For the travel industry, at least, social media is seen as more valuable than pay-per-click advertising. The World Travel Market 2011 report says that travel professionals see social media as one of the key revenue-generating channels over the next five years. As proof of this, the study found that eight out of ten travel-related businesses use some form of social media. Not only that: the World Travel Market 2011 also expects that in five years, half of all travel-related companies would be generating income and bookings on social media, rising from the current 22%. Out of those using social media marketing, around 50% do not even invest in PPC advertising, while 1 out of 5 of those who do use PPC aim to stop or reduce their spending in the next few years. It is very apparent that the travel industry loves social media. So if you are in the travel business, it is time to amp up your social media activities. Blogs – Read the full article
Aspiring musician? Budding young artist? Aspiring novelist? These days, it’s not enough that you have your own album, creative portfolio, or published book. You have to have a website, too. It may not seem fair to be a one-man (or one-woman) team and to have to develop your own website and market your product to your audience, but that’s just the way it is. If you’re determined to succeed, you might as well go with the flow and start building your online presence. One of the best ways to do so is by using WordPress, our favorite content management system here at Lakeshore Branding. Not only is the entire platform easy to use; it’s also fully customizable, and it evolves in accordance with today’s Web standards. Now, we understand perfectly your desire to have a website that serves as an expression of yourself (and your work), and that’s why we came up with this list of the best WordPress themes – Read the full article
If you want to make sales without chasing customers or making cold calls and do it in a way that is pleasing for you as the marketer and comfortable for the prospect, there are strategies that you can implement so that people will be calling and lining up to do business with you. In this article we will discuss 9 Strategies on How You Can Achieve Expert Status In Your Niche. We’ll begin with: Article Marketing: Writing articles and giving well-researched information to your niche and placing them on your website or social media platforms will be a great way to get started in positioning yourself as an expert in your niche. You can also distribute them in article directories as long as they are of quality such as Ezine Articles or trade publications in your niche (online and offline). Write a book: The book can be in the form of an E-book that is downloadable or it can be – Read the full article
Bing may have a chance to gain market share against Google now that the partnership between the search leader and Mozilla has expired. For years, Mozilla’s Firefox Web browser has featured Google as its default search engine as the result of a profit-sharing arrangement. That deal and the popularity of Firefox resulted in a windfall for Mozilla that has fueled its success. More than three-quarters of Mozilla’s revenue comes from Google’s payments. No Comment Neither Google nor Mozilla have commented about the lapse of their lucrative deal, and they would not indicate whether the agreement would continue. On one occasion, a Mozilla spokesman observed that the company has agreements with several search engines; on another he suggested that negotiations with Google were in progress. Global Adversaries Google and Mozilla began an amiable relationship long before Google launched a competing product. Now, the search giant has its own browser that has now surpassed Firefox in market share. By many accounts Chrome – Read the full article
If you abide by the belief that rules exist for a reason, then maybe you don’t need any explanation of why the AP (Associated Press) Style Guide matters. But for the writer who has ever rolled his eyes while reaching for their guidebook to look up the AP rule, or received an editor’s red pen note to “check AP,” then AP Style can feel more like a rulebook than a guide. First, if you intend to work as a journalist, then this book matters simply because your career matters. End of argument! However, a more detailed explanation shows that this book really exists for the sake of consistency in writing for the public. When everyone – or at least every writer – uses the same grammar, punctuation, abbreviations, numbers, etc., it ensures that messages are communicated in a consistent style. This consistency delivers conciseness, correctness and clarity. In a World Wide Web environment where more people than ever are becoming – Read the full article
Web design is a fast-growing industry given today’s technology and Internet frenzy. To be a good Web designer / developer, one needs to possess a certain set of skills; while there is no written handbook that specifies exactly all the rules of Web design, a creative disposition and a strong sense of innovation are a must, as is a certain knowledge of computer programming languages. Traits of a Good Web Designer Creativity and innovation are essential for a Web designer / developer. No book can teach any individual about all the perfect color combinations for all types of design. These are certain things that come instinctively; Tampa web design, for example, is usually represented by a mixture of web designers with a remarkable sense of creativity and extremely high knowledge of the programming languages necessary for driving high traffic to the business, as well as for optimizing results. Functions of Web Development Maintaining your database is an important function of web – Read the full article
Every business shares a common goal – to survive, grow and prosper. In today’s fast-track competitive world, businesses large and small must turn to new measures in order to evolve, grow or simply stay afloat. Ecommerce website development can offer growth opportunities of enormous proportion for businesses from all sectors. This is mostly due to the advent of highly improved and user friendly web services (Ed’s note: services like our favorite, Magento) available across the web that have literally carved a place in the hearts of online users. As an online business owner, the employment of technological advances in e-Commerce website design can mean the difference between the success and failure of your business objectives. Accordingly, it is important to understand exactly what an ecommerce website is and how to get started with one. Basically, an ecommerce website is a virtual representation of your physical business. Interestingly, most business owners grow to learn that the biggest difference between an ecommerce – Read the full article
As writers, we love what we do. (Right?) We are able to put information, ideas, and opinions in print to help our readers. As a bonus, we get paid for it. It doesn’t matter what our style is; formal, editorial, or whimsical, our words can send a powerful message to readers. And if we want to capture and hold our audience’s attention, we know that a compelling message with strong headlines and a decent flow of ideas are a must. For the longest time I was convinced that my words alone could paint the perfect portrait. Then I realized that perhaps my words alone were not enough. Simply constructing the proper syllables didn’t always capture the targeted audience. However, the right photo will typically catch the eye of most people. Even the best writers have benefited from using photos in magazines. Why not blogs? How to Find the Right Photo There are two options when you are considering the addition – Read the full article
