Can’t Be Found On Google? Here Are 7 Reasons Why They Can’t Index Your Site

Are you struggling to get your website found on Google? Are you afraid your competitors are snapping up all your potential customers?

 

In order to place you in their search engine results Google needs to be able to “crawl” your website using a series of programs called spiders which move from link to link taking note of your coding and content. If Google can’t do that then your site won’t be listed in their search results!

 

QuickSprout have put together the infographic below describing the indexing process in more detail as well as listing seven common reasons why Google can’t index your site.

 

 

http://blog.red-website-design.co.uk/2014/12/23/cant-be-found-on-google-here-are-7-reasons-why-they-cant-index-your-site/

 

Old SEO vs New SEO: What You Should Stop Doing and What to do Instead

The process of optimising a website for search engines like Google (SEO) is a constantly changing field, and it’s important to keep up with these changes if you want to succeed online.

 

Using old techniques that Google now considers spammy may work in the short to medium term, but you can be sure Google will catch you out eventually and slap you in the face with a penalty that could take you months to recover from.

 

For what’s hot and what’s not take a look at this infographic from Digital Marketing Phillipines.

 

 

http://blog.red-website-design.co.uk/2014/12/08/old-seo-vs-new-seo-what-you-should-stop-doing-and-what-to-do-instead/

 

6 Steps to Building a Loyal Online Audience

Are you looking for ways to build a loyal online audience? Do you know what a loyal audience can do for your business?

 

To be successful online you’ll need a group of brand advocates who will help to push your business forward. Those that will read your posts, share your content and recommend you to their friends, family and colleagues.

 

To help build that audience QuickSprout have put together their 6 steps in the infographic below.

 

 

http://blog.red-website-design.co.uk/2015/02/27/6-steps-to-building-a-loyal-online-audience/

 

LinkedIn Marketing: 8 Huge Benefits and 8 Awesome Tips to Master It

Ae you using LinkedIn as a platform to market your business? Do you need convincing about its benefits and want some tips to get started?

 

If you’re a B2B company LinkedIn is an absolute must, but that’s not to say a B2C company can’t achieve success too. LinkedIn offers a unique platform to build brand awareness amongst a targeted professional audience.

 

QuickSprout have put together this infographic showing the benefits of LinkedIn and some tips on how to implement your strategy.

 

 

http://blog.red-website-design.co.uk/2015/02/17/linkedin-marketing-8-huge-benefits-and-8-awesome-tips-to-master-it/

 

How to Write an Irresistible Headline

Let’s start with a fundamental question: How are posts shared?

 

It’s not the blog post, tool, or resource that gets shared. That might be what motivates the person who is sharing it, but all that ends up getting shared is the headline. The headline is what you share with your subscribers, it’s what people see in search results, and it’s what gets passed around

.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that a good headline is going to help your traffic prospects.

 

What’s less obvious is that sometimes the best way to come up with an idea is to start with the headline. Here’s why: If you start with the resource, you might end up putting a lot of time into it before you realize that there’s no way to summarize it with an irresistible headline. This is a lot like the death sentence most products face if they don’t have an “elevator pitch” on which to build.

 

 

What Makes a Good Headline?

 

According to a study published in The Guardian, these changes help your headline’s click-through rate:1

• Headlines with 8 words do 21% better than average.
• Using a hyphen or colon will add 9% to your CTR.
• Thumbnails and images boost clicks by 27%, so use them on every platform you can.
• List posts tend to do better. They do even better if the number of list elements is odd instead of even. In fact, odd-numbered posts do 20 percent better than even-numbered posts. I suspect, however, that “10” is an exception to this rule.
• Headlines that end with a question mark do better according to this study. On top of that, a university study has also found that question headlines do better. They also discovered that question headlines did even better if they referenced the reader with “you” or “your,” as opposed to rhetorical questions or other types of questions.
• Headlines that end with three exclamation points get twice as many clicks as headlines with any other punctuation!!! Obviously, you can do this too much!!! You’ll start to lose your credibility after a while!!! But if you’re going to use an exclamation point, you might as well use three instead of one!!!

