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Marketing in the Fourth Dimension

Of course not.

That is where Ping.fm steps in.  Ping.fm is a tool that will connect all your social networking platforms together and allow you to post updates to all locations at the same time!

So, take a couple minutes and get a Ping.fm account.

For other ideas on how to leverage social networking tools, contact Fonder Consulting.

One seldom touched social marketing vertical is blog aggregators.

A blog aggregator is, at its core, a blog search engine; but instead of “spidering” for content it relies on blog writers to deliver content to it.

But, what most blog writers don’t realize is that you have to create an account and “claim” your blog in order to get good placement in searches.

So, if you have a blog then start creating and account and claiming your blog on these, top two aggregators: Technorati and Bloglines.

If you are leverage long-tail tools like blog aggregators then contact Fonder Consulting today.

If you have done any research on search engines and how they work you know that a search engine relies on the copy or text on the web page to know what that page is about.

Google can’t listen or watch your video to know what the page is about.

Google can’t look at your images.

Maybe someday (optical character readers are getting better), but right now it is the copy or text on the page that search engines consume.

Because of this there is a phrase in online marketing – “Content is King.”  It is a spinoff of the old business adage – “Cash is King.”

But is content really king?  How can you be sure?

You can be sure the same way Woodward and Bernstein uncovered the Watergate scandal.

Follow the Money!

• YouTube – free video sharing – Sold for over $1.5 Billion
• Bebo – free photo and video sharing – Sold for $850 Million
• MySpace – free community – Sold for $580 Million
• How Stuff Works – free content – Sold for $250 Million
• Photo Bucket – free photo sharing – Sold for $250 Million

Enough said.  Create content and you too can be king in your marketplace, for your business, in your world.

So, you and/or your employees get serious and start writing good content for you customers.  Maybe you review a product in your service area, or maybe you give out some great tips.  You take that key word rich article and you put it on your website or blog… Then you think, is that it? 

No, that isn’t it.

You need to be Article Marketing!

Whoa, back-up, what did he just say?  “Article Marketing?”

Article Marketing simply means you write articles and you submit them to article directories for the entire community to consume.

Here are a couple article directory websites to help you get your article read by more than just the users that come to your website.

EzineArticles.com

Ezine is by far the most popular, and they are the most fanatical.  Every article that is submitted HAS to be original; that is, the article can’t exist on any other website by theirs.  This is good and bad.  The up side is the community (people on the internet) know this and know that if you have it on Ezine then it must not be total crap.  The down side is that you can’t even have it on your own website.  You have to submit to Ezine first, and once approved put it on your own website.

GoArticles.com

GoArticles is very popular and has a good following.  Their editors aren’t as fanatical, so you can have the article on your website first.  Just make sure on your website you put in the author’s name; which has to be the same as your pen-name on GoArticles.  This site is my current favorite.

ArticleBase.com

Another very popular article directory, but they have one major downside…  The links you put in your article are tagged as “no follow.”  That means the links won’t help your pagerank in the search engines.

There are many, many more article directories out there, but here are the top 10 based on popularity.

1. ezinearticles.com
2. articlesbase.com
3. buzzle.com
4. goarticles.com
5. helium.com
6. articlesnatch.com
7. articlealley.com
8. articledashboard.com
9. amazines.com
10. ideamarketers.com

If article marketing is apart of your current marketing startagy, contact Fonder Consulting and we can help you get rockin’!

One thing that I believe every customer wants when landing on your site is proof that you know what you are talking about.

They want something for nothing.  And do you know whrat I say?  Give it to them!

I know this goes against your inner shrewd business person, but trust me (come on, was that well played) this works.

One of the best ways to prove that you are at the top of your industry is to give away helpful hints in the form of a blog (see our tips section).

But to get the most bang for you buck you need to make sure you couple your blog articles with Article Marketing.

Article Marketing is a simple concept, you take the articles or tips that you have written and allow others to put them on their website.  Here is the catch, they have to keep your links in their articles.

Here is a quick step-by-step to get you started doing Article Marketing.

1. Create an account on GoArticles.com.
2. Write a unique and helpful article pertaining to your industry.
3. At the bottom put a line like: “My Business is a leader in My Industry and you can find out more information at: mywebsite.com.”  Of course replace My Business, My Industry and mywebsite.com with your business, industry and website.
4. Link those three phrases to your website, so for example:  Fonder Consulting is a leader in online marketing and website creation and you can find out more information at: http://FonderConsulting.com.  Notice how my business, industry and website are all linked.

