Web 2.0 Marketing

Free Backlink Counter: Another Link Counting Tool for Offpage SEO

2010-06-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

More recently I have been using Back Link Watch to count my sites' backlinks. This is important for Off-page SEO strategy. Similar to Yahoo's Site Explorer it shows some more useful details like anchor text and outbound links. Check it out here:

http://www.backlinkwatch.com

How to Disable Windows Messenger during start-up

2009-12-27T06:44:00.000-08:00

If you ever have wanted to get rid of Messenger during load do the the following:

Click on your start button and then on Run. Type "msconfig" (without the quotes) in the run box. Click on the Start Up tab in the window that will open. On the left side you will see a list of Startup Items. Search for one that says "msmsgs". Uncheck the box next to msmsgs, then click on the OK buttion. You will have to restart your computer, but you shouldn't have Messenger starting up when the computer restarts.

Free Press Release Distribution Sites

2009-09-29T08:10:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of free press release distribution sites:

www.betanews.com
www.directionsmag.com
www.prleap.com
news.thomasnet.com
www.nanotech-now.com
www.npr.org/
www.prlog.org
www.bizeurope.com
www.free-press-release.com
www.clickpress.com
www.downloadjunction.com
www.newswiretoday.com
www.openpr.com
www.pressbox.co.uk
www.filecluster.com
www.secure.digitalmediaonlineinc.com
www.sbwire.com
www.1888pressrelease.com
www.afreego.com
www.sanepr.com
www.theopenpress.com
www.free-press-release-center.info
www.prfree.com
www.ukprwire.com
www.pressreleasespider.com
www.pressabout.com
www.pr-inside.com
www.itbsoftware.com
www.pressmethod.com
www.itbinternet.com
www.newsblaster.com
www.24-7pressrelease.com
www.freepressreleases.co.uk
www.freepressindex.com
www.pr-gb.com
www.prcompass.com
www.pressexposure.com
www.i-newswire.com
www.cgidir.com
www.mediasyndicate.com
www.techprspider.com
www.prmac.com
www.publicitywires.com
www.seenation.com
www.news.eboomwebsolutions.com
www.afly.com
www.emeapr.com
www.prwindow.com
www.pressreleasecirculation.com

3 More Reasons Why SEO Should be Part of Your Marketing Plan

2009-07-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

3 More Arguments for SEO:

When Internet users look for information, services or products to buy, more than 8 out of 10 rely on search engines, not simple surfing:

• 85% of these searchers don’t click on paid links.
• 63% of links that are naturally displayed at the top of search engines get clicks.
• Over the last year, Pay-per-click (PPC) costs have grown 37%, and they go on rising.

Source: HitWise

Solid stats on Twitter

2009-07-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some helpful stats on Twitter:

72.5% of all users joining during the first five months of 2009.
85.3% of all Twitter users post less than one update/day
21% of users have never posted a Tweet 93.6% of users have less than 100 followers, while 92.4% follow less than 100 people.
5% of Twitter users account for 75% of all activity
New York has the most Twitters users, followed by Los Angeles, Toronto, San Francisco and Boston; while Detroit was the fast-growing city over the first five months of 2009
More than 50% of all updates are published using tools, mobile and Web-based, other than Twitter.com. TweetDeck is the most popular non-Twitter.com tool with 19.7% market share.
There are more women on Twitter (53%) than men (47%)
Of the people who identify themselves as marketers, 15% follow more than 2,000 people. This compares with 0.29% of overall Twitter users who follow more than 2,000 people.

Source: http://www.sysomos.com/insidetwitter/

Win With Congratulatory Phrases

2009-04-20T09:11:00.001-07:00

Congratulatory Phrases are a great way to make friends quickly on the social network sites and blogs. Here are some boiler plate congratulatory phrases you can use to instantaneously build a network:

a job well done…accept my sincere congratulations…are proud to commend you for…could not imagine a more deserving…delighted to hear…had the pleasure of…heartiest congratulations…honored your achievements…how much I appreciated…just learned of…not surprised…this significant accomplishment…this prestigious award…very proud of …want to tell you…was happy to learn of..we are very pleased to hear…your outstanding performance…your outstanding achievement

Phrases:

worthy role model…desire for success…developed your talent for…earned the respect of…fortitude and perseverance…genuine caring for…has a gift for…has the determination to…inherent desire to achieve…knowledge and experience…outstanding talent…perseverance…and sheer hard work…person of unquestioned integrity…presence of mind…sensitivity to the needs of…set a fine example for…stamina and ambition…stand up for what is right and fair…the courage to keep going…will to succeed…willingness to…dedicate yourself to…willingness to help

Congratulatory sentences:

1. We wish you similar success in the future
2. Best wishes to you.
3. I commend you for your achievement and hope you will enjoy its rewards for years to come.
4. We compliment you on your success and send our best wishes for the future.
5. We appreciate your devotion to your position and wish that we had more leaders like you.
6. Thank you for setting such a wonderful example.
7. I admire your stamina and ambition. Good luck with your next project.
8. Please accept our compliments and wishes for your happiness and success.
9. I know you are the right person for the job. You have my full support.
10. I give you my best wishes for your future endeavors.
11. As your friend, I am perhaps your biggest fan. Good luck on your next project.

More Phrases:

1. appreciation for
2. are very proud of you
3. cannot overestimate the value of
4. commend you for
5. congratulations to
6. continue to excel
7. enjoy the rewards of
8. for all you do to
9. for proving that
10. good luck with
11. have my full support
12. in the future
13. in your new
14. keep up the good work
15. our best wishes
16. thank you for
17. will be watching your
18. wish you continued success
19. wish you similar success with
20. wish to express our
21. years to come
22. your happiness and success
23. your devotion to
24. your many contributions to
25. your future endeavors

Source: Write Express

The Dimensions of a Powerpoint Slide

2009-03-09T15:22:00.001-07:00

If you ever wanted to know the dimensions of a powerpoint slide then you have come to the right place. The dimmensions of a powerpoint slide are 10 x 7.5in (960 x 720).

