Organic SEO vs Pay Per Click- Where to spend your Advertising dollars

On September 21st, 2010, wrote:

When looking for targeted search traffic for your website, there are two popular ways in which to get these results – Organic search, which we believe is the best SEO ever, and PPC, which stands for pay per click advertising – in our case we talk about Google ads. In order to choose which is best for your website you must first understand the advantages and disadvantages of each. PPC is all those ads you see on right column Google, Yahoo and Bing. Webmasters pay a specific amount of money for each click to their website from the various search results or ads placed on websites. With Google, you will find these ads on the right side, at the top of the searches or on web pages. Of course, in order to get the best location on the search page, you will have to pay a higher per click amount. On the good side, you will only pay if someone – Read the full article

Email Etiquette in the Time of Social Media

On August 22nd, 2010, wrote:

E-mail: it’s one of the earliest and most widely used forms of communication on the Internet, even in the age of Twitter, Facebook, mobile apps, and social media. It can also be one of the most scandalous – and potentially one of the most embarrassing – sources of personal information, or just plain bad manners. Indeed, a lot of people can do with a little primer on E-mail etiquette in today’s world – regardless of whether they’re corresponding for business purposes, sending important information to various recipients, or marketing through E-mail. So for the sake of those who aren’t quite sure whether or not they have been misbehaving on E-mail, here are a few must-follow tips on E-mail etiquette: Keep it short and sweet E-mail marketers should be familiar with this rule. The longer your E-mail message is, the higher the chances are that your recipients are not going to read all the way through it. It’s a sad fact – Read the full article

Why You Should Outsource Content Creation and Copywriting

On May 14th, 2010, wrote:

One of the more interesting trends in Internet marketing today is the idea of outsourcing content creation and copywriting. Here’s how it works: you run a small business, you become too busy with work, and on top of that – as though your calendar wasn’t crazy enough, as though you actually had time – you find yourself having to refresh your website or company blog with new, engaging content. You have to meet the demand for new, diverse information about your product, your brand, your industry. And you’re not even a writer by profession. One can only do so much, right? If only you can leave the writing to those who do it for a living. Enter your team of freelance writers, eager to develop content and copy for your site. They may be regular readers of your blog, looking to contribute their own content; they may be freelancing neighbors from just around the corner; or they may come from – Read the full article

How the Apple iPad Can Change eCommerce

On April 20th, 2010, wrote:

The recent release of the Apple iPad tablet computer has set the world abuzz – and not just the technology world. Industry experts say that the iPad is a game-changing device that can revolutionize the way we live, play, consume media content, and use the Internet. In other words, it’s not just for tech lovers and Apple fans; it’s also for regular people who aren’t exactly savvy in gadgets. Furthermore, many marketers are already pointing out the iPad’s potential impact on the eCommerce industry. The eCommerce industry is already pretty big right now, but it’s about to get bigger: online sales are projected to reach $335 billion by the year 2012 – and that’s in the U.S. alone. With the arrival of the Apple iPad, it’s safe to assume that new trends, technologies, and platforms supporting the online retail industry will continue to emerge. Here’s why. Same Channels, Richer Experience The Apple iPad is a state-of-the-art media consumption device that – Read the full article

YouTube introduces new features: YouTube Direct and Automatic Captions

On December 1st, 2009, wrote:

YouTube recently introduced new features that give generations of video content creators new ways to connect with billions of viewers every day. The first is YouTube Direct, an open-source tool that lets users embed the upload functionality of YouTube directly into their own sites. YouTube Direct is designed to bridge closer connections between individual users and news, media, and business organizations. Image via Now Public “Almost any event that takes place today has a chance of being captured on camera,” a statement reads on the Google blog. “As YouTube has become a global platform for sharing the news, media organizations have been looking for a good way to connect directly with citizen reporters on our site….” That’s why YouTube direct lets users upload videos directly into the application, such that others can request, review, verify, and rebroadcast their clips. Of course, these videos stay live on YouTube, so that users can reach other viewers while getting a chance for broader – Read the full article

Tips for a Successful PPC Campaign

On November 25th, 2009, wrote:

Looking to stretch your advertising dollars? Try implementing a PPC (pay per click) campaign. It’s cheap. It’s ideal for small businesses. It’s not as costly as producing a full-blown advertising or Internet marketing campaign. It’s also can be very effective if executed correctly. Getting your money’s worth on PPC advertising means coming up first with a good strategy. A lot of people think that a PPC campaign can be hastily thrown together – “okay, I’ve chosen my keywords – I’m done!” – and they are the ones who are most prone to making costly mistakes. So, before you go about launching your own PPC campaign, take a look first at these helpful tips. They won’t just help you save money; it will also maximize your money and, subsequently, your sales potential. Keyword Selection Choose keywords wisely, and cast your net broadly. Of course you want a high PPC ranking. But that doesn’t mean you have to get the most popular – Read the full article

Secrets for Creating Effective Email Marketing

On November 24th, 2009, wrote:

So you’re thinking of implementing an E-mail campaign. The challenge is obvious: what can you really do to make sure that those E-mails get opened and read before they’re sent to trash? Cool, sleek graphics? A hard-to-resist subject line? Persuasive copy? Below we explore more tips and strategies for creating a successful E-mail campaign. Of course, these extend beyond hiring the best graphic artist in the world, or waxing poetic on the sales pitch contained in your E-mail. Use A/B split testing Success often comes after lots of trial and error. Better, of course, if it’s trial instead of error. So try A/B split tests. These entail experimenting with E-mail campaigns by using different headlines and content. Find out from these tests the answers to questions like: Which subject line gets me better open rates? What time and what day works best for my E-mail campaign? Are times and dates even factors in my click rate? There’s lots of A/B – Read the full article

Why Magento is Your Best eCommerce Solution

On October 30th, 2009, wrote:

It is tough to sell these days – even tougher if you try to do it online. It’s not just the similar businesses and stores in the neighborhood you would suddenly be competing against. Take it online, and you’re competing against the whole world. But times are changing, and often your online presence is critical to the success of your company. That’s where the customer base is obviously moving towards. In the US alone, ecommerce totaled over $200 billion in sales. In running an online store, one of the important first steps is finding the best ecommerce solution for your business. At Lakeshore Branding we use Magento, a versatile open-source cross-platform content management system that aims to handle all aspects of building and maintaining your ecommerce site. It is dubbed as the “platform for growth” for businesses looking to take it online and to the next level. We agree. What’s best about Magento is its robust set of features, scalable – Read the full article