 

What Do the Top Blogs Do?

 

Using a script, Startup Moon scraped several blogs and organized the posts from most to least shared on social networks. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are the most shareable headlines, but it’s probably a good indication that these posts attracted more traffic than usual. Posts in the top 20% tended to use the following tactics:

• Startup Moon was looking at tech blogs, but some of the most successful posts used words like “kill,” “fear,” “dark,” “bleeding,” and “war.” It looks like violent language gets attention, even when the subject isn’t about violence at all.
• The negative spin on a post tends to do better. Words like “without,” “no,” and “stop” showed up in a lot of the top posts. A study by Outbrain reached a similar result. They found that the negative superlatives “never” and “worst” performed 30% better than average and 59% better than positive superlatives. I’d bet that this all comes down to the human bias called loss aversion. Even when the outcome is the same, we pay more attention when the outcome is framed as avoiding a loss instead of gaining something.
• Obviously, people like seeing numbers in headlines. But it’s not just list posts that do this. Numbers of any kind apparently add credibility to headlines by adding specificity. Bigger numbers also tend to do better because they make things sound more dramatic. Use digits to represent numbers, not words. Time units also help, probably because they indicate exactly how much time it will take to learn something new. Finally, it’s best if the headline starts with the number.
• Guides do very well. Using words like “introduction,” “beginner’s guide,” “in 5 minutes,” and “DIY” will help your CTR.
• Piggybacking on big brands and hot topics also helps, even when the articles are only using those brands or topics metaphorically to make a comparison with something very different.
• A few random words also seemed to help: smart, surprising, science, history, hacks/hacking/hackers, huge/big, critical.
• The study also found that these words seem to hurt: announcing, wins, celebrates, grows.

 

Finally, if you want better headlines, your content needs to be built on a broader base of subjects and topics. This is where you look for inspiration from the top brands and widen your content strategy to include as many themes and ideas related to your industry as you can.

 

In another study, Ripenn analyzed 2,616 headlines on sites known for their ability to elicit clicks: BuzzFeed, UpWorthy, ViralNova, and Wimp. Here’s what they recommend as a result of their findings:

• Reference current trends, celebrities, and popular movies but with a unique spin on them.
• Inject headlines with curiosity. Elicit an interest, but don’t give it all away in the title.
• Use emotional words.
• Use action words. This is backed up by Dan Zarrella’s research on Twitter click-through rates. More adverbs and verbs will help CTR, while more nouns and adjectives will hurt it. We like to hear stories about things that are being done or learn how to do things. We don’t like stories about things just sitting there.
• Make bold claims.
• Write relatable, human headlines, and don’t get too formal.

 

Working together with Ripenn on that study, BufferApp was able to discover that these were some of the most popular phrases in successful headlines:

 

Image via BufferApp

Image via BufferApp

 

What If You Just Want to Sell?

 

While these are great tactics for sparking interest in a subject, many of them will backfire if you’re trying to target users who are already looking for something specific. Several case studies from ContentVerve at Unbounce demonstrate that, when it comes to landing pages:

• Question titles almost always perform worst. (“Need a Free MP3 Player?”)
• Loss-aversion titles tend to come in second unless there is a very clear thing people are trying to avoid. (“Don’t Waste Money on Expensive Mp3 Converters”)
• Titles expressing a very clear benefit tend to do best. (“Get Your Free YouTube Converter”)

 

The business of writing headlines for landing pages is very different from the business of writing headlines for blog posts. With landing pages, you’re trying to capture the attention of people who are already looking for something specific. Clever headlines just force them to think harder about what you’re offering.

 

With blog posts, on the other hand, you’re usually trying to elicit interest in a subject.