Definition of Sustainable Marketing

2009-03-03T20:17:00.000-08:00

Sustainable marketing (also referred to as Green Marketing) is the process of placing traditional marketing strategy and tactics behind services and products that fall into the environmental category. Although there are no rigid guidelines that can categorize what is officially a green or sustainable company – it is becoming more common for firms to claim this status in hopes to generate favorability amongst their customers. An example of sustainable marketing is BP's regular publishing of its Sustainability Report which accounts the company's efforts to build good will and corporate social responsibility amongst its stakeholders through sustainable practices.

Need Content Quick?

2008-12-13T09:32:00.000-08:00

Consider using my personal ghostwriter

Whether it's consulting or the actual planning and writing of the content, I and so many other smart business people have relied on Jessica Mousseau to provide us with SEO content for our content-based projects. Whether you are a startup business or a large corporation, her services can provide you with a means of furthering your business strategy. Having created content for PBS, Lifetips, Associated Content and countless other niche industries, Jessica provides professional content fueled by SEO strategy.

Visit Jessica Mousseau and get your content to pay for itself.

#1 Marketing Strategy: SEO

2008-10-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

No single internet strategy beats SEO (Search Engine Optimization). SEO creates a level playing field for businesses of all sizes, here is why:

FACT: Increases profits. A top 10 page rank will rapidly increase traffic, which ultimately leads to increased sales.

FACT: Cost-effective marketing. Search Engine Marketing has a lower cost to gain customers than any other form of marketing including email, Yellow Pages, banner ads, and direct mail. Think less input and more output.

FACT: Product category domination. SEO allows you to be percieved as a leader in your product category by dominating the search queries for your target market’s keywords. Even though this may not be true in the offline world - online perception can translate into offline success.

FACT: Makes you a household name. When you appear in the top 10 you become a conversation piece with regards to your target market.

FACT: Gain qualified leads. Remember, customers use the search engines the same way that they use to use the yellow pages. This means your customers are searching for you.

FACT: Increased brand awareness and credibility. Effective SEO builds brand awareness and every time you appear and re-appear in people’s search queries your brand is strengthened.

FACT: Long lasting payoffs. Once you spend the time and make the effort to reach your SEO goals, maintaining your top 10 status costs very little, if anything at all. With effective SEO, you can enjoy top online branding status for years to come with minimal cost or effort.

FACT: Outsmarts your competition. High page rank reduces your competitors’ relevance and increases yours. Wouldn’t you like to see your business ranking higher than the rest?

FACT: Twenty-Four-Seven advertisement. With good SEO your web site is constantly advertising for you 24/7, 365 days a year. Customers can find you anytime, anywhere.

Mastering PDF Metadata for Better SEO

2008-10-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

One of the most overlooked SEO tactics is optimizing your PDF's metadata. This is done to ensure that the PDF is correctly indexed by search engines which will drive more traffic to the document. To add metadata to your PDF using Acrobat do the following:

1. Open the PDF in Acrobat (not in Reader) and select File > Document Info > General.

2. Enter the metadata in each of the four fields:

• Title - this field must contain the full title of your document (not the PDF filename).

• Subject - this should be a concise (i.e. fewer than 254 characters), free-text description of the content and/or purpose of the document.

• Author - this field should always contain the words of the author whether it be a person, company or institution

• Keywords - this should contain keywords and/or phrases which describe the subject and topics covered by the content of the document. Use semi-colons (;) not commas (,) to separate individual keywords and phrases.

3. Click OK to apply the metadata to your document.

4. Select File > Save As and ensure the Optimize checkbox is checked. Click Save.

5. Note: If you just use 'Save' (don't use 'Save As') the PDF will become un-optimized.

What Makes Social Network Sites so Popular

2008-10-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

People are often astonished as to how social network sites can be so popular with hundreds of millions of users today. Quickly here are the top features that make social network sites so popular with its users and sets them apart from other categories of sites on the net.

Ease of Use – User friendliness and speed of user implementation are absolutely central to a successful social network site. The site has to be so easy to use that any kid or adult can get his / her page up in minutes.

Search – The ability to search and filter down key components of any page are imperative to a social network sites popularity. The more flexibility and search power a social network site gives its users, the better. Given how big some of the social networking sites have become, search is key to the first point "ease of use".

User Profiles - The ability to personalize a page or profile through customization features is evident in the top social network sites in the world. The ability to bundle links to other profiles in the network by clicking another user’s avatar is key too.

Security – Being able to block out uninvited visitors through a privacy feature is a must for any social network site. Equally blocking out spammers is important too.

Support – Having 24 hour support with a real human as well as quick turnaround on support is imperative. Resources like FAQ, Instructional videos and forums are helpful too. The more support you offer the more users will be happy with choosing you for their social networking needs.

Theme – A social network site has to have a unique and relevant theme that speaks to its users in order for the site to sell its users on investing their time in using the site. A good theme starts with a purpose that is central to the characteristics of the group using the site. Myspace uses music to attract its users while LinkedIn focuses on careers and jobs.

