Welcome To MyFace- Using Social Media

The current proliferation of social media sites is the most pervasive phenomenon on the Internet today. Not since the dot.com explosion has the there been an Internet trend that is so widespread in its popularity. Social media is here to stay. Maybe not all the big names will survive, but the concept will. In the meantime, I jokingly refer to the Industry as MyFace.

Social media has brought about a profound change to the online visitor’s experience. By utilizing popular social media websites, you can experience an enormous increase in your own website’s traffic.

Listed below are 8 simple steps to follow:

1. Declare who you are to the online community. People should be able to relate to you. Create an About Us (Me) profile page and list your company’s achievements, abilities and aspirations.
2. Create a MySpace or Facebook page and link your biographical page (step one) to your social media profile. Don’t forget to link back to your website as well. Spend at least one hour per week developing your network. Invite friends to write blog articles about your website, products or services.
3. Install a Blog on your website and publish at least one article a week. Be certain to provide an easy "bookmarking" feature to "bookmarking" websites such as del.icio.us.
4. Provide visitors with a forum. This will encourage users to discuss your products and services. Do not delete negative comments; however, be certain to censor hate speeches and bantering. Register your forum at BoardTracker- a forum search engine.
5. Provide RSS feeds for new products, blogs, forum postings, etc. An RSS feed provides "tidbits" about your content. Internet users often use RSS readers to scan "tidbits" and visit your website for more information if tidbits interest them.
6. Create short "how-to" or new product videos and post them in social video sharing sites like YouTube and Google video. Provide a few start and end frames in these videos to introduce your site with your site URL. Post these videos using catchy titles, "tidbit" descriptions, and appropriate tags; making them easy to discover.
7. Use social photo sharing websites, such as Flickr and Photobucket, to share pictures related to your business, products or services.
8. Provide a "Tell a Friend" feature to your website. This feature will send articles, product/service descriptions and savings announcements to selected recipients via email.

Weal-Dream-It

7 Basic Rules For Online Marketing

Successful Internet marketing strategies can drive significant, targeted consumer traffic to your website, blog, or sales page. However, once the traffic arrives it needs to be converted into sales.

Listed below are my 7 basic rules to follow when planning your Internet marketing campaign. These rules are relevant to all forms of marketing but are especially important online; where inexperienced marketers can "burn" money quickly and become very discouraged.

Rule #1: Marketing Involves Risk
Whether embarking on an innovative marketing endeavour or "copying" a fruitful strategy, there will be an element of risk.
This element can be managed by

• conducting proper keyword research,



• performing successful ad writing,



• article marketing and



• pay-per-click campaigns.
  

Each of these facets will give you an indication of what sparks the interest of your target market.

Rule #2: Perform A Small Test
The element of risk can once again be reduced with careful planning and research.
Test your marketing approach on a focused group. If your concept shows signs of success, then gradually increase your efforts and create momentum.

Rule #3: Consistency
Most successful marketers are highly motivated.
Before the completion of each and every day, create a list of 5 accomplishments you will make the following day.
Make this a daily habit. Be consistent in your efforts.

Rule #4: Set a Budget
Be aware of what you can afford. This practice will allow you to set and properly manage your marketing expectations. Wasting money can be very discouraging.

Rule #5: Diversification
In an ongoing effort to reduce your risk and determine what marketing efforts are successful, spread your approach over as many sources as you can afford. For every small failure, you move a step closer to giant successes.

Rule #6: Learn How To Write Effective Copy
Copyrighting is a necessary skill in Internet marketing. You must be proficient in writing captivating headlines and body text.

Rule #7: Tracking
In order to derive the necessary information from your campaign results, it is absolutely essential that you utilize proper tracking methods. You must benchmark to gauge the success, no matter how large or tiny it manifests itself to be.

http://www.cornwallshoppingcentre.ca/

SEO Basics- No Charge.

What will legitimate search engine optimization firms charge? Like most things, prices are varied; however, if the price is extremely low you can be assured that the quality of the service will match the price. I caution you to stay way from anything that offers a "quick solution".