 

Over to You

 

Think carefully about which goal you’re trying to accomplish before you write your headline. In fact, this will probably depend on the platform. You’ll usually want to write more creative headlines for platforms like Facebook and Twitter, while you will often want to use more straightforward headlines for paid search or email.

 

It all comes down to the question of serendipitous discovery versus goal-oriented search.

 

http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/how-to-write-a-headline/

 

36 Tried-and-True Ways to Promote Your Blog Posts

There are lots of things you need to do to have a successful blog. Not only do your posts need to be well-written, helpful, and relevant to your target audience, but you've also got to make sure you're promoting them correctly so they get in front of people who could become your fans -- and maybe even your customers.

 

Luckily, you have many creative options when it comes to promoting your blog content.

 

In the infographic below from ReferralCandy, we hear from over 40 marketing experts about their favorite blog promotion tactics -- everything from relationship building to email segmentation to social media. Check it out.

 

 

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/blog-promotion-tactics

 

8-Step Mantra Marketing Action Plan For Growing Your Brand & Presence

If there is one thing I have learned about marketing it’s this: marketing feels awkward and uncomfortable.

 

Why?

 

You have great things to share, you want to share them and profit from your knowledge and expertise but somehow, the marketing part feels icky and itchy, and you just don’t have the time to commit to marketing and growing your brand. Right?

 

Is that really why?

 

I bet that is part of the reason, but here’s the REAL reason why:

 

There’s a little voice inside you that starts talking and she is stopping you. She is saying: Who do you think you are? You are not good enough! You don’t deserve to have fabulous clients! Everybody knows you are not going to really deliver all that you say you can!

 

Or: fill in the blank for what your personal inner meanie tells you.

 

One of the secrets to my own personal achievement has been shutting up that little voice and creating simple actions to move myself forward. I learned through lots of trial and error that the actions don’t work unless I attach a strategy for quieting the voice.

 

This is where mantras come in.

 

A mantra is a phrase (or sound or word) that you repeat when you meditate or pray.

 

When I grew my business from 100K to 1M it took me eight years. Yep, eight steady years of intentionally (and sometimes painfully) moving myself out of the way over and over again. During this time, I found powerful mantas to be incredibly helpful.

 

So, since my area of expertise is coaching people to their own online marketing greatness I have created this 8-step mantra marketing action kit for you!

 

Why would a marketer choose the number 8? We are supposed to stick with 5, 7 and 9s for maximum effectiveness, right? Even my book and signature system is called Music Success in 9 Weeks for goodness sakes!

 

A trip to numerology.com revealed my answer:

 

“The number 8, more than any other number, puts the emphasis in the areas of career, business, finances and authority. However, as with many other single-digit numbers, the shape of the number reflects its most important attribute, and in the case of the number 8, that is, first and foremost, balance… When the 8 comes knocking, you can be assured that you will reap what you’ve sown.”

Hmmm… Coincidence that it took me eight years to build my business? I think NOT!

Meanwhile, here we go with a mantra system just for you:
 

CYBER PR’S 8-STEP MANTRA MARKETING ACTION PLAN FOR GROWING YOUR BRAND & PRESENCE

 How do you break through and get noticed on social media? Don’t try to get noticed. It’s all about relationships, conversation, and interaction. But it’s also about believing that you can. Behold:

 

Action #1: Identify Your Ideal Customer and Only Speak to Her.
Mantra: Less is More.

 

You’ve seen all of the numbers. There are a billion people on Facebook, and 500 million on Twitter etc. etc. The landscape is vast. Don’t even try to think you can talk to everyone.

 

Instead, consider the characteristics of the ideal customer you would most like to engage. What’s her name? Does she have kids? What does she like to do, eat, and read? Most importantly, what makes her tick and what objections would she have if she were buying what you have to offer? All of these questions should lead your content. Write posts and create content only to her and she will show up to read it.

 

Action #2: Don’t Hype.
Mantra: I am Helpful.

 

Sales pitches have their place and they will emerge when the time is right, however too much and your followers will tune you out.