5 Reasons to Avoid Designing a Flash Based Website

2008-10-05T17:05:00.000-07:00

Although Flash websites look flash they can be detrimental to your internet marketing efforts. Here are the top 5 reasons why you should avoid designing a Flash based website:

1. Flash requires a proprietary plugin meaning it does not work with older browsers that are not bundled with Flash.

2. Flash generally does not let users change font sizes or contrast settings using personalized settings.

3. Flash sites often do not have a working back function. Most users are used to being able to back-out of a site.

4. Flash doesn't provide a standard way of navigating without the mouse.

5. Flash is not easily indexed by the search engines.

The Most Overlooked Web 2.0 Marketing Strategies

2008-09-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

Besides quality content and the number of back links coming into your site, there are other areas that the search engines look at. Here are some often overlooked areas that you can address to make your website more succesful.

1. Visitors Time on Site - The time that a visitor is on your site is something that Google considers and grades in their ranking criteria. If people click on your site then immediately click back out then that tells the search engine that your site is less valuable than a site that is sticky and keeps people on site.

2. Age of Your Site - It is a rather simple notion, the longer your site has been around the better it will rank. This means plan for the long term and stick around.

3. Registering Your Domain Name for Multiple Years – This really touches on the previous point, by registering your domain name for several years, this tells the search engines that you are going to be around for the long term.

4. ALT Text on Images - Every image on the page should have a tag and a brief description pertaining to the tag. By taking the time to describe your images your site will rank better.

5. Increase Google Crawl in Analytics – by increasing the rate that Google crawls your site and by staying true to the crawl by regularly updating your site with fresh and original content you will increase your rankings.

Favicon: Every Site Should Have One

2008-09-25T00:20:00.001-07:00

Short for “favorites icon”, a favicon sits inside your browser's location bar next to the web address. As most sites use their logo as a favicon, it is a good way to build trust and authority and will give your site a branded look and feel.

A favicon takes just a few minutes to set up and involves a snippet of code which is inserted into the heading of the page which references the favicon image file. One site even offers a free favicon maker which will generate the image and code for you in a matter of seconds.

Is DMOZ Eating Your Patience Away?

2008-09-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

DMOZ, the opening directory project where you use to be able to get one of the most quality backlinks for a site, has become painfully slow. I have had client's sites in cue for a DMOZ listing for months now. The site is human edited and that is what gives the site its credibility, but time is money. I have found 2 other directories that offer a FREE listing for your site while you wait for DMOZ to get their act together. These sites are:

How to Use Your Brain for Better Blogging

2008-09-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some ways to use your brain so that you blog better:

1. Time = money. So don't waste time on fruitless entries. Learn to appreciate that your reader’s time is valuable. This means writing succinctly and getting to the point.

2. No matter what your audience size, you ought to write as if your readership consists of paid subscribers.

3. Don’t expect to be a success overnight. Life isn't here to hand you rewards. You must work for everything you get. That means, you must learn to write smarter versus harder.

Start with number 3, and work your way up. And remember:

"It's more about the journey than the destination"

What is an Avatar?

2008-09-19T10:51:00.000-07:00

An avatar is a graphical depiction of a computer user. Avatars are seen on web forums, blogs, social networking pages and applications like Skype to create a sense of character for the user. Think of it as a graphical signature, calling card or user brand identity. Sometimes avatars will link to a user profile where more information can be found on the user such as a bio or a link to the user’s personal website.

Avatar’s can create a sense of personality for the user that otherwise may not be present without the aid of the avatar image. Avatars take all kinds of forms. The most popular types include cropped photograph of the user’s face and a 3d character cartoon image.

Introducing Yet Another New Cool Search Engine

2008-09-16T00:13:00.000-07:00

MSE360 is posed to launch right out of beta obscurity and into your browser. The brand spanking new search engine offers something unique and of high value for free. In summary, here is what MSE360 is all about:

A Unique 3 column layout for maximum efficiency when searching
A real emphasis on user privacy
A powerful spider, that indexes quality rather than quantity
A meta-search engine
A promise to listen to users and improve the engine

Go ahead and give it a go, then come back and tell me what you think.

How to Get Free Hosting for Your Website

2008-09-15T21:42:00.001-07:00

I have had a secret weapon for several years now having launched numerous sites for clients and myself. And unless the client has something else in mind for their site, like their own server, I always suggest a certain provider. This web hosting provider is Doteasy.com.
They were the first hosting service that I know of to offer the $0 Hosting Plan. The company launched this plan in the days of the Internet when most major hosting providers wanted a minimum of $19 a month to host a site. To this day hosting providers like GoDaddy and Yahoo want a monthly hosting fee even for the tiniest of sites. There are other providers out there that offer free hosting but at the expense of ugly banners and invasive looking ads. Not this provider.

Why would you pay for something that you can get elsewhere for free?

Here is the deal; you register your domain name for one of one of the lowest and most competitive prices around (something like $27 a year) with Doteasy and they automatically throw in:

• 100 MB Web Hosting Storage
• 1 GB Monthly Bandwidth
• 10 Email Accounts
• No Setup Fee, No Monthly Fee
• No Ad Banner
• Free Web Tools and Applications
• Free Phone / Email Support

Register the domain name for several years and a sliding scale will kick in. With each year you will save additional dollars with your domain registration. The $0 hosting will always be there regardless of how many years you register your domain name. If your site starts to do really well and you start going over your traffic quota, you can upgrade to a package that suits your new traffic needs. Doteasy also offers industrial grade hosting that can be turned on once your site grows into it.

Here is a word to the wise with regards to registering a domain name - always register a domain name for the full 5 years. This is not a gimmick to get you to spend more money on your domain. This is a technique used in making your site look more established to the Google Spiders that be. Yes, even Google will profile your site as less legit if it is only registered for a year or two as opposed to five.

Now that you know where to get supercheap domain names with free hosting, make sure to send me a link to your site, so that I can see that you put this good advise to use.