Now your article, with links to your website will not only be on GoArticles.com but many other websites that display their content.

To launch an innovative online marketing plan like Article Marketing give us a ring.

NOTE: If you want to submit your articles to more than one place just use your favorite search engine and search for “article directory” – there are tons.

Have you ever gone to a site and took one look…  Then decided to leave because you just didn’t know where to click.

I call this “click freeze” where the user just doesn’t know what to click on, so they click on the back button and leave.

How can you avoid this?  By having a clear definition of online success and filtering the user toward that successful goal.

I know we have all heard the phrase “always be closing” – well – the same thing is true on your website.  Always be funneling your user toward that close.  Keep in mind that a close on your website may not be a sale; no matter what it is – funnel, funnel, funnel.

Take this website (FonderConsulting.com), on every page we are funneling you toward our contact page.  Why?  Because our success metric is either having you call us or fill out the form.  We want to talk to you.

Homework: Go to your website (if you don’t have one, we can create a website for you) and take note of how many times and where on your site are you “closing” the user.

Here is an obvious funnel: Stop scratching your head, contact Fonder Consulting now and have us create a website that funnel in sales. Too over the top?  Maybe.

NOTE: If you want an extreme example of “click freeze” go to: HavenWorks.com

One of your sales reps has just come back from a sales call (if you don’t have sales reps, pretend) and you are in the debriefing meeting.  You are going over how the meeting went and what the outcome was; we can put these outcomes in order of most successful to least successful.

1. Has a check in hand.
2. Has a Purchase Order in hand.
3. Has a request for a quote.
4. Has a follow-up meeting.
5. Has a “call me later.”
6. Has a “don’t ever come back.”

You have to do the same thing with your website.  What is a successful user experience on your website?  If you have a website make a list (if you don’t, we can create rocking website for you).

The list might include a sale if you have an eCommerce website.  The list might include a quote request.  If you are a brick and mortar business, then success might be printing out a map to your location.  Maybe it is a phone call.  Whatever you define success as, just make sure it can be tracked.  You wouldn’t pay a sales rep who didn’t make any sales.  Why keep your website if it doesn’t produce success.

Let Fonder Consulting help you define and achieve success in your business.

Viral Marketing, Social Bookmarking, Social Networking; what does it all mean?

There are so many different types of alternative forms of online marketing now, it is hard to keep them all straight.  It is even harder to figure out which is right for you.

Social Bookmarking

Social Bookmarking is simply taking your favorite web links and making them public for all to share.  The added benefit is that you can find all your bookmarks in one place if you are using somebody else’s computer.  How does this help from a marketing front?  Social Bookmarking would fall under the “every little bit helps” category.

Users searching the web can stumble onto your bookmarks and decide to explore them.  There is a side benefit of generating back-links to your site, but that is conversation for another day.

Social Networking

Social Networks are websites that allow users to interact with each other, so instead of every user being a passive “reader” – each user is an active “participant” of the shared ideas.  The most famous Social Networking website is probably Facebook.  Facebook allows its users to share photos, video, messages, links and much more.  But there is a catch, only your “friends” can view what you are posting, so in a sense, you are only reaching the people you know already.

I would say that is the first mistake small business owners make when marketing via a social network, they don’t take into account who can actually view their offer.

My favorite social network is YouTube.  YouTube is a social network for people who enjoy video.  You can leverage this social network by generating your own videos to reach them.

Viral Marketing

Viral Marketing is a loose term that just means you are going to market your product using your users as hosts to your message (virus).  Viral Marketing can be done via social bookmarking or social networking.

If you want to turn your product into a virus that spreads – contact us.

I would say the most common question that is asked of me is: “How do I get my website on the first page of Google – FAST?” I always respond with Google AdSense. Google AdSense is the program that displays the paid advertisements on the right side of any Google search results pages. They are quick and easy to set-up and in minutes you can be on the first page of Google.

Do you know what the second question is… “Well how do I do it for free?”

That is where Google Local comes in. Google Local provides the Google Map results that show on the first page of any Google search result page. They are usually presented in a “lettered” list with little red “push pin” icons on a map to show you all the listings.

Did you know that these listings are 100% FREE? Did you know that with these listings you can list many informational items on your business such as: phone number, website, description, hours of operation and even coupons. All you have to do to get listed in Google Local is follow the steps outlined in this “how-to” manual.

Do you need a website for your small business, ask me how to get off the ground.