Optimize Your Facebook Page

You know that as an online marketer you need to optimize your website. What you might not realize is that you could benefit from optimizing your Facebook page as well. The more that social media becomes a key element in online marketing, the more important it is for you to focus your efforts there.

Facebook has over 900 million active users and it's still growing. It's the perfect place for a business owner to market their products and services. Social media marketing allows you to connect with your target audience in a more effective way than ever before. It's a perfect opportunity for you to build a connection with your customers.

On Facebook you can target keywords by customizing your URL. Even your Facebook page can rank for targeted keyword searches. The constant addition of fresh content will also help your page get attention. With proper Facebook marketing you can be sure that your company won't fade into obscurity.

You took time to write an article, take pictures, make a video, and so on. You put time and effort into it and now you want to share it with other people. Don't let the content that you put so much hard work into get lost on the internet. Facebook helps you quickly distribute your content to large groups of people at one time. By posting links on your Facebook page you can draw more people to your blog and website faster than ever before.

It's important that you link your Facebook page to your other profiles. The more chances your audiences have to connect with you the better. Encourage your customers to follow you across multiple platforms and set aside time every day to interact with these people.

Marketing with Facebook is simple as long as you're willing to put in a genuine effort. With just a little bit of work you can see a noticeable rise in your sales.

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Choosing the Right Content

You already know that content is an important piece of your marketing campaign. You need to dedicate time to creating fresh, informative content that will get consumers buzzing about your business. But that doesn't mean your content must be limited to written articles. There are many ways to include content on your website, and you need to determine which works best for your needs.

The bottom line is that all your SEO efforts will be meaningless if your content can't keep people interested. The goal is to engage your audience and if you're not doing that you won't keep new prospects interested. So figure out what your audience really wants, and make that happen.

The most common type of content is written. Written content allows the writer to demonstrate their knowledge and worth in the industry. It's informative and easily recognized by search engines. From blog articles to status updates, written content can accomplish many marketing goals and can open doors of communication. Unfortunately, because it's still the most widely used content type you might have to put in extra effort to make your content stand out.

Another versatile content method is video marketing. People enjoy the ease of watching a video, and videos add more opportunity to be entertaining, which means they're great for drawing people in. You can record a question and answer session, make a webinar, or create a traditional ad. Though more difficult to rank on search engines, videos are great for reaching consumers.

Perhaps the most popular form of content is online images. People want to share things and sharing photos online is easy for them to do. Think about all of the options: still shots, artwork, memes, and more. You can turn anything into an image, from a fun collage to an information chart. The versatility of images makes them advantageous to all marketers, especially as image sharing websites like Pinterest become more widely used.

Audio content comes in the forms of podcasts, recorded interviews, or even songs. Though not as accessible as video content, audio has been slowly gaining popularity over the years. Audio is great for drawing in people who want something to listen to, without having to commit their full attention to watching a video.

Remember that it's probably not wise to pick one form of content and stay with it. Written content might always be your strongest point, but you can still benefit from adding the occasional video. Variety will get consumers to notice you. It'll keep them coming back to your website. By exploring more than one media option you'll be able to reach a more diverse group of people, meaning that you'll see your business steadily expand.

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Optimizing your Facebook Page

Business owners understand the importance of SEO. They understand the importance of having a Facebook page. But the importance of merging the two is often overlooked. The truth is, optimizing your Facebook page is just as profitable as optimizing your company's website.

Start with your photos. Most people look at photos before they look at anything else. With the introduction of Facebook timeline you now have the space to put a cover photo as well as a main profile picture. Many companies are getting creative with designs for this feature. Aesthetics are important and can strongly influence a prospects decision to do business with you. Choose an image that is both unique and relevant to your brand. Take the time to think about what your photos are saying and you'll be sure to catch people's eye.

With the pin and highlight feature brands are now able to call attention to the most important pieces of their content. By emphasizing certain posts, you'll be able to ensure that your customers can get the most from your Facebook page after just a quick glance.

