can help rescue teenage girls from human sex trafficking, as well as support several other worthy Causes, by using their money to buy products on Influencetv.org.

The Dream Center Project Hope program, eases the painful suffering of female victims coming out of prostitution rings.

ABOUT INFLUENCETV.ORG

Save Families from Losing Their Children - Help InfluenceTV

Home for the Holidays will take on new meaning for thousands of families at risk of their children taken into Foster Care if shoppers decide to buy their Christmas presents plus other products on Influencetv.org designating Project Prevention as their Cause of choice.

Project Prevention, of The Dream Center, provides families with the necessary items – ranging from appliances and furniture to cleaning supplies, and food – to make sure that homes with minor children satisfy the requirements of Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.

“Tragically, Los Angeles has approximately 25,000 children in foster care, 60 percent of which were removed from their homes, separated from loving parents, whose only transgression was extreme poverty usually for a small household item that the family can’t afford,” said Dr. Michael K. Clifford, Chairman of InfluenceTV.org.

“Our not-for-profit provides as many options as possible for people to spend their Influence in a positive direction. We invite all charities to join InfluenceTV.org to help people who are suffering live better lives.”

ABOUT INFLUENCETV.ORG

Shoppers Help Teens Find Freedom from Jail

American Teens are under attack with drugs, gangs, prostitution plus violence lurking around every corner. Shoppers can now help teens stay out of juvenile hall.

Holiday Shoppers on InfluenceTV have a unique opportunity to save teens by providing a safe home at the Los Angeles Dream Center.

ABOUT INFLUENCETV.ORG

Shoppers Help Feed Homeless with InfluenceTV Purchases

ABOUT INFLUENCETV.ORG

Wednesday, 8 August 2012

Social Media Marketing Jobs: The Face of Your Prosperous Future!

This article explores the new wave of job opportunities made available by social media and networking, from what they entail to where to find them.

Almost louder than the sound of people frantically tapping away at their computers telling their friends, family and colleagues about their lives on their Facebook, Twitter and MySpace accounts is the buzz that social media marketing jobs have generated in recent years. The explosion of social media and networking sites on the Internet has taken the world by storm and in a sphere one wouldn’t quite expect, considering these sites are dedicated to the realm of social interaction and communication… business! That’s right! Businesses are generating themselves renewed interest and greater followings by using social media as a powerful marketing and advertising tool. So much so, that if your company doesn’t have a regularly updated account with sites like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, MySpace (and the 400+ other social media and networking sites out there), you could be falling behind your competitors in the race for your target market’s business! What this is spelling out for the generations of people that are exiting education and looking for employment is perhaps the coolest occupation on Earth: social media marketing jobs.

Social Media Marketing Jobs: Businesses Need Your Talent

You’re young, you’re fresh out of school or college and you’re looking for a job. Your skills? Does playing around on Facebook count? Actually, yes, it does! More and more businesses, big and small, are cottoning on to the fact that the realm of social media and networking is a fantastic way to spread the word about the products and services they offer. The only problem is this: the people at the helm of these companies simply don’t have the time to spend all day updating their accounts on sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. This is where your supreme talents come into the picture. Since these sites are the lifeblood of the younger generation (and tell them everything they need to know about their peers), social media marketing jobs are a fantastic opportunity to earn money, whether it be part or full time! Of course there are social media marketing jobs with varying degrees of responsibility and you wouldn’t want to promise a business top rankings on search engines like Google, Yahoo or MSN without knowing how to achieve this. But there are plenty of social media marketing jobs that simply require you to update statuses, post information and photos and perhaps jot down a few comments… things you do every day on your own accounts.

Where Can I Find Social Media Marketing Jobs?

Where would you expect someone offering social media marketing jobs to post them… on the Internet of course! A quick search reveals literally thousands of job offers from companies looking for people to manage their social media and networking accounts. This can be done on a freelance or a full time basis as a regular employee of the company. There are also loads of social media marketing agencies out there looking for people with an education and experience in managing these various accounts. So, if you are a whizz with the computer and love the buzz of social media and networking, perhaps social media marketing jobs are the face of your prosperous future.