The Secret to Internet Start-up Company Success

2008-09-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

Every single day thousands of companies are born and launched over the Internet. Unfortunately for many of these companies their fate is sealed prematurely with a not so successful outcome. For many start-ups the reality is failure, die off and dormancy. Think about how many applications, widgets and fledgling newbies you have seen just this past year alone. Now just imagine how many more are out there that you didn’t see that flew past the radar un-detected and went into Internet obscurity.

The Internet as a channel of delivery can be fairly cruel to companies that don’t understand one very simple and very real concept. This concept is etched into every successful Internet company’s DNA. This trait is very transparent in giants like YouTube, Google, Skype, Facebook, MySpace and Yahoo. This trait is remarkably simple and yet so many choose to ignore it. Why do so many new companies refuse to accept this very easy and simple principle that makes complete logical sense to those of us that are enlightened with this concept?

Maybe they get impatient, greedy and want to score a quick buck. Maybe they are stubborn and want to employ outdated strategies.

I am not going to be one of those Bloggers that write a big hype making you read for paragraphs to find nothing. Some in the media world would refer to this as anticlimactic.

Before I reveal the secret though, it is important to remember one thing, never ever by any means practice this advise partially because it only works if you commit fully to it. This means no trials, no limited time...I think I may have just given the secret away. Alright, here it is – the secret advise to Internet success in full:

“Offer something of incredible high value and relevancy and offer it for free to everyone”.

I think that says it all. Good luck.

Why You Should Put Your URL on Everything?

2008-09-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

Promoting offline is often an overlooked practice which if done properly can fetch you some quality direct traffic to your site. Think of your website as more than just a website. Think of it as a way to attract your offline audience, a gateway for outsiders to learn about your business, a connection point with your existing customers and a way to build your business through sales funnels.

Your url should be posted on everything. Post it on your:

business cards,
letterhead,
outside signage,
company vehicles,
in-store signage,
press releases;
and anywhere else you promote your business.

Not only will you get quality direct traffic flowing into your site you will also cohesively build a brand, a reputation and legitimize your capabilities as a company that is capable of honing the internet as a channel of communication and ultimately commerce.

Video Time Interval Tagging

2008-09-11T07:50:00.000-07:00

Give it sometime and some web application out there will do-it-better. That is what makes the internet a truly free market system where apps are always out-doing each other and bringing it to the end-user for free. Viddler’s video tagging now makes videos SEO friendly. By tagging your videos at time intervals - your videos will speak volumes to the search engines. Now that this technology is available I wouldn’t suggest doing it any other way.

Your videos took time to produce - and if they are well produced they should be well indexed and searchable right to point where you say "Billie Jean" in your video. This service is free for individual users. I am not plugging Viddler and I have no affiliate code in the link - so rest assured this is just good advice.

Google Chrome borrows from Opera

2008-09-10T09:18:00.001-07:00

Browser got you down? Don't fret because most likely there is another browser out there that has the same features that yours has and it is only one download away.

A good idea in the internet browser world usually will only last about one release. Tabbed browsing first offered by FireFox is now enjoyed by virtually every browser on the market. Speed Dial first offered by Opera has most recenty been adopted by the brand new Google Chrome.

Have a great idea for your browser? Give it some time and every other browser will have copied it. Makes perfect sense though as users traditonally champion these features and that's what gravitates them to the browser in the first place.

Top Secret Phone Numbers: The Numbers Companies Don't Want You to Have

2008-09-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

Here are the top 5 Phone Numbers that are merely impossible to locate. These companies go to great lengths to bury these numbers so you are forced to use their automated systems to resolve your issues. However, sometimes you just need to talk to a human being to resolve your issues. For your convenience I bring to you the Top 5 Numbers Companies don’t want you to have:

1. Amazon.com
- Customer Service: 866-216-1072
- Seller Support: 877-251-0696

2. Ebay.com
- Customer Service: 888-749-3229
- Customer Service 2nd line: 800-322-9266

3. Skype
- Customer Service: 866-446-0831

4. Yahoo.com
- Customer Service: 866-446-0831
- Tech Support: 866-458-8744

5. Google.com
- Switchboard: 650-253-0000

(Source: www.hardtofind800numbers.com)

How I Removed Antivirus XP 2008 for Free

2008-09-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

The latest virus that is sweeping the internet is the Antivirus XP virus which masks it's self as a Virus Protection Suite which resembles Microsoft XP. Within minutes Antivirus XP 2008 will attach its self to your desktop and install as a program. Here is what I did to remove it:

1. First I started Microsoft XP in Safe Mode (Hold F8 and select Safe Mode)
2. Once your desktop loads in Safe Mode (you will know you are in safe mode because of the black background with Safe Mode stamped all around it).

Go to your Program files within your hard drive and delete the Antivirus XP folder which may disguise its self under a series of numbers and letters. In my case the folder was called jp4236...
The folder should stick out like a sore thumb because no other program will name its folder so oddly.
Make sure to inspect the contents inside the folder and that the Antivirus XP is contained there. You should notice an icon that resembles the icon that Antivirus XP places on your desktop. In my case the icon resembled some bricks and labeled "antivir08". Delete the entire folder.

3. Now make sure to update your antivirus. In my case I updated AVG Free 8 and ran a full scan.

4. Then you need to remove the Malware that the virus is using to hijack Google and Yahoo searches within your browser. Go and download malware bytes. I recommend going to download.com because the virus will hijack your attempts of visiting the site through Google or even sometimes directly. Make sure to verify that the program that you are downloading is legit. This is very important as you don't want to download or re-download another virus.

5. Then you may want to download Spybot Search and Destroy to be extra safe that you are removing every trace of the virus. Again use download.com to verify that you are downloading a legit copy of Spybot. After downloading Spybot run a full scan. Never run multiple programs and scans at the same time. Usually after each scan you will need to re-start your computer. You will not have to continually re-start in safe mode after deleting the files from your program directory.