 

If you are going to take the time to get it right and ultimately establish yourself as a thought leader in your niche, be genuine and share what is meaningful to you. People will connect to your passion and therefore connect with you.

 

Action #3: Shine a Light on Other People.
Mantra: Social Media is not a Competition.

 

If you are willing to lift people up in public, it shows that you are a person of integrity who is not threatened by others. Highlight other people’s ideas, successes, and talents often. Share links to great blog posts, congratulate a promotion on LinkedIn, and Tweet a fantastic quote from someone you admire (or even better from your competitors).

 

Action #4: Make Your Content Easy to Share.
Mantra: I Share My Knowledge & Expertise.

 

If you have a blog, be sure you include ReTweet, Facebook like and Google+ buttons on each post. Add social sharing tools into your newsletters so people can spread your compelling content. Make short links for people so they’re more sharable by using bit.ly. Always think: How can I make what I do online as viral as possible?

 

Action #5: Answer Everyone.
Mantra: I Care About Others.

 

If you don’t care about your audience, they won’t care about you. If someone comments or likes or says something thoughtful about what you’ve written or shared, take time to answer.

 

Everyone is important, so treat everyone that way. They will notice and your social karma and currency will rise quickly.

 

Action #6: Be Bold, Stay Your Course.
Mantra: I am Bold & I am Authentic.

 

Fitting in and neutrality defeats thought leadership. You have important things to say, do not be afraid to say them. Be you, be real, and be bold. Stand out from all the other voices and be consistent and authentic with your message.

 

Action #7: Invite Participation.
Mantra: My Friends Are Here to Help Me.

 

Have friends and colleagues who you consider whip-smart, funny, helpful and an asset to your community become part of your content contribution team. Ask her to guest post and add her own thought leadership to your conversation.

 

It doesn’t have to be someone with a huge social following. In fact, it’s helpful if they don’t already have a large online presence because when others Google them they will be directed to your content! So, get collaborating!

 

Action #8: Put Yourself Out There.
Mantra: Others Benefit Because of Me.

 

While building a platform you have to simultaneously do so in World 1.0 as well as on Web 2.0! Get out there and speak in public, go on TV (or make your own TV on YouTube). Use your content to eventually publish a book. Writing a book is the most amazing calling card in the world.

 

Print the infographic below out and hang it where you can see it next to your desk or bed, or on the fridge. Repeat, repeat and repeat till they sink in.

 

http://cyberpr.com/2014/02/8-step-mantra-marketing-action-plan-growing-brand-presence/

 

9 Things Great Writers Do Every Day

You’re a writer, a content creator. People expect you to churn out really good, really engaging, and really awesome content.

 

What they don’t realize is that it takes some serious effort to create great stuff. That article that is so easy for them read is actually really difficult for you to write.

Thankfully, through the sheer power of habits, you can get to the point where creating awesome content comes naturally. Habits have the uncanny ability to stick with you. They’re a pain to implement, but they flow effortlessly after that. In the interest of making your tough job a little bit easier, here are a few daily habits that will make your content much better.

 

 

Remember, these are daily habits. Skip the weekend if you want, but be sure to put these into practice during the days that you’re expected to produce content.

 

1) Read Something Really Well Written

 

The next few tips have to do with reading. One of the best ways to become a better writer is to read what others have written. You’re not going to become a solid professional writer if you spend all day reading low-quality content. But if you spend more of your day reading professional-grade content, then you will improve.

 

The tough thing is, you have to be discerning to find the really good stuff online. To start, here’s a list of places where the content quality stays high:

• Harvard Business Review
• New York Times
• Slate

Don’t be afraid to pay for top-tier content. There’s a reason it costs money, and it’s often well worth it.

 

2) Read Something Funny

 

Reading humor can help shake up your brain in ways that loosen up the creative portions and help you produce better content. If you need to get your fix of Buzzfeed or The Oatmeal, go ahead. Don’t feel guilty about it.