Tuesday, 7 August 2012

Social Media Agencies: For Business Success and Prosperity

This article describes the importance of social media marketing agencies to the modern business through increased exposure, better search engine rankings and the generation of more leads.

Social media agencies are a relatively new development in the sphere of marketing and advertising. Their birth lies in the conception and subsequent immense popularity of social media and networking: the array of Internet-based websites designed to facilitate and promote communication, sharing and interaction between people on all the continents of the globe. Most, if not all of us are well acquainted with social media and networking, whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Digg, YouTube, LinkedIn or any of the hundreds of others that have and continue to blossom all over the Internet. In fact, social media has changed the way we fundamentally communicate and interact with each other. The conception of these sites began as a social forum and has since expanded into the commercial and business arenas.

Social Media Agencies and Modern Marketing

Social media agencies offer an indispensable service to the modern business. Just think about the importance of marketing and advertising as a tool for communicating your brand name and image. If you are a business owner and want your name to be synonymous with the products and services you sell (like Levis are to denim jeans and Coca Cola is to soft drinks), then broadcasting your brand identity is fundamental. This is indisputable and has not changed since the birth of commercialism. What has changed is the way we can best promote our businesses and it’s fundamentally changed with the advent of social media and networking sites. Social media agencies essentially specialize in online advertising and marketing using sites such as Facebook, Digg, LinkedIn, MySpace, etc. to make their clients’ businesses more visible to their target audience. In doing so, social media agencies generate increased interest, more leads and higher profits for their clients.

So how do they do this? How can creating a Facebook profile get your business more customers?

Visibility ~ Facebook alone has in the region of 550 million regular subscribers. When you consider that there are 500 other social media and networking sites out there in the virtual ether, the potential exposure is truly staggering! If you create and regularly update an account with one of these sites, by gathering a following of ‘friends’ and sending out information, updates, special offers and invitations, etc. you will effectively be able to advertise your business to an incredible market audience.
Target-specific marketing ~ Most of the social networking and media sites contain information about their users that is invaluable to marketing such as age, location, gender, likes, dislikes, etc. So, social media agencies are able to target their client’s specific market audience ensuring more leads and less ‘walk-outs’.
Free advertising ~ Subscription to the majority of these sites are completely free, rendering online marketing and advertising incredibly cheap and cost-effective!
Higher rankings on global and local search engines ~ Regularly updated accounts and the visibility of links to your business website have an important impact upon your rankings on local and global search engines. Social media agencies have the resources to put your business in the top ten listed results yielded by searches! Don’t forget, 75% of people looking for information turn to the Internet for answers and it could be your business that they find.

The Importance of Social Media Agencies

If selling your products and services is free and easy using social media, then why are social media agencies so important to your business’ success? Quite simply, creating, maintaining and updating three accounts alone can prove to be incredibly taxing, especially if you are a business owner with a full schedule already. Social media agencies can regularly update and maintain up to 500 accounts while creating unique content to post on them. The benefits are increased interest, more leads, better rankings on local and global search engines and of course, business success and prosperity!

Sunday, 5 August 2012

Advice from the Social Media Consultant: The Five Steps to LinkedIn Advertising Success, PART 1

"This six-part article series provides a detailed step-by-step guide to creating successful LinkedIn ads. This article, the first installment, provides an introduction to LinkedIn advertising."

Social Media Consultant: An Introduction to Social Media

The incredible number and variety of social media and networking sites has taken the virtual and real world by storm. Staying in touch with friends, family and colleagues used to involve physical meetings, telephone calls, letters and emails. Nowadays, we just have to log in to our social media accounts in order to keep a finger on the pulse of our friend’s lives, experiences and activities! With the vast success of social media as a tool for communication, interaction and information sharing has flourished an entirely new field of marketing and advertising, says this social media consultant. This branch of marketing focuses upon the use of sites such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Digg to promote the online visibility of the modern business, regardless of size and industry. But this six-part articles series will not be looking at these particular social media sites as a means for advertising. No, this social media consultant will be looking at LinkedIn; a vastly successful platform designed to facilitate networking between business professionals from all four corners of the globe!

