Almost every company has some sort of rules set in place when it comes to social networking / online behavior and the office—do not “connect” with people in the office on a personal account, do not talk about the company on a personal account, do not talk about anything that happens on a social networking account in the office, etc. However, a company really cannot tell someone what they can and cannot do on their personal accounts if it does not involve the company. People also have free reign when it comes to commenting on different articles across the Web, and it is impossible for a company to monitor this at all times. For this reason, companies often have to deal with behavior online that may not be up to company standards. The reason social media is so popular is because you can be yourself. You can promote something professionally and help build your personal brand, or you can connect – Read the full article
Spelling/Grammar It sounds obvious but millions of pieces of content are published each and every day on the Web with spelling mistakes, typos and grammatical/punctuation-related errors. It’s not so much a problem if you’re not great at spelling, but if this is the case, ensure that a spell checker is used, ensure that any copy is processed using various proofreading tools before making it to publication. There is nothing worse than trying to read content on the Web that is riddled with mistakes; it’s also a conversion killer if you work in a professional service / industry. It only takes a second; always ensure you perform a spell check if you need to. Be Different Don’t regurgitate topics that have been written to death already. No one wants to read anything that is the same as hundreds of other articles they’ve read. Offer your insights, opinions and own take on the subject at hand to make it more engaging for – Read the full article
Somewhere out there, a person is talking about you. Your business. Your brand. Of course, you’ll want to listen and join the conversation. You have to, right? The Internet, though, is a pretty big place. If before, the reviews and comments of your customers only came in literally by word of mouth – well, today that’s no longer the case. A bad review on a site like Yelp or Google Places, a nasty blog entry by a vindictive, loud-mouthed critic, an unflattering picture of your establishment posted online, or even just a single unfavorable tweet: it can undo your life’s work. It can offset all the great things that you, your employees, your brand managers, your publicist, and your ad agency have been doing. And it can keep tons of potential customers from walking through your door. (One study even says that a single bad review can cost you 30 customers!) No matter how big the Internet is – and – Read the full article
Ever heard of Kickstarter? If not, well – you ought to try it out some time. Especially if you’re planning on raising funds for a cause, a project, a product, a service, or a business. Kickstarter, after all, is currently the world’s largest online crowdfunding platform. It has successfully raised funds for endeavors that include indie films, music albums, books, food-related projects, and even solar energy technology. Kickstarter was launched in 2008 and it facilitates crowdfunding based on a “provision point mechanism”. This means that a Kickstarter project owner (“creator”) either gets the funding he has set to raise – or he gets nothing at all. If he meets the target on or before the deadline, he’ll get paid. And those who pledged money will receive prizes, freebies, and goodies from the creator (whatever he offered to entice people to contribute or pledge). If the creator doesn’t meet the target – well, no money changes hands. That’s right: if the – Read the full article
We stand in a society incessantly connected to each other through virtual networks. One may wonder why virtual (Web-based) platforms are popular and the reason solely lies in the fact that they offer a variety of applications that help people share and connect with one another, which has always been the core needs of society. With greater technology, speed and living standards, the social networking sites help cater to newer demands and go beyond physical get-togethers. It is this platform that unites people and hence, has immense potential for online marketing and advertising. A brand is a brand because of the support – and recognition – it gets from people. Social Media Interaction and Competition One of the latest methods adopted by marketers is to engage audiences in contests and interactive competitions, giving away their commodities for free. Or, alternatively, these contests may engage people by giving away various other articles, trial offers, commodities, etc. These are becoming increasingly popular – Read the full article
Online Lead Generation It’s time to take the guesswork out of your marketing and sales cycles. Connect to your target audiences and your customers with Lakeshore Branding’s online lead generation solutions. Leveraging state-of-the-art lead generation tools – coupled with a rich, multi-industry customer acquiring network brought by our many years of experience in the business – we deliver the most qualified leads in order to help you grow. Our team works with you as we: Craft custom lead generation strategies Streamline your lead qualification process Build your customer acquisition network and database Introduce your products and services to people who have a genuine interest in them Improve your conversion rates (prospects are always prequalified before you receive the lead) Implement organic SEO and paid search results strategies Update your lead tracking forms Track your progress with our advanced reporting systems and easy-to-understand lead generation metrics Call us today at (312) 229-0038 and let us help you drive the right people – Read the full article
When you try and use Internet marketing and blogging to bring in more business, it is essential to think about each word that you publish. Each page of your website needs to have a goal and each blog post must be aimed at achieving the following: Providing readers with information regarding your business and industry Creating a call for action Encouraging sales Working on optimizing the website Providing customer service Building brand recognition Installing trust Fitting all that into a blog post of around 300 to 500 words may seem like a lot but with the help of SEO copywriters, each of your blog posts can achieve all of those goals for you. Working on Web Copy Your website will no doubt be split up into different sections; what they are will depend upon the services and products that you provide. Most websites will have the obligatory Welcome page, About Us page, and the Contact page. These need to be – Read the full article
If you think E-commerce is just a fad – poised to flounder amidst economic crises – then think again. Thanks to the increasing popularity of smartphones and tablets, millions more people are shopping online and on-the-go. In fact, in a recent article by eMarketer, it was reported that mobile commerce (“M-commerce”) sales (including travel) in the US grew by 91.4% to reach $6.7 billion. And that’s just mobile. If one were also to consider the continued expansion of Wi-Fi availability across the US and all over the world, one will come to understand that E-commerce – regardless of the device driving it – is here to stay. WordPress E-commerce themes That’s why we created this fresh new list of WordPress e-commerce themes – to help you find the best possible look for your WordPress store. If you’re… giving your WordPress-powered site, blog, E-commerce site, or online store a makeover to herald the New Year, looking for ways to improve the – Read the full article
