Social Media Marketing

After doing more research on the subject I am starting to become more understanding of the benefits of utilizing multiple social media sites to market your company. I look at it this way I guess. In the past small businesses sold their goods often in their local areas. A person that sold insurance sold insurance to the people the lived with. They marketed by placing adds in the local paper and also by supporting local events such as the rodeo or local high school football team. That type of marketing probably didn’t result in direct sales, but the fact that the local people identified them as a community supporter and trust worthy goes along way in solidifying your company in the community and hopefully result in sales.

Build trusting relationships with you customers in return they might purchase your products. Social media doesn’t sell products for you directly companies use it to build relationships with people, which might turn into sales. This was one of the harder things for me to understand. As a person learning about marketing my mind automatically thinks, how does this turn into revenue?

It’s all about quality content. Growing up I had the pleasure of working for one of the best salesman that I ever met and he told me that the best salesman are genuine and honest. A person that sales to local people has to be that way because they have to live with them. The salesman would build relationships with his local towns people and because of that relationship those people would purchase his products. That relationship building is what social media is used for in the digital age. Be genuine and create good content that people actually want to read and understand.

The tools required to create good content are important especially when it comes to video and photo content. It was interesting that he uses the elf because that is a camera that I use to create content for fun.

Editing content is something that I have personally become involved with both as a hobby ad in my current job. I utilized this video to assist me in learning to edit content. I also use the same editing software he uses. It works just fine for me.

I really focused on content creation in this weeks blog because I think it’s the most important. Remember start with some good tools, and that its all done in the edit.

Search Engine Optimization

I Goggled SEO and how to be good at it just recently and it was insane how many people come out of the woodwork to show you how to be good at SEO. There are some people like Lazy Ass Stoner who said that I could make a “shit ton of money utilizing his steps!” Sounds good to me, he is hired! (Watch the first few minutes)

The more I learn about SEO, the more I am convinced that through the use of software updates Google is trying to provide its customers with the best search results possible. Which makes total sense! Falling under the umbrella of best search results possible in regards to products or services means that those products and services that Google is showing to their customers has to be reputable.  Imagine if you were introducing an influential person in your life to a product and their storefront was not well kept and the carpet stank a little bit and there was a person constantly harassing you just right outside the door to come in and buy something. Your boss would not be happy with your recommendation. The same thing applies for Google when they are taking you to someone’s sight. They want to be the trusted search engine that facilitates you buying something from company advertising on Google.

I have never done SEO for a company before, but if I were given the reigns and told to go forth and do good things. I would first start off by setting the goal of ranking top 5 in Google organic search understanding that the moving target that is SEO can cause me to spend too many hours marketing and not enough time creating the best product I can.

I would look at SEO in 2 different areas.

Area 1: My website

-       The website must be clean, easy to search, succinct, and easy to navigate.

-       Each child page from my website must have its own purpose so as to not muddy my point. That being said each page must easily navigate back to home page.

-       Ensure that keywords are organic or natural and don’t stick out like a sore thumb on my website.

Area 2:  My customers

-       It might be obvious but ensure that I have a good product, let it speak for itself. Ensure that my happy customers tell me that they are happy.

-       If you were Google and determining a ranking with companies wouldn’t you use customers positive comments about a company to rank? This means that I ensure I get my customers give feedback.

Be genuine. As Google starts to create more patches that eliminate the rift raft companies the key is to be genuine and helpful. If you keep that goal and come across that way I don’t see why I wouldn’t meet my goal of top 5 organic searches.

One last thing, if hiring an SEO for your company and they promise a certain ranking, its probably too good to be true.

Google Ad Words

If we really boil it down Google sells key words and statistics to those key words. Google has made its own commodity that doesn’t rely on or care about anything outside of its domain. Google markets itself as a tool that places the world at your fingertips, which gives the company power in the market place (Lee). Understand what keywords to use and how to use them, that the bottom line.

Because Google is able to facilitate consumer decision-making through the use of its search engine, it’s important to understand from a business how to choose key words to place yourself into that decision. Key words are the most important SEO element for every search engine; they are what search strings are matched against. Choosing the right keywords to optimize for is the most crucial step in an SEO campaign.  The goal of you should have when choosing Google key words is to find high traffic keywords that have low competition and this a technique for doing that.

Getting the right string of key words is the goal because of competition for high traffic keywords.  Determining a series of words or a “word string” that is specific to you business or website is the road to take. For example, if your business sold Kitty Litter then you would not pay for the key word Cat. The keyword is too broad increasing the number of competitors on the Google page. Come up with a series of search strings that your customer would utilize to find your website and start from there.

Webconfs.com provides a cool search engine that you place your website’s URL in and it will provide you with keywords.

The next way to effectively use Google is through Google Ad words. Google ad words is a way in which Google advertises a short concise ad to Google consumers search with terms utilized in the ad.  Because Google ad words costs money its important for a business to be smart about how this form of marketing is used.  By utilizing the positive and negative keyword strategy laid out in the video by Koozai a business can target consumers and reduce costs associated with high click through rates.

Both strategies provide ways of determining what goggle words to use and then how to use them. One strategy will fall on its face without the other. 

http://www.webconfs.com/website-keyword-suggestions.php

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDEqHr1jzsw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXpGrx2fKfY

Week 1 Post

I have always been interested both with the scientific and artistic aspect of getting some one to read what you have written. It’s not an easy thing to do in a world that is filled with some much media at the touch of a button.  My first E marketing class started this week and the first topic we addressed was the number one way to market electronically, which is email if you did know. I asked myself how do you get someone to actually open that email, and when you do how do, how do you get them to read it? So utilizing that media at the touch of a button I found some pretty interesting articles.

Let’s answer question number one. How do I get someone to open an email?

Answer 1: Ask yourself does this email actually need to be sent?

This is important, companies often get too email happy when they send out newsletters or begin a marketing campaign. Finding the right balance between not enough emails sent and too many emails sent is important. Too many could drive consumers nuts and not enough could allow them to lose interest.

Answer 2: Use a catchy subject line.

A catchy subject line that draws your customer in is half the battle. Oh and tailor them to your audience.

Got $5? Have we got beer for you!

That would catch my eye because I have $5 and I like beer. On the other hand your grandma probably wouldn’t like this type of subject line.

Question 2: How do you get someone to read your email?

Answer 1: Don’t get caught trying to get your subscribers to do multiple things. Only have one main call to action in your newsletter. Don’t overwhelm your consumer. If your trying to get them to like you on social media don’t muddy that message with trying to get them to download a new feature of your software.

Answer 2:

            Be Provocative

            Be Negative

            Don’t use free, percent, and reminder

            Keep it short

           

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/email-marketing-examples-list

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/9-simple-ways-to-get-people-to-open-your-email/