6. These above steps should remove all traces of the virus. You should now have full control over customizing your desktop back to its original state including removing the Antivirus XP icons and image that is on your desktop.

Allot vs. A Lot

2008-09-04T06:27:00.000-07:00

When writing and editing your blog grammatical mistakes will sometimes arise. Although in marketing rules are meant to be broken – rules in grammar must be obeyed. The trick is to catch these mistakes before someone else does. The use of “allot” vs “a lot”is a common mistake often found in blogs, web articles and forum entries.

1. Allot is a verb that means to distribute, to assign a portion, or to divide.

Example: He allotted himself 20 minutes to complete his blog entry.
Example 2: They allotted 30 GB of server space to each account during the site upgrade.

2. A lot (two words) is an informal phrase meaning a large portion or large quantity of something. According to style guides and English rule books it is proper to use “a lot” when describing non-countable quantities such as sand, water, ice, or time. The word “many” should be used when describing countable items such as hours, people, or items.

Example: A lot of time has passed since I first started this blog entry.
Example 2: I don’t have a lot of time to finish this blog entry.

3. Alot is not even a word in the English language and therefore should not to be used.

Backlink Counter: The Quickest Way to Count Links Pointing to Your Site

2008-09-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

Do you want to know how many backlinks are pointing to your site?

With Yahoo's site explorer you can simply type in your url name and have it automatically fetch the links coming into your site. It is quick and easy and if you are not up for creating a Google Analytics account it can be a real time saver.

Get Your Site Banned Faster Than Ever!

2008-06-25T20:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some methods to get your site banned by Google:

Keyword stuff your site by repeating keywords in the meta tags or in the text and of your website.
Link exchange with a banned site or several banned sites
Have you and several people report your site as Spam to Google
Have a high keyword density for a particular keyword string
Have several sites on the same IP address owned by the same entity with a high volume of link exchange. By putting all of your websites on the same IP address instead of spreading them around to several IP address - this will send a red flag to Google and get your site banned.

Small Business Branding Techniques: The Business Card

2008-06-12T21:08:00.000-07:00

This business card was printed on 16 pt UV Coated Gloss first side, Matt second side (so the associate can write a quote out easily). The card is thick, heavy and the slick glossy texture on the front side feels and looks like a fresh coat of real paint. Notice the logo of a silhouette of a painter painting the card. Clever design really, rarely do you see smaller businesses exercising inventive branding techniques of this level.

All Purpose Painting of Mesa, Arizona does exceptional indoor and outdoor paint work in and around the Phoenix metropolitan area. Whether it is accenting a fence, garage or re-decorating a room with stylish new colors - All Purpose Painting delivers with Service, Reliability and Professionalism.

Small Business Branding Techniques: The Design of Your Website

2008-06-03T07:59:00.001-07:00

The design of a website is essential to projecting the capabilities and integrity of your small business. Check out these two sites for inspiration:

Imagine Wellness Chiropractic Center is a new facility offering spinal correction for individuals seeking health, wellness and healing. Dr. Roxane Zamora treats sees her patients from her North Phoenix offices addressing everything from migraines to neck and shoulder pain to sports injuries using state-of-the-art chiropractic techniques.

Metro Maintenance offers plumbing and electrician work throughout the entire Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area. Owner / Operator Derman Brown has over 20 years experience with electrical and plumbing systems and works by the motto "prompt and effecient" service. He offers a 24 hour emergency service.

Death of the Music Industry

2008-05-12T17:54:00.000-07:00

Today marks the 5th Anniversary of the death of the record label dominated music industry. Well not officially, but it seems like several years has passed since any major record label amounted to having any effect or presence in the industry it once ruled. The burden of promoting and marketing has been passed on to the artists. Distribution has lead way to all kinds of start-ups which are now gladly taking the reigns left by the labels and record stores.

Apple I-tunes is profiting like a medium sized country as they receive the compounding effect of artists joining their distribution chain and network. All this may seem obvious now, but let’s put this whole thing in context. What happened? What caused this?

The obvious catalyst was technology and the era of the mp3. Remember when bands like Metallica lobbied U.S. lawmakers and made public outcries to punish people that converted their songs to mp3s? You can’t fight a technological revolution. You can’t win against a format so portable so powerful so flexible it makes all other formats obsolete. There is no doubt the quality of vinyl records and CDs were better – but the portability factor was the same reason that tape killed its large shaped disc predecessor.

I like music now and I think it is better off today because of these changes. Not too long ago record companies would charge artists hundreds of thousands of dollars to record a record in minimal time. Now artists can spend as much time as they want recording on home studios which pump out broadcast quality music. Music is better for this. There is also more music to listen to. Yes lots of it is terrible I admit – scan myspace and the sh*t stacks high quickly, but there are some gems to be found and I find them everyday. It’s never been so good for music. Death no, music has reincarnated.

Brand Personification

2008-04-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

A brand has to have magnitude in order to be effective. Therefore, it is no wonder so much personification is present in many brands' imagery and media today. Whether it be the talking Gecko of Geicko or the Doughboy of Pillsbury – applying human traits to inanimate objects and animals works magically in branding practice. Branding is so centered on creating a connection through a memorable experience that marketers have to create something so extraordinary something so un-believable - that it becomes an instant memory to the audience.

How to Reset PhotoShop Back to Its Factory Default Settings

2008-04-07T19:55:00.001-07:00

If for some reason you have tweaked a setting in Photoshop and can’t remember for the life of you how to turn the setting back to default, there’s a fix. Yes, you can reset the settings in PhotoShop to factory default. Windows Users this is how it’s done:

Hold down the Ctrl+Alt+Shift buttons all at the same time.

While keeping the above buttons held, open Photoshop.