Social Media Consultant: What is LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a networking site with over 100 million users from all over the world. Its focus is on the promotion of interaction between professionals at all business echelons and industries. LinkedIn, as the name suggests, provides direct links between businesses and business professionals, says the social media consultant. In other words, if you have just graduated with a degree in accounting, public relations, communications, commerce, finance or any field relating to these, then establishing a profile for yourself and posting your résumé on LinkedIn will prove to be invaluable for the development of your career. So how is this all relevant to marketing and advertising? Well, say social media consultants, LinkedIn provides fantastic opportunities for the modern business:

LinkedIn advertising has proven to be especially successful in generating leads (potential customers and clients),

Because LinkedIn is a professional platform, say social media consultants, its users receive business messages far better and actually give them the consideration they deserve,

LinkedIn allows web marketers to directly target users with their advertising campaigns; focusing upon demographics such as industry and/or job title.

Using this professional networking platform, businesses and business professionals can further their interests and put their career success on the fast-track. Having said this, understanding how to create effective LinkedIn ads can represent a hurdle for some people, say social media consultants. Which is why this six-part ‘how-to’ article series will provide the five most important tips for creating ads that have impact and that reap positive results!

Ask the Social Media Consultant: About LinkedIn Ads

LinkedIn ads are presented in two different locations on the site (see screenshot):

As a text-only ad at the top of the site (depending upon your ad’s performance), and
Along the sidebar together with text and a photo.

Payment for a LinkedIn ad is facilitated by Cost per Click (CPC) or Cost per 1,000 Impressions (CPM). Building a LinkedIn ad simply requires you to submit a 25-character headline, a 75-character-long description and a photo. But building a successful LinkedIn ad requires a more innovative approach, say social media consultants. In fact, there are five recommended steps to follow…

Social Media Consultant: Stay Tuned

To start reading about the five steps towards building a successful LinkedIn ad, stay tuned for the second article installment of this six-part series, courtesy of this social media consultant.

Thursday, 19 July 2012

A Beginner’s Guide to Social Media Marketing, PART 1

Kendell Lang – Social Media Marketing Guru

This five-part series provides an introduction to how the variety of social media and networking sites on the Internet can be used as a promotional tool for the modern business.

Introduction: What is Social Media and What is Social Media Marketing?

Unless you’ve been trapped in an ice-locked cave for the past 15 years, chances are you are already well acquainted with social media, whether you understand the term or not. Social media refers to the hundreds of websites on the Internet designed to facilitate and promote social interaction, sharing and networking. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Digg and the great many more have gained incredible popularity over the past five years resulting in social media becoming a primary means for communication! With your average user spending at least an hour a day on one or even more of their social media accounts, businesses have come to see the vast potential for advertising using these online platforms. And this has given rise to social media marketing: “A form of Internet marketing which seeks to achieve branding and marketing communication goals through the participation in various social media networks.”

But social media marketing does not involve the use of adverts in the traditional sense. Enterprises can’t simply buy space on these sites to display and promote their products and services. No; social media enables businesses to – just like you and me – establish a profile and use it to connect intimately with a much wider and relevant target market. But just like any business endeavor, using social media to market your brand involves more than just updating your status every few days! In order to reap the maximum benefit from social media marketing, you need to have a strategy and a plan for execution. This five part article series provides a beginner’s guide to using social media to provide a solid online platform from which you can promote your brand name and identity.

So… where do you start?

The Goals of Social Media Marketing

Embarking upon a social media marketing strategy first and foremost requires a definition of one’s goals. You need to lay out what it is you want to achieve and design a corresponding plan of action before you simply start signing up with scores of social media and networking sites! What do you wish to reap from such an endeavor? And what can social media marketing do for you? Quite simply, social media marketing can help the modern business (whether it is large, medium or small):

Increase the number of people visiting their website
Increase the conversion rate from web user to paying customer
Increase the exposure (and thus effectiveness) of one’s business ads
Promote brand awareness and recognition
Promote and maintain a positive business reputation, or a positive brand association (social media marketing is great for reputation management)
Reach out to a much larger and diverse target market
Develop the business without geographical or temporal boundaries

With all of these fantastic benefits just ripe for the taking, social media marketing has really become an indispensible tool for the modern business enterprise. What you now need to do is learn how it is you can achieve these goals with the use of social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Digg, MySpace and YouTube.