If you do a search for SEO pricing from reliable search engine firms you will find that although prices vary, fees of $2,500 per month on an annual contract ($30,000 per year) are not uncommon. Of course some firms charge less and others charge a great deal more; all depending on their location, size and condition of your website, and exactly what services you need performed.

Legitimate SEO companies will provide valuable services such as:

• target market analysis,
• keyword analysis,
• content massaging,
• code modifications,
• link implementation strategy, and
• metric analysis.

What happens when Google changes their algorithms? You guessed correctly. Your Company will "ante-up" and the addiction continues. "Search engine optimization has become the crack-cocaine of Web-based businesses."

The assumption that better search engine visibility and more traffic will automatically increase sales, is faulty logic. Considering that increased search engine visibility will produce more web-traffic, if your website does not engage the visitor, and hold their attention for two to three minutes; the chances of converting that visitor to a paying customer are minimal.

If your search engine tactics work, they will not only increase your search engine ranking, but also drive traffic to your website. At this point, utilizing realistic conversion rates of 2-3%, how much traffic do you have to generate to pay for the $30K of SEO expertise?

Based on a $30K annual investment in SEO and a 20% Net Profit you must generate $150,000 in new sales just to pay for the SEO fees. At a 3% conversion rate, and an average sale amount of $100 per transaction, that translates into 50,000 unique new visitors per year to your website; just to pay for your SEO campaign. Sadly at this point you still haven't increased the profit in your bottom line.

As a quick point of reference...Every business has a different "average sales amount", and generally speaking it is safe to assume the higher the selling price the lower the "conversion rate".
A company generating $150,000 in Web-revenues, attracting 25,000 "unique visitors" per year, and utilizing an "average sale price" of $395.95; has a "conversion rate" of 1.5%.

Want To Calculate your Conversion Rate?

Conversion Rate = [(Total Web Sales / Unique Web Traffic) / Average Sales Price] x 100

A Proactive Approach

Dealing With The Soaring Canadian Dollar

When the "Loonie" was low, many Canadian businesses profited from exports to the United States. Now that the Canadian dollar has climbed steadily, and is likely to outpace the American currency for years to come; small business needs to develop a proactive strategy to remain competetive in the evolving marketplace. Canadian merchants simply cannot sit idle and watch as the tidal flows of exchange rates determine their future.

"When 'no decision' is your final decision, then it becomes a decision that is far worse, than making the wrong decision would have been in the first place."

- Kristoffer Howes, President & CEO- The Weal Media Group

A Proactive Response

The initial reaction of most, would be to simply halt exports to the United States. This is definitely not the answer. This type of negative action would open the door to U.S. exporters, eager to import cheaper items for sale in the Canadian marketplace.
When developed early and applied properly, there are four (4) effective strategies to mitigate the financial pitfalls of a powerful Canadian "Loonie":

1) Match Currencies When Possible
When Canadian-made goods increase in price in the U.S. market as a result of changes in currency value, it is reasonable to suggest that raw materials found there would also be cheaper. However, with the price of oil resting at around $100/barrel, make certain that the perceived savings are not eaten up by freight and transportation costs. As another option, some developing nations such as China and India, often trade in U.S. currency.

2) Seek-out Foreign Markets
Actively search for foreign markets where the Canadian dollar is received more favourably than the U.S. "Green-Back". Often in these countries, the price of Canadian goods are not as high or burdensome as they are in the United States. This motivates a new market of global consumers.

3) Review The Product Mix
Management needs to consider related products that can be easily produced or distributed, and in turn generate higher profits for the Company. In the short term, the wider profit margins will subsidise products that have been negatively affected by the recent currency shifts.

4) Review Productivity
Capital investment in innovative equipment that enhances productivity and reduces labour costs must be considered as part of a revised business plan. Regrettably, labour costs in Canada were staggering before the dollar began it's rise; now as a result of recent changes in currency values, the global costs have risen another 20%.