Next you can personalize the views section to increase the visibility of other page sections. You should also think about implementing apps into your campaign. The overall goal of your Facebook page is to engage with your fans as much as possible. Apps are a great way to promote this.

Another way to get your fans involved in your company is by taking advantage of milestones. Your customers will now be able to share key moments in your company's history. Your fans can even become more active participants by including their own, personal milestones with your brand. Milestones, if used correctly, can be a great way to connect with the people who visit your page.

When you're planning your SEO strategy, don't forget your Facebook page. By making your page both attractive and functional you can bring customers in and keep them interested.

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Get More Facebook Comments

It's important to create online enthusiasm about your products and services. An effective way to get people excited about your company is by letting them see how excited other people are. Facebook can help you do this.

Comments on your posts can be a very effective marketing tool. So, how do you get your fans to leave you comments? It might require some time and effort, but getting more comments and letting other people promote your business for you is very possible.

People won't comment on something that doesn't interest them. This means your posts need to be compelling and relevant. Give people something to talk about and they'll be happy to do the rest. By being aware of what topics are hot right now, and what your audience is most likely to discuss you can easily increase your Facebook post comments.

Asking people questions is a good way to get a response. You could even create an online poll. When it comes to making your products or services even better, your customers will be happy to respond to you and give you the feedback you need.

Users are more inclined to comment on pictures and videos than text based posts. They're also more inclined to post on fun topics. Don't always make it all about business. Sometimes it's okay to go off topic. It'll help your fans feel more of a personal connection to you which makes them more likely to comment on your post.

Post often and be sure to include some calls to action to get people to participate. Figure out when people are most likely to respond to your posts and focus on posting in that time frame. Make sure that you take time to respond to your fans comments as well.

Your fans are ready to comment on your posts. You need to give them the opportunity to do it. The more people that post the more your prospects will be inclined to let that positive feedback influence their decision to give your business a chance.

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Preventing Content Mistakes

New online advertising methods are emerging at a rapid rate. Many business owners allow this to blind them to a simple truth- a great website that holds great content will always be the most valuable marketing tool.

Content is something that many business owners get wrong. Fortunately, it's also something that's easy to fix. With just a little time and care you can avoid the most commonly made content mistakes. Here's how:

Unfocused content is a problem that plagues many websites. It's easy to forget that sometimes the simplest way to say something is also the best. Don't make your readers search pages of content for the point you're trying to make. They'll quickly get bored and leave your site. Be clear and concise and you'll find that your message comes across much better.

Have you been wondering why no one is filling out your contact form or signing up for your newsletter? The answer might be simpler than you thought. The visitors to your website might need to be plainly asked to do so. Including a call-to-action in your content is a quick change that can get you big results.

Another frequent mistake on websites is too many ads. There's nothing wrong with advertising, but as with everything there needs to be a balance. You don't want your content to weave through a page full of ads. Not only will this be difficult to read, it will distract from the message of your company, which is the last thing that you want to do.

Examine your website and ask yourself who you seem to be writing for- your clients or the search engines. If you answer with the latter, there's a problem. Yes, your website needs to include carefully chosen keywords. But it should not be saturated with them. Keyword stuffing will only hurt your ability to draw in business in the long run. Business owners should optimize their content, but take care to never overdo it.

Your ultimate goal should always be to keep the people visiting your website engaged. With the right content on your site making this happen will be easy. Clean up your content today and see the rise in your web traffic.

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How to Choose the Right Social Network

We all know by now how important it is for a business or brand to engage with its audience through social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Social media is an easy, affordable way to build a rapport with your target market and to establish a meaningful, two-way conversation with them. But before haphazardly joining the latest, trendiest social media sites, you need to make sure that the people you are trying to reach will be there. Otherwise, there really is no point in wasting your time and resources building up profiles on sites that no one uses. So, before you start setting up those profiles, make sure you are where you need to be. Following are a few easy ways to figure out which social media sites are right for you.

Real World Interactions

If you operate a brick-and-mortar business—that is, one that has a physical location offline—you should prominently advertise your social media accounts. You could put up a large banner in a heavy trafficked area of your store, letting your customers know where they can find you online. You should also train your staff to start informal conversations about social media with your customers, informing them about any discounts/special offers they can find on your social media profiles. This is also a good opportunity to ask them which sites they frequent and which ones they think will be a good fit for your business. If your staff keeps detailed notes on any feedback they got, you will start to see a clearer picture of which sites, besides the ubiquitous Facebook, your customers frequent.

Surveys

The easiest thing to do when you need answers is to simply ask. So, if you want to know where your customers go online, creating a short survey is an extremely simple and effective way to find out the information you seek. Keep it short and sweet if you want anyone to actually respond. Just ask your customers what social networks they actively use and which ones they would suggest a business like yours participates in. You can also solicit customer feedback through your print or online newsletter, by including an insert in the monthly bills you send out or by adding a few questions to your online contact form. If you present your questions honestly and sincerely, explaining that you are still learning how to navigate the social media world and could really use their input, you will greatly increase your response rate.

Online Sleuthing

Checking your website analytics is the most accurate way to find out which social media sites your audience is using. By looking at the “Referring Sites” area of your analytics program, you will see which social networks are sending you the most traffic. This is very useful, for if you see that the lion’s share of your traffic is coming from a site that you aren’t using, then you will have found out where your audience is and where you should be. Another online method for determining where your target market spends its time is through your customer mailing list. Most social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter, have a “Find Friends” tool wherein you put in your contacts’ email addresses to see if they are using the site. While it may seem a bit creepy or stalkerish to track your customers this way, it’s purely for research so you can learn which social media sites are the most popular among your existing clientele.

As you can see, it needn’t be complicated or expensive to find out where your customers and prospects spend their time online. Once you’ve determined which sites are the most popular among your demographic, then you will be able to fully harness the power of social media.

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How to Make Your Site ‘Juicy’

One of the most important tenets of SEO is link building. Volumes have been written about the importance of establishing a good backlink profile—not only will it demonstrate your value and relevance to your audience, it will enable you to rank higher in the search engines so more people will be able to find you. It can be challenging at times to come up with new ideas for creating these links. Following are a few “outside of the box” ideas that can help you gain the brand recognition and high rankings you want.

Provide Value

The best way to entice people to link to you is by providing something tangible that will make their lives easier. For example, if you have the knowledge and the capabilities, you could try creating a free tool or software program that will help other website owners manage their sites easier and outrank their competition. You could also develop a Firefox or Chrome plugin. These plugins are very popular and, if done correctly, can be very useful. Before diving in and developing a new tool, program or plugin, make sure you carefully research what is already out there so you don’t simply copy something that’s already been done. Remember—you are trying to assert your brand’s value and relevance, so take the time to do your homework and create something that is unique and useful.

Get Out There

Sometimes you need to venture outside of the online world in order to take advantage of some good linking opportunities. Joining a business group will enable you to get “face time” with others who belong to the same niche as you and is a great way to create awareness of your brand. If you covet the difficult-to-earn .edu link, you should consider contacting local colleges in your area to see if you can book a speaking gig. Whether you decide to do a presentation on an industry topic for a specific class or if you choose to hold a seminar for the Career Center, you will probably get at least a few links back to your site from the college’s different departmental websites.

Be Proactive

Effective link building requires constant effort and upkeep and if you want to be successful with it; you can’t just sit back and wait. Instead, you need to always be thinking of ways that you can improve your link juice. One thing you should do is set up a Google Alert to track any time one of your branded keywords is mentioned. Check out every site that mentions you to see if they are linking to you properly and if they’re not, contact the webmasters right away so you can get the link juice that’s rightfully yours. You may also want to consider purchasing an existing blog; this way, you don’t have to build up everything from scratch and you can link this back to the main page of your website. Although you will still need to update this blog regularly, you won’t have to take the time to build up an entirely new one.

The important thing to remember when it comes to link building is to not discount anything. Flexibility and creativity are key to successful link building; “juice” can be in the most unexpected places, so keep your options open!

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