Social Media Marketing: Stay Tuned

For more information on how social media marketing can greatly increase your web traffic, lead conversion and sales, stay tuned for the second installment of this five-part series.

Friday, 13 July 2012

A Beginner’s Guide to Social Marketing, PART 3

This five-part series provides an introduction to how the variety of social media and networking sites on the Internet can be used as a promotional tool for the modern business.

Social Marketing: A Brief Recap

In our previous two article posts on social marketing, we outlined some of the important goals of using social media as a means for brand promotion. We then began providing tips on how the modern business – big or small – can achieve these goals. In this article, the third installment of a five part series, we shall continue to provide important tips on using online social marketing to reap increased web traffic, customer interest and sales!

How to Use Online Social Marketing to Promote Your Business, Continued

3. See Contribution as an Opportunity

Use your social media accounts to regularly contribute to the wealth of online information. People spend hours and hours every day simply reading, watching videos, looking at pictures and listening to audio clips on the various things they find interesting. Creating and broadcasting quality content is as important to social marketing as becoming a member of the online community. It enables you to:

Provide links back to your personal website, driving greater traffic there
Convince your audience that you are a leader in your industry
Nurture trust between your brand and its target market

4. Connect with Your Competitors

In the realm of social marketing, your

competitors are not to be seen as your enemies, but as your educators. Having said this, don’t ever just follow their online social marketing strategies, but keep an eye on what they are doing and determine whether you can make it work for your business. Also, with the right communication, your competitors and those that operate within your niche industry can become advocates for your brand! Use your social media to communicate with them and always be honest, polite and sincere. Don’t become aggressive or confrontational; online social marketing is not a game of football.

5. Blog, Blog, Blog!

Blogs, provided they are well-researched and well-written, are a fantastic way to achieve a number of your social marketing goals:

They promote your reputation as a leader within your industry
They provide links to your business website
They provide references to your competitor’s and associate’s websites, which is great for reciprocal marketing, as well as for maintaining healthy relationships with your peers.

SEO key-wording and link-building also generate huge interest from local and global search engines (like Google, Yahoo and MSN), so get writing! If you’re too busy to create your own blogs, then hire an English student or a budding professional in your field to write informative and insightful articles for you.

6. Link-Building

Don’t be shy! Use your social media accounts to provide links to other websites, blogs and media that are relevant to your business. Search engines use link density as an important parameter when ranking search results, so the more you link, the better your website will rank when people search for a related key word or phrase.

Online Social Marketing: Stay Tuned

For more information on how social marketing can greatly increase your web traffic, lead conversion and sales, stay tuned for the fourth installment of this five-part series.

Friday, 1 June 2012

Choosing Your Social Marketing Agency

"This article highlights what to look for when choosing a social marketing agency, and such an agency’s role in search marketing and social marketing."

Looking for a social marketing agency? Save time on shopping around by identifying what you want to see in such an agency before taking the plunge! As business owners are increasingly discovering, the digital age has brought with it new terrain for businesses and with this, the need to take a new approach when it comes to social marketing and building relationships with consumers. Gone are the days when an advertisement in the local newspaper or a billboard on a highway would bring in enough customers. Today’s business owners stay ahead of the game through the use of a social marketing agency that has the expertise and manpower necessary to sing your brand name and identity out above its competitors. An online media agency can employ a number of techniques to do this, from social marketing to search marketing and more.

What to Look For in a Social Marketing Agency

When looking to employ a social marketing agency, it pays to go with one that offers an impressive track record and portfolio of past clients. While a new start-up social marketing agency may be more affordable, the staff at such an agency may lack the experience needed to put your business in the limelight. Depending on your online business strategy, you will want to use an online media agency that demonstrates an aptitude in using creative campaigns to draw customers and to give your product the online visibility it needs in order to sell, and to succeed.

Social Marketing Agency: About Search Marketing

Today, search marketing is a primary focus of every social marketing agency. With search engines constantly changing their search algorithms and criteria, staying well-placed and relevant is becoming harder than ever. A skilled and experienced social marketing agency can take your business to the next level by bringing your website to the forefront of the search page results - and by keeping it there - so that consumers never have to search hard to find you. The better your website performs in the search engine rankings, the more traffic your website will see, and more traffic means greater profits.

Social Marketing Agency: Social Marketing

When it comes to online media, one strategy doesn’t fit all so you need to shop around for a social marketing agency that is able to tailor social marketing strategies to suit your business. A leading online media agency will be able to tap into new opportunities to engage your existing customers and to attract new customers. Social marketing goes beyond establishing social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace; it is a strategy for your business to forge deeper relationships with consumers. Success in the social marketing of your business will largely depend on the experience and the creative vision of the social marketing agency you use.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, you need an online media agency that can align your online marketing objectives with your offline objectives. Look for a social marketing agency that has a track record of identifying trends – if they know what works, chances are they can make it work for your business, too.

Tuesday, 29 May 2012

From the SEO Agency, Everything You Need to Know About Search Engine Optimization!

This article describes what Search Engine Optimization is and the basic principles that govern its success as an online marketing and advertising strategy.

With the explosion of social media and networking sites onto the Internet, it really seems as though there is an impossible number of terminologies, computer jargon and acronyms to keep up with. Terms such as B2C, AOL, CPA, CPC, PPC, FFA, RON, SMO and SEM are enough to make even the hardened CEO run in the opposite direction (or get busy delegating). But, if there are two golden concepts that you as the business owner should know about and understand, it is what the SEO agency specializes in: Search Engine Optimization and search marketing.

The SEO Agency: Understanding Search Engines

The SEO agency essentially makes it their priority to put your business amongst the top rankings of related companies on global search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN. Argh! What is a global search engine? Don’t stress. You use one everyday to look up the name of the bakery on the corner of Market and Sales Street; or perhaps to research your son’s science project. Essentially, every time you open up your Internet and type in a word or phrase to look for some important piece of information (whatever it may be), you are using a search engine… the name says it all really. There are also local search engines, which restrict their searches to a more refined geographical area, such as a state, city or even neighborhood. So, what is the importance behind what the SEO agency does? Search marketing of course!

Search Marketing: The Importance of the SEO Agency

The Internet has become a fundamental tool in our everyday actions and as much as 75% of the human population turns to its virtual pages when looking for information regarding products and services. If you are reading this, then we can say with 100% certainty that you too use the Internet to look for information! As a result, the Internet has become integral to a business’ search marketing and advertising strategy. If they are not visible online, then to be quite blunt they might as well cut their losses and liquidate. The SEO agency essentially establishes and maintains a business’ online presence and visibility to local and global search engines. This involves a whole number of search marketing strategies, tricks and tools, but the end result is that when someone Google’s “rhubarb pies in Cleveland”, they will find YOUR bakery in the top five to ten results, and not your competitors’.

The SEO Agency: Capitalizing on Attention Span

The SEO agency has come to understand this basic human principle: we do not have the time, patience or the attention span to sift through pages of search engine results. Consequently, it is fundamental for your business to appear on at least the first result page; otherwise you may as well be lost to virtual obscurity. More desirable – and this is what every SEO agency aims for – are the top five to ten results. The benefits reaped from this incredible online exposure are certain to reveal themselves in your quarterly financial statement!

In brief summary, the SEO agency performs a fundamental service to the modern business, no matter how big or small. If you want greater leads, more clients and inflated profits, then seek out the advice and search marketing services of a recognized and experienced SEO agency!

Wednesday, 23 May 2012

Social Media Marketing: Get Your Message Across

This article explains how simple it is to promote one’s business using the great number and variety of social media websites out there.

For those growing up during an age when telephones were firmly secured to the wall and televisions were a symbol of upper class luxury, computers tend to be somewhat of an enigma. For those growing up during an age when Justin Bieber is more widely known than Albert Einstein… well, computers are second nature; a language mastered at the tender ages of five and six.

But what social media marketing boasts that most other complicated software and technologies do not, is that anyone can do it! Whether you’re young or old; a computer whizz or someone who doesn’t know where the power button is (or what it does). If you have a Facebook account and know how to navigate its iconic blue-bordered pages, then you have the potential to use it as a platform from which to market your business. Regardless of the industry in which it’s based and whether you have one or one hundred employees. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube all hold great social media marketing potential!

About Social Media Marketing: Benefits

The great things about social media marketing, says experienced social media consultant Kendell Lang, are that it is a potent method for connecting with your target audience. People of all ages, genders, interests, careers, etc. are actively engaged by social media. Facebook alone boasts a membership of hundreds of millions of people across the globe, with each member providing essential marketing information, such as age, gender, likes, dislikes, job industry, relationship status, etc.

It can be applied to any industry in any sector. Whether you are in a budding rock band looking to gather greater crowds for your next gig, or are a dentist with an established practice interested in promoting your services, social media marketing can achieve greater awareness, interest and participation from potential customers, clients and fans!

It’s free! Registration with most of the hundreds of social media and networking sites on the Internet is free, which essentially means that you have all this social media marketing

potential at your fingertips for next to nothing! The expenses involved in social media marketing are measured in time and an intimate understanding of what it takes to design and execute an effective campaign.

Getting your message out there is rendered incredibly easy with social media marketing. I personally know of people in their eighties and nineties who are absolutely hooked on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. People even have accounts for their animals and soft toys, exclaims social media marketing consultant, Kendell Lang! Essentially, if you wish to get a message across to an audience, social media is the way to do it. A massive billboard on a six-lane highway couldn’t rival the marketing effectiveness of a scintillating status-update on Facebook, or a tenacious Tweet on Twitter.

Social Media Marketing: Here to Stay

What you – entrepreneur, business manager, advertiser, etc. - need to realize is that social media marketing is here to stay. Without geographical, language or cultural boundary, the Internet provides us with this essential component - or lion’s share rather - of any successful marketing and advertising campaign. Get your message across.

Friday, 18 May 2012

Advice from the Search Engine Optimization Agency: The Importance of Content-Writing

"This article discusses blog writing as an effective component of any effective online marketing campaign."

The Search Engine Optimization Agency: An Overview

When it comes to making your business website stand out above its competitors, no one knows better than the Search Engine Optimization agency: content is key! But not just any old content you manage to pilfer from the fathomless coffers of Wikipedia… good quality, original and compelling content laden with key words and phrases. If those infinite marketing anagrams such as SEO, SMO and PPC are enough to send you screaming in the opposite direction, then fear not. That’s what the Search Engine Optimization agency is for: to promote your business in the virtual ether that is the Internet. However, if you are a forward-thinker and would like to understand:

(1) What goes into the generation of content that makes your website interesting and visible online,

(2) Encourages a greater number of people to read your blog, and

(3) Increases your rankings on global search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN, then you might just find this article interesting!

The Search Engine Optimization Agency: Writing Le Blog

The blog (a colloquialism of the phrase ‘web log’) is an informative article that can be about anything really, but is ultimately related to the services and products your business has to offer. So, if you own a coffee shop (or a whole coffee shop franchise) you could write social media blogs about anything from the latest brands and blends on the market to how local weather patterns and globally shifting climates affect coffee growth in the regions from which you source your coffee. The potential for social media content is endless, and it should be because marketing through blogs is an ongoing occupation. Blog writing is one of the essential services that the Search Engine Optimization agency provides, since few business owners have the time (and sometimes even imagination) to talk ad nauseum about their own enterprise. However, there is an additional feature of social media blog writing that makes marketing through a Search Engine Optimization agency so effective, and that is keywording.

The Search Engine Optimization Agency: Key Words and Phrases

Within each and every blog posted there should regularly appear key words and phrases that the people out there most frequently search for when looking around for products and services relevant to your business. Search Engines recognize these key words so, if I type ‘best coffee in New York’ in my Google search tab, your business should come up if you have a blog with the key word ‘best coffee in New York’. The trick is to know which key words and phrases are most frequently searched for by Internet users and to incorporate these into your text at about a 2% density; in other words, for every 50 words, your key phrase pops up once. This is referred to as SEO text and the teams at the Search Engine Optimization agency are masters of keyword-rich content generation!

Search Engine Optimization Agency: A Final Note

Ultimately, as it was said, few business owners have the time to write social media blogs for their website, especially when you should be posting one as regularly as twice per week for results to become evident in your Google rankings. As such, it is usually in the best interest of an effective marketing campaign to employ the services of a Search Engine Optimization agency.

Saturday, 31 March 2012

WorldClassTV Launch: Using Skype Social Marketing to Supercharge Audience Connection! PART 4

This four-part article series explores how businesses of all sizes can use Skype to really connect and engage with their web visitors, encouraging lead conversions and greater online sales.

In our previous article post, we presented the first five Top 10 Tips for creating a successful and effective social marketing Skype “Guest Expert” Interview. These included (1) creating a professional user name, (2) making positive first impressions, (3) maintaining eye contact, (4) putting your hands where your audience can see them and (5) practicing to fine-tune your presentation. In this article, the final installment of our four-part series, we shall explore the remaining five tips. Armed with this information, you can create media for your website or social marketing campaign that will engage a wider audience far more effectively, thus securing you greater and more sustained online interest.

Top 10 Tips for a Successful Social Marketing Skype “Guest Expert” Interview:

Social Marketing Tip: Remove Technical Challenges: Make sure you’ve got a wired connection if at all possible. Wireless connections tend to make lower video quality and connections tend to get dropped more easily. It is of utmost importance to ensure that your internet connection works properly during a social marketing Skype interview. It is difficult to have a discussion if the interviewer is unable to hear you due to technological difficulties and interruptions. The impression will be that you are unreliable.

Social Marketing Tip: Speak Slowly and Clearly: Slow down! It can be easy to talk over people on a Skype call so wait for the interviewer to stop speaking before you answer. This also gives you a few seconds to think about what you want to say before you speak. You can consider having headphones on to avoid getting playback from speakers, but if you turn the speaker volume down that will solve the problem in most cases. Also, set the sound on the microphone so that it’s not so loud that it creates static.

Social Marketing Tip: Assess Your Surroundings: Create a background to your social marketing video presentation that’s warm and inviting and not too busy or boring. Turn off your cell phone and make sure, whether you’re at home or at your office, that you let everyone know you are not to be disturbed. No kids or pets in the background! This comes across as unprofessional in your social marketing video.

Social Marketing Tip: Proper Lighting: Check the lighting in the room so that it’s adequate and not too bright or too dark. Lighting has a fundamental sub-conscious effect on people. If it’s too dark, the video can come across as sinister. Too light and your audience will not be impressed with the quality of the social marketing video. Make sure you are not sitting in front of a window and turn off any bright light sources directly behind you. What you should have for your social marketing video is some kind of lighting in front of you (behind your computer, behind your camera); preferably two task lights on either side of the computer/webcam. You will want to test the light to make sure it is flattering; bad lighting can accentuate facial lines and contours, making you appear far older and even quite intimidating. A lamp with a shade directly in front of you creates a nice soft glow and fewer shadows.

Social Marketing Tip: Dress For Success! On-camera dress tips for your social marketing video include:

(i) Avoid color extremes. Stay away from black, white, orange and red. Bright colors will flare or strobe on camera; that is, any motion will result in a smear across the screen. Opt instead for pastels and colors in the mid-range of the spectrum. These include gray, blue, brown, maroon, purple and forest green.

(ii) Avoid patterns such as checks, stripes, herringbone or plaid in your social marketing video. Patterns drive the camera crazy, creating a “vibrating” look. However, a very fine pinstripe on a gray or blue suit will work just fine.

(iii) If you wear jewelry, keep it minimal. Likewise, do not wear sequins or any metallic-looking material. These reflect light very easily. Keep the outfit you wear for your social marketing video simple. A jacket with an embroidered patch on one side is distracting. Also, stay away from shirts with logos and pictures.

(iii)Ties should have simple, solid colors. For women, bows are fine, but scarves should be avoided.

(iv)Make-up and lipstick is a simple matter: the more natural, the better. A basic color to help highlight the face is okay, but it should match the outfit. Loud colors, no matter how fashionable, are not a good choice for your social marketing video. Eye makeup should follow suit.

(v) The hairstyle you wear for your social marketing video is as important as the outfit. Simple haircuts are best. Longer hair should be pinned back or to one side (unless otherwise requested). Males should be clean shaven. For women, nail polish should be clear. You may be asked to wear face powder, which can be essential because studio lights can cause a facial sheen of perspiration. Shiny areas on the face – hot spots – will reflect light as much as any jewelry.

A Final Note from WorldClass on Your Social Marketing Video

A successful social marketing video can work absolute wonders for your website retention rates and in many cases, is the catalyst that leads to greater online interest, lead conversions and sales. If you’re interested in creating your social marketing Skype video with us, don’t hesitate to contact Kendell Lang, founder and CEO of WorldClass.

WorldClassTV Launch: Using Skype Social Media to Supercharge Audience Connection! PART 3

This four-part article series explores how businesses of all sizes can use Skype to really connect and engage with their web visitors, encouraging lead conversions and greater online sales.

In our previous article post, we discussed WorldClass’ promotional Skype Video Interview Package offer and what clients need in order to create their social media marketing videos. In this article, the third installment of a four part series, we shall begin exploring the top ten tips for creating a successful Skype “Guest Expert” Interview. Armed with this information, you can create media for your website or social media marketing campaign that will engage a wider audience far more effectively, thus securing you greater and more sustained online interest. This in turn translates into greater lead conversion rates and supercharged online sales!

Top 10 Tips for a Successful Social Media Skype “Guest Expert” Interview:

You may have everything you need to physically record your social media Skype video – Skype, a webcam and a microphone – but in order to create a truly successful social media marketing video, there are a number of points you need to understand and incorporate into your presentation. Having a profound and positive impact upon your audience requires some sophisticated fine-tuning. You can’t very well plunk down in front of your computer and expect to record material that will move mountains. So, without further ado, here are the Top 10 Tips for a Successful Skype “Guest Expert” Interview!

Your User Name: Create a professional Skype “handle”: Whether it's Skype, an instant-messaging client, or another videoconferencing app, you will likely have to create a user name or "handle" that you sign in with. Make sure it appropriately represents your company and is not something like beerbuddies2012 or 26E4u. As with your email account, choose something professional; if you can't just use your name because it's already taken, try your name combined with your industry, for example: DrSteiner_dentist.

First Impressions: As if meeting in person, create a great first impression! Treat a social media Skype interview as a real face-to-face interview. Make sure you log in and are ready at least five minutes before the scheduled interview time and do your homework well in advance! Make sure you have reviewed the interview questions beforehand and have prepared well-thought out answers.

Maintain Eye Contact: Maintain direct eye contact throughout the social media interview, looking directly into the camera:

(i) Social Media Tip: During Skype interviews, be careful not to fixate on your own screen image. This gives the impression that the candidate is not making eye contact with the interviewer on the other end.

(ii) Social Media Tip: Before an interview starts, take a moment to make sure you look fine on the screen, and then focus on looking into the camera.

(iii) Social Media Tip: When you look directly at the camera, it appears to the interviewer that you are looking directly at them, thus making eye contact – the camera is usually located at the top of your computer in the center of the frame around your screen.

(iv) Social Media Tip: Sit slightly forward and lean toward the camera so you become a talking head, just like on TV. This is the best way for our audience to read your facial expressions and establish a connection with you.

(v) Social Media Tip: Be sure to sit up and maintain a straight posture. This gives your audience the impression that you have the confidence befitting an industry expert.

(vi) Social Media Marketing Tip: Skype interviews tend to dampen one's personality so make an effort to smile and act like your pleasant self as much as possible. Be Yourself! Relax, smile and let your personality show through.

Put Your Hands Where the Audience Can See Them: Make sure that the camera on your computer gives a good shot of your head and shoulders, as well as of your hands. Remember that a good portion of understanding comes from body language and other non-verbal cues (80% of communication is non-verbal), so you want to make sure that the upper half of your body is visible.

Practice Makes Perfect: Practice on Skype before your social media marketing interview. This will ensure that you’re familiar with how the application works. Spending a few minutes familiarizing yourself with how you look “on camera” will also give you the opportunity to fix anything which could negatively impact your image: adjust your clothing, hair and position in the camera.

Social Media Marketing with WorldClass: Stay Tuned

In our next article post, the final installment of a four-part series, we shall be presenting the remaining Top 10 Tips for a Successful Skype “Guest Expert” interview. By integrating these points into your social media marketing video, you can be sure that your final product will be effective in securing your audience’s undivided attention.