Once PhotoShop loads, a prompt will pop up which will ask you if you would like to “delete the PhotoShop Settings” – Click Yes!

Political Marketing or Marketing Political?

2008-04-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

Political Marketing is an area of marketing which focuses on political parties, candidates, votes and ultimately positions of power. Political Marketing draws heavily upon core areas of Marketing which include: Research, Branding, Public Relations, Advertising and Selling.

The Research arm of Political Marketing is exercised vigorously through polling, focus groups and advising which comes courtesy of interviews with experts.

Branding in Political Marketing is integral because a brand is developed and re-developed to effectively deliver the messages of the candidate which often adapts with people, time and place.

Advertising is a vehicle to which the Political Brand and message is delivered.

Political Marketing also draws upon Public Relations, which is used to positively influence the public’s perception of the party or candidate and spin negative coverage of stories that are often brought to light by the media.

Selling is a important cornerstone for Political Marketers because strategic alliances both with and across the party line is necessary to draw up support. Selling is noticeably prevalent in speeches and interviews by the candidate. One-to-one selling and direct marketing is a strategy visible in and around election time which is usually implemented by team members and volunteers.

Political Marketing represents one of the most dynamic areas of marketing because it draws upon so many marketing skills simultaneously.

The Definition of Place Marketing

2008-04-01T22:50:00.000-07:00

What is Place Marketing?

Place Marketing (aka Place Branding, Territorial Marketing) is the practice of applying marketing and branding strategies to regions, states, cities and nations. As place marketing teams (i.e. city councils, tourism departments) compete to attract residents, tourists, businesses and ultimately tax revenue – they have consulted branding tactics to turn their places into destinations.

The Definition of Experiential Marketing Explained

2008-03-31T13:12:00.000-07:00

Experiential marketing is a form of marketing that creates an emotional connection with a consumer. It’s the actual customer experience with the product and service that resides in the customer’s consciousness. Using one or more of the senses such as touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing – Experential Marketing seeks to establish a touch point or connection with the customer - connections in the form of experiences that are personal, memorable, interactive and emotional in scope.

The Definition of PPC

2008-03-31T11:50:00.000-07:00

Pay-Per-Click (often referred to in its abbreviated state as PPC) is an advertising method which makes use of search engines, websites and network traffic. A user clicks on an ad which directs them to a particular site. In each instance the click is paid for by the advertiser.

The PPC model is based on a bidding process where the advertising party bids on a keyword or string of unique keywords. For example, “Scottsdale Dentist” is an example of a keyword that currently fetches a price of $3-6 per click on Google. This is a pricey keyword because it is very competitive. However you can find keywords as cheap as $0.01 per click. Google AdSense is the largest network to advertise PPC with.

Predicting the Future of the Internet

2008-03-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

Live Interactive Events are the Future of the Internet

I know that sounds like a daring statement to make – but give it some time you will see this new technology emerge and dominate the internet just as video is right now.

Video is in the Limelight Now

Everyone is busy fixated with video. The N.Y. Times recently reported that 70% of users on the internet are viewing and downloading video content. Where do we go from here? What is the natural evolution of media on the internet? Speculate all you want – but the future is obvious to me. The future is clearly conferencing, virtual events, webinars, teleseminars – whatever you want to call it - they are interactive and interactivity has clear advantages over canned media.

Would you Rather go see a Football Game at the Stadium or Watch it on T.V.?

I personally would prefer to sit in the box seats and watch it live and cheer on my team from the actual stadium. And I know this is true for many other enthusiasts. But who says you can’t record the event and watch it later? Having the flexibility to do just that is why live interactive events is the answer for businesses and the future of the internet. Flexibility works for businesses – this I know. Businesses like to maximize flexibility for the customer. Conferencing achieves this by allowing the customer to attend the live event or download a recording of it later or both. The option rests with the customer.

Is your site Web 2.0?

2008-01-24T07:25:00.000-08:00

Introducing the new Web 2.0 Validator which in an entertaining fashion checks to see if your site is really web 2.0:

Web 2.0 Validator

Recycling Popular Ideas: The case of IBM’s Buzzword Bingo T.V. Advert

2008-01-16T19:37:00.000-08:00

“Originality is the art of concealing your sources” -Benjamin Franklin

A couple of months ago I showcased a Buzzword Bingo card that I thought was an innovative print piece. The piece was actually developed well over a year ago and first brought to life by Australian Brewer Carlton Draught.

More recently an IBM T.V. Commercial has emerged on air in the U.S. and Europe that lifted the buzzword bingo card concept and brought it to life on the small screen. All that IBM did in the case of the commercial - was shift the card’s use from a boardroom to a live conference. Same idea, borderline plagiarism?

In the age of marketing 2.0 we are seeing brilliant ideas being hi-jacked and recycled on a daily basis. Even the phrase “Web 2.0” which graces the very title of my blog has been mutated from its original foundations. Can you think of an example of a recycled idea? Please share any examples you may have in my comments section, just below.

The Definition of SEO

2007-11-12T13:20:00.000-08:00

SEO – (Search Engine Optimization) is the activity of increasing the amount of visitors to a website. SEO generally refers to bringing quality traffic to a web site from search engines through “organic" or "algorithmic" search results. The algorithms of a search engine like that of Google will search a site for keywords, unique content, presentation, structure and quality content that matches a search query and will rank the site appropriately. The higher a site’s ranking the better it is optimized for a search engine. Many factors attribute to SEO these include title tags, image optimization, design and coding style.

Protecting Your Ideas in the Age of Web 2.0

2007-11-06T09:07:00.000-08:00

On a few occasions some of my ideas have been lifted by people I thought were my close friends and allies. One heartbreaking occasion was when I worked with a close group of friends on a groundbreaking start-up. After working for months on conceptualizations of product offerings and monetization strategies, I later found out that one of the members lifted these ideas and used them for another company which mimicked exactly the company we were working together on.

Having someone steal your ideas and claim them as their own is a real disheartening experience. I personally don’t think any monetary gain is worth destroying a good friendship over. Friendships can be more rewarding and everlasting if properly nurtured, but you certainly find out who you real friends are in the process of putting together businesses.

I am not a lawyer, so my advice should not come as legal advice but rather as advice from my own personal experience and dealings. If you have a truly original idea, one of the first steps you need to take is to get a legal protection for that idea.

Every time you present your idea to somebody else, you run the risk of your idea being stolen and copied by somebody else. One good way to ensure that no one steals your ideas is to put together an agreement in writing not to discuss your idea with anyone else. This is referred to as a “nondisclosure agreement”. This will ensure that the ideas stay central to investors, business partners, and prospective hires while still protecting your trade secrets.

Another good course of action is to visit your country’s patent and trademark office. In the United States., patents provide "the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling" the invention in the United States or "importing" the invention into the United States. A patent can last between 14-20 years. Patents are especially good for tangible products – goods that can be sold and intended to be marketed.

Writing a Winning Web 2.0 Marketing Positioning Statement or Tagline

2007-11-02T14:36:00.001-07:00

A well-thought-out statement should capture the essence of what your company is about and differentiate your company’s unique selling proposition in the marketplace. When writing a statement think about what your position is – what makes you different and why someone should choose you over one of your competitors.

Writing a winning positioning statement in the age of web 2.0 means writing the statement as succinct and to the point as possible. This means a 6 word maximum statement. The less words contained in your statement the easier it will be for your potential customer to take to mind your company and its position in the marketplace.

For many of the taglines that I have created for my own clients I went as low as 3 words to ensure catchiness and impact. Three word taglines take a little more effort to compose, but if effectively executed is a winning solution in the era of web 2.0 marketing.

Start thinking in layman’s terms for the language and style you write your statement in. To think like a client also means expressing one’s self like a client. Make an effort to speak to the customer in the customer’s native tongue. If your customer is an educated professional – then the use of sophisticated language in your statement will be appropriate. The point is certain words are more identifiable by your audience and choosing words that speak to your customer is critical in creating a powerful positioning statement.

Think about how your positioning statement will look on marketing collateral such as PowerPoint presentations, business cards and your website. Even thinking beyond the smaller picture by imagining how the statement will look in a global advertising campaign is a good exercise for identifying the magnitude of your statement. If you can’t imagine your statement wrapped around a 747 Jumbo Jet then it might not be prolific enough for your company to bear on your business card.

Remember at the end of the day the positioning statement is created to help you market your product, service or idea more effectively.

Is the Opera Browser Better Than Firefox and IE?

2007-11-01T10:16:00.001-07:00

Browsers come and go like fads. Like most I started browsing with Netscape during the early age of the internet. Soon after, at Microsoft’s discretion, Internet Explorer came pre-installed on every machine so naturally I migrated to using IE along with most of the business population.

Then came the virus wars - so I found myself using Mozilla Firefox as an almost safe haven. Briefly encountering Safari on a friend’s Mac – I found myself wanting something more unique for my OS. My search lead me to Opera. Opera is my current browser of choice. It has many widgets and operates much in the same fashion as Firefox.

I feel safer using Opera because I know most of the viruses being developed are targeting Internet Explorer and Firefox at the moment. Opera kind of escapes the detection of the radar – which puts me at ease.

Perhaps the coolest function of Opera is the “speed dial” page which is a fancy bookmark facility that operates like a speed dial on a phone hand set. Simply load your favorite 9 pages into speed dial and you will be re-directed to your clicked page at record speed.

Of course Opera offers tab browsing alongside many of the other features of Internet Explorer and Firefox so you won’t feel at a loss when switching over.

A Thousand Ways to Widget in the Age of Web 2.0 Marketing

2007-10-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

In the age of web 2.0 marketing arrives the widget. A widget is a piece of code that can be inserted on a web page that serves a specific function. Widgets are generally written in JavaScript or Flash. An example of a widget may be a plug-in that displays the last 5 blog entries you published from your personal blog page. Another example of a widget is a music player that rotates your favorite songs streaming over your Myspace page through the widget.

More recently we have been made aware of companies purposely creating widgets that in-directly push their products or services. Radio stations are offering widgets that stream a station’s broadcast live. Airline companies are offering ticket purchasing widgets that allow you to purchase a ticket through the widget without having to visit their website.

Widgets have been around for years. In the past you were able to insert a snippet of code on your page to pull the latest ticker feed from your favorite stock exchange. Another old school widget is a simple page hit counter. Widgets are becoming more creative and more versatile. Political candidates have turned to widgets to promote the latest news from the campaign trail.

The great thing about widgets is that they help build awareness and promote a product or service in a new way usually through an in-direct channel (i.e. a blog or a person's social network page).

The goal is to try to create a widget for your product that promotes value in some way where a publisher will be willing to place it on their web page. The widget has to be relevant, have utility and should not blatantly try to sell something. Create a widget that creates value for the user and you will earn authority points just by being the developer behind it. The more value you create in a widget - the more people that are going to be willing to include the widget on their page.

Is Captcha Destroying Myspace?

2007-10-24T15:48:00.001-07:00

The average Myspace user wanting to expand their friend’s list has probably been confronted by one of these guys:

It’s called a Captcha and what it does is disallows someone from adding a mass amount of friends to their profile with a bypass robot. A Captcha is a type of challenge-response test used in computing to determine whether the user is human. "CAPTCHA" is from the acronym for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart", created by Carnegie Mellon University. But what it has become lately to the average myspace user is a rather annoyance an almost deterrent from adding friends and enjoying your myspace session. The captcha sometimes will prompt too frequently making the average myspace session a work-out. Recently, the myspace captcha has become so hard to read that even the most trained human eye has trouble translating the captcha’s message. Sometimes it will take several attempts to translate the captcha. Is this what we have been reduced to - translating captchas?