 

Sometimes, the best few minutes of your day are spent laughing. You’ll enjoy a lot of benefits besides just the kick you got out of the hilarious content. You’ll enjoy the benefit of writing better content yourself. Your content may not be funny, but it will be good.

 

3) Read Something Outside of Your Niche

 

If you want to get better, read broader.

 

Reading other stuff -- really different stuff -- has a way of cross-pollinating your own writing specialty. For example, maybe you write about conversion rate optimization all day. If that’s the case, then take a few minutes to read a blog about yoga.

 

Yoga?! Why? Because the style, approach, and nature of content that is outside your niche can help you within your niche.

 

Good writing, regardless of what it’s about, will help you become a better writer.

 

4) Read Something You Wrote in the Past

 

Great orators spend hours watching their speeches. Professional athletes analyze videos of their moves. Politicians watch themselves on TV.

 

You’re a writer, so you should read content that you wrote in the past. The goal of reading past content is not to edit it. It’s too late for that. Instead, you want to learn from it.

• What was good about it?
• What things do you write best about?
• What wasn’t so good?
• What sounds awkward?

Ask yourself those questions and spend a few minutes getting a better understanding of how you’re doing as a writer.

 

5) Write for at Least 30 Minutes

 

The most powerful tip in this whole list is right here: Write for at least 30 minutes every workday. (Skip the weekends; you deserve the break.)

 

To become a better writer, you have to write. A lot. Every day. There’s no way to improve without actually doing it.

 

When you get into the habit of writing on a daily basis, your brain begins to anticipate it and prepare for it. This is especially true if you write at the same time each day. Way before you put hands to the keyboard, the brain’s juices are flowing, allowing you to be more creative, more precise, and more skillful during your writing time.

 

Every 30 minutes that you spend writing is 30 minutes that you’re getting better. Progress may not be huge, but at least it’s progress.

 

6) Force Yourself to Talk to Someone

 

Talking is different from writing. But talking can help you become a better writer, too.

If you want to write better, then talk better. You can’t improve your talking skills by staying silent all day.

 

If you work by yourself, call up a friend. If you work in an office, shoot the breeze over lunch or coffee. Just pick someone, and be conversational. Using your writing skills to some verbal interchange will actually help your writing become better.

 

7) Go for a Walk

 

Science has proven that taking a walk helps us think better. Some even say that it makes us smarter.

Let’s face it. Writing is a mental challenge. You must be in keen mental shape to be able to produce the kind of stuff that you’re producing.

 

So, if you want to sharpen your mind, then get out of your chair, head for the door, and don’t come back for at least 10 minutes. This isn't a brainstorming walk. You don’t have to think about anything, let alone your subject matter. Instead, you just move your body, and your mind will take care of the rest.

 

8) Write Fast

 

It may sound strange, but some of my best content is stuff that I wrote really fast.

 

Obviously, it had tons of typos and grammar errors, but overall, the content itself was pretty darn good.

 

I’ve recently discovered the reason for this. The mind can generate thoughts way faster than the hands can type them. If, however, you’re able to type faster, you're able to transcribe more of those thoughts, along with extra nuance and clarity.

 

Your fingers will never be able to match the speed at which you think, but when you do produce content rapidly, it has a much better chance of aligning with what you’re thinking.

 

I’ve met people who say “Oh I can’t write. It just comes so slow!” Actually, I bet they could write, if only they type it out faster.

 

You don’t have to turn on your supersonic speed all the time, but it’s helpful to get in the habit of writing fast.

 

Write fast. Edit slow.

 

9) Google Any Grammar Questions

 

An important part of writing is the mechanical stuff -- making sure you’re not breaking any grammar laws or violating any rules.

 

(A few well-intentioned rule breaking is okay, but if you’re being sloppy, that’s just bad form.)

 

If you come up against a grammar issue while you’re writing, do a quick Google search on it. It will only take a few minutes, but you’ll definitely learn something and possibly avoid an embarrassing mistake. Get into the habit of double-checking your grammar, even if you’re only slightly suspicious of your potential mistake.