A Time For Action- Final Thoughts

Under the emerging currency trends, not all companies will remain viable in the future. When determining the long-term viablibilty of a business, it is important to seek the honest opinion of a trusted third party; such as a reputable financial institution.

Consider a properly conducted liquidation. Often, this will result in a restructured, highly viable operation, that operates efficiently and with significantly less risk. A strong example is the Company that makes a smooth transition from manufacturing to distribution.

A carefully developed and regularly maintained website is a reliable vehicle for achieving success in any or all of the above mentioned strategies. When considering your online presence, be certain that it properly reflects who you are and where you are going. Be aware of how your website appears to those from other cultures; even to those members within your country or continent. The Internet is home to the Global Consumer.

SEO- An Introduction

Simply put, Search Engine Optimization is the art and science of creating web pages that are more attractive to Internet search engines. Most Internet businesses consider search engine optimization to be a major contributor to any successful marketing plan or program.

How did the need for "optimizing" a website come about?

In the dark ages of the Internet, circa the mid 90's, SEO was born. In its infancy, search engine optimization was basic. Many available "search engines" were no more than web scouring directories that could extract (a bit) more relevant data from a website, than was originally submitted by the website’s owner. Nevertheless, a good search engine was able to perform a discriminatory evaluation and assign a weight or ranking, based on the relevance of the website's informational content, keywords, description, textual and graphic milieu. Although the early search engine spiders were able to extract and assess data, a large portion of a website's high search engine ranking still depended greatly on quality material, submitted by a webmaster.

Webmasters soon realized that by utilizing various “black-hat” techniques they could easily improve their website's search engine ranking. One such popular technique was to greatly increase the use of keywords, often to huge multiples, and have them hidden in the background of a website.

A higher query ranking meant more visitors, and in turn, (usually) more money. A concept all webmasters easily understand.

Enter the search engine algorithm.

"Algorithm" is possibly one of the least understood words commonly found on the Internet. In this application, it means the strict system of instructions the search engine spider follows in its endeavor to correctly rank websites. If a search engine operator wishes his or her algorithm to include instructions to assign the lowest rank to all websites with the word "blue" in them, anyone who sold “Blue-Ray Hi-Def” or “Blues” music would be devastated by their revised ranking.

As webmasters got more creative about subverting the existing algorithms, the search engines tweaked their formulas to counter the tricks and ploys. One major change adopted by search engines was the weight it placed on the presentations and protestations of webmasters. As such, they successfully developed software capable of deeply investigating the website itself; and then equate a quasi-logical determination about what it found.

A search engine will consider:

• the website’s domain name


• all the words applied in the title


• how often keywords appear


• how close keywords are together


• the sequence in which keywords appear


• the "ALT" attributes attached to images


• the META tags


• Most important of all, the search engine looks at the textual content of the website.

Based upon these findings, the search engine formulates a decision on 1) how all of these factors come together, 2) how they match the claims of the webmaster and 3) how they meet the expectations of search engine clients.

Again it seems, "Content is king!"

http://www.cornwallshoppingcentre.ca/

Land or Domain?

“Choosing the right domain name is much like selecting a suitable plot of land on which to build your first home. Your domain is an investment. Seek out a nice neighborhood that is well priced and shows real promise for the future. Have confidence in the name you have chosen.”

- Kristoffer Howes, President & CEO

Listed below are 8 carefully selected factors to consider when purchasing a domain name:

"TLD” or Top Level Domain

This is the extension that appears at the end of a domain name, such as .com, .ca, .net, .org, etc.
All other factors considered equal, a .com name will (often) sell for nearly four times (4x) the otherwise equivalent domain, registered in any other common global extension. Global extensions include .net, .org, and .info.

The .mobi extension, utilized for content to be delivered to mobile devices, is rapidly gaining value and popularity.

Some country specific domains, such as .co.uk and .de (Germany) are very prestigious, and can, in certain instances, command high prices.

It is hoped that one day the .tv extension will be used in connection with Internet enabled TV. Until hardware, distribution, and media companies are able resolve profit-sharing differences, sales of these domains will only occasionally result in high prices.

Number of Words

Single "real word" domains (no misspellings or abbreviations), especially in easily monetizable Internet industries, can be enormously valuable; particularly when accompanied by the .com extension.

Two word domains, without misspellings or abbreviations, are also quite valuable if the domain name is easily monetized, and the TLD is of high quality.

Values plunge when considering domain names with three words or more.

Content

Domain names containing misspellings, abbreviations, hyphens, special characters not found on a standard keyboard, or other text oddities often have very little value.

Domain names containing a phrase that is trademarked are very likely worth nothing. The registered trademark owner could be in a legal position to summarily confiscate the domain from you.

Can The Domain Name Be Monetized?

Website monetizing is the process of converting existing traffic into revenue. For example, Google Adsense is a popular method of monetizing a website.

In this application, how attractive is your domain name to motivated online consumers? Will the name itself generate traffic?

The extent, to which a domain name can be monetized, has a major influence on its value.
Domains in the Sex, Financial, and Health industries often top the list in terms of high value sales.

Generic vs. Non-Generic

Generic domains are generally more valuable than non-generic ones.

A generic domain name is one that contains only real words (ones you can find in a dictionary), and has no contribution from proper names (first or last).

Generic .com domain names in highly monetizable industries are immensely valuable and are, for the most part, very difficult to secure.

Number of Letters

Three letter .com names can be the most valuable, even if they mean nothing.

Four letter .com names usually need to be pronounceable to have any value. They do not need have to be real words found in the dictionary (cool sounding four letter .com names can be very brand able, even if they are created).

When your domain name reaches five letters or more, the value is driven by the quality of the word or words (generic vs. non-generic, monetizable vs. non- monetizable, etc.).

When surpassing 8-9 letters, the value tends to decrease substantially unless the domain name is highly monetizable.

Branding

Domain names that are easy to say and remember, easy to type in, highly reflective of predictable monetizable content, and/or generate a lot of "type-in" traffic (people typing your domain name directly into the address box in their browser rather than finding your domain via a search engine) are highly sought after. These domain names may have significant worth.

E-Market Size and Profitability

This factor directly impacts how easily the domain name can be monetized. Products and services that do not lend themselves to the e-marketplace (directly, or indirectly through selling ad space) will (most often) have little value.

http://www.cornwallshoppingcentre.ca/

Content Revisited

A recent study by OPA and Nielsen/Net Ratings showed that Internet users are spending more time than ever on content based websites:
i. Commerce: 13.8%
ii. Communications: 32.0%
iii. Content: 49.6%
iv. Search: 4.5%

With the popularity of blogs and social media websites on the rise, it's no wonder that people are spending more time than ever reading online. While time spent researching and gathering information over the Internet has increased, consumer shopping activity has decreased; down over 2% from a year before. This could be attributed to the thrifty online “window shopper”. The CIUS indicated that 60% of those consumers who research products and services on the Internet, followed through with a purchase directly from a merchant’s “brick and mortar” store.

Having a reliable database of information to assist visitors in making an informed decision, such as a glossary, FAQ, helpful tutorials, etc. will improve your visitor's overall shopping experience and increase the odds of conversions and return visits. The ultimate goal is to lead consumers to a confident, final sale; either from your e-commerce website or your doorstep.

This can be accomplished by creating a satisfying user experience and providing the correct balance of information and entertainment. Motivated shoppers need these to achieve their conversion goal.

Listed below area number of proven methods:

i. ratings and reviews
ii. blogs to convey important and relevant industry information
iii. useful tips and demonstrative tutorials
iv. an information database (glossary, FAQ)

The best ecommerce websites do not build content around their products. Instead, developers build a strong community around a product’s interest or appeal. Website founders create a place where like-minded consumers can visit, gain valuable information, learn more about featured products and share comments, questions or concerns.

By constructing a dependable online community, developers not only sell more products and services, they build brand recognition and customer loyalty as well.