There would seem to be a better method to keep spammers from expanding their friend lists than a captcha. This seems like a great new area for Internet entrepreneurs to go after and seize. With the rise of users on Myspace reaching 100 Million Users worldwide this means big business opportunities and great pay-offs for those that materialize an advancement and make something in the age of web 2.0.

Print Is Not Dead: Evoking Power with Printed Marketing Communications

2007-10-22T16:01:00.002-07:00

One of the greatest print pieces I have ever come across was this simple black and white piece that was exceptionally humorous, creative and effective in getting you to not throw the piece away. The print piece was a boardroom bingo card created by Carlton Draught – an Australian beer producer – a subsidiary of Foster’s Group.

Download the Carlton Boardroom Bingo card in PDF here >>

The fantastic thing with print is that it allows you to create material that serves some utility (e.g. a calendar, reminder checklist, a helpful wallet card). Good print marketers strive to create collateral that the recipient will want to hold on to. I refer to this as the "trash factor". The question that you should be asking yourself before you print anything is:

What is the likelihood that the recipient of this piece will throw it away?

When you set out designing something - make sure that you design print material that has enough utility factor in it to justify its printing. Bang out a piece like the "Boardroom Bingo" card and you may find yourself resurrecting a so called dead medium while helping the effectiveness of your marketing dollar.

Web 2.0 Marketing Buzzword Generator

2007-10-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

Today, I found a most impressive and humorous resource to generate marketing phrases with. A perfect prep tool for conferences and the likely boardroom meeting. I highly recommend checking it out. You will be able to add marketing web 2.0 buzzwords to your vocabulary and impress your work colleagues with almost futuristic word slinging:

Marketing BS Vocab Generator

Strike Marketing Gold: Tap into Cutting Edge Marketing Knowledge and Win in Today’s Competitive Landscape

2007-10-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

Whether you are completely new to marketing your business or you are a seasoned pro with several successful businesses under your belt – one thing is certain, the business landscape is changing and it is changing rapidly. This extreme level of change calls for logical measures to ensure your business stays on top of its marketing game.

So many businesses and clients of mine ask me “How do you know what you know about marketing?”, “Where do you come up with your marketing ideas?”, “How do you stay on top of your game?”, “How did you become a top performer in your field?”, “Where does one discover marketing prowess?”

These questions are always flattering to me. And although I have spent the last decade of my life working and training all kinds of businesses throughout the world in the art and science of marketing – I have always returned back to the same source to gain new perspective and to sharpen my marketing knife.

Where do top Advertising Agencies, Marketing Firms, and Branding Gurus attain leading edge knowledge?

The answer is very clear and comes quite easy to me and you may be surprised that you have been overlooking this free source right under your nose all of these years. Are you ready for me to unveil this knowledge source to let you in on where the top Advertising Agencies, Marketing Firms, and Branding Gurus are attaining their leading edge knowledge? Brace yourself, because I am about to reveal my source.

The source that should be in every Marketing Director, Business Owner, and Entrepreneur’s knowledge bank is the same source that leading experts contribute to and debate on every single day - the Scientific Journals. And believe me every industry has a journal whether it is Psychology, Biology, or even Marketing. Yes, there are more Marketing Journals than one can throw a book at and then there are marketing textbooks which publish what is essentially approved knowledge that has been rigorously scrutinized from the journals from top experts.

What if I can’t read the style of Language that scientific articles are written in?

I am not saying that you should go out and read every page in every journal from front to back cover. A normal person’s brain is not trained to understand the language that exists in these journals. The information is in code – it is intended only for Professors and Scientists to communicate with. That is why the abstract portion of the article was invented - to help the average person understand the complex knowledge contained in each study.

Most of what is contained in an article is designed specifically for Scientists to debate the validity of the study or how they went about collecting the data for the study. Your goal is to read the abstract which is usually only a few paragraphs long, located at the beginning of the article. Now adapt whatever insight or idea which is contained in the abstract to your own business.

Where do I start?

You start by running a search from your local library where these journals are stored in most cases for free in online databases. There may even be an entire collection of printed journals on hand at your local University library.

Now search for relevant topics that apply to your business. Marketing is a gigantic field and there are so many categories within the field that may or may not apply to your business. If you are an Internet business then most likely the Journal of Internet Marketing applies to you. If you run service style business then the Journal of Services Marketing applies to you. To hone in on specific information that applies to your business you will have to run an additional search within the first batch of search results.

For example Robert who is planning to build an online business may want to find out which colors are most effective in building websites - run a search for “colors and websites and effectiveness” in the Journal of Internet Marketing. A list of articles will come up where studies of actual color combinations were used to measure effectiveness in web experiences for users.

How Do I Apply This Information?

The answer is – “very straightforwardly”. You apply this kind of information where and when you can to give you business an upper hand over your competition. This information does not come cheap. These studies cost top dollar and many times are commissioned with tax dollars or by large corporations not to mention the time and effort that goes into executing these studies. The beauty here is that this information came at a price but is available for free for you to discover and utilize in your own business.

About Levon Guiragossian

With a comprehensive background as a Marketing Professional spanning the globe in research, design, marketing and branding strategy – Levon Guiragossian writes from direct experience.

Description

Want to know where the top Marketers in the world gain strategic insight? Leading Marketing Professional Levon Guiragossian unveils one of the industry’s best kept secrets in this in-depth article.