 

Conclusion

 

Stay positive. Nobody becomes a better writer automatically. It takes months, even years, to form habits. But once those habits are in place, things can flow without any thought and hardly any effort. Before you know it, your writing is improving exponentially.

 

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/habits-great-writers

 

How to Get More Likes on Your Facebook Page

Every brand on Facebook is on Facebook for one reason -- to (eventually) get more business. But getting more business from Facebook means different things to different types of businesses. Different brands will have different objectives, such as driving in-store sales, increasing online sales, launching a new product, building awareness, or promoting a mobile app.

 

Regardless of the objective, there are a few steps that happen before Facebook fans can turn into real business. You have to first build an audience on Facebook, then drive inbound traffic to your website, then turn that traffic into qualified leads, and then nurture those leads into customers.

This post is all about the very first step in this whole process: building an audience of fans who actually have an interest in what your company sells. If you recently set up your Facebook Page or could simply use a few pointers on how to get more Facebook Likes, this post is for you.

 

 

How to Get More Facebook Likes

 

1) Fill out your Facebook Page with searchable information. 

 

To grow your number of Facebook fans, every section of your page should include content that's relevant and helpful, but also searchable. Remember: All of the content on your page will be indexed by search engines, helping you attract more Fans to your page.

 

By no means should you should go on a keyword-stuffing spree -- but you should spend time optimizing each section of your page with keywords appropriate for your business.

 

For example, once you’ve created your Facebook Page, make sure the About section of your page includes:

• An overview of what your business has to offer
• A link to your website
• Any other information that will help prospects understand your business better

2) Include Facebook Like Boxes on your website and blog.

 

Making your Facebook Page as discoverable as possible includes promoting your Facebook presence using the marketing channels you already have, and removing any barriers for existing contacts to like your page. 

 

If you have a website or blog, use Facebook’s various social plugins to get people to 'Like' your page without having to go over to Facebook.com.

 

While Facebook's Like Button allows users to like individual pieces of content on the web and share them on Facebook, the Like Box is designed only for Facebook Pages. The Like Box is a great way to leverage social proof to amplify your page. It displays your page's number of Likes along with the faces of some of your Facebook fans.
 

3) Invite existing contacts to Like your page.

 

Chances are, you already have friends, family, and existing customers who would be more than willing to connect with your business on Facebook. All you need to do is ask. Whether in person, via email, or via Facebook, try asking for Likes and positive reviews. Just be cautious about over-promoting to uninterested connections.
 

You can also encourage existing connections to become fans by making it more likely that they'll see a suggestion on Facebook to like your page. How? You'll have to upload a list of emails to Facebook, and those from that list who are on Facebook will be made more likely to see a suggestion to like your page in places like "Recommended Pages." Your contacts who aren't on Facebook won't see this suggestion.
 

To upload a list of email contacts through Facebook, open the "Build Audience" menu (located at the top right of your Facebook Page) and select "Invite Email Contacts."
 

From there, you can upload a maximum of 7,000 contacts per day per page -- and a maximum of 5,000 contacts at a time.
 

4) Invite employees to Like your page.

 

People are more likely to Like pages that already have some sort of following, and your employees can help your business build its initial numbers. After all, they are your strongest and most effective brand advocates.
 

Ask them to like the official Facebook Page. Then, encourage them to share, Like, and comment on the content your team posts on Facebook, too. Employees who really want to share the love might include a link to your Facebook Page in their email signatures or on their personal social media profiles.
 

5) Incorporate Facebook into your offline communication channels.

 

Have a physical storefront? Think about ways to encourage patrons to become Facebook fans. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Place stickers in your front windows promoting your page's name.
• Include your Facebook URL on your receipts.
• Run a promotion where customers who become Facebook fans on the spot get small discounts.

Market your business offline? Include links to your Facebook Page and other social media profiles on printed ads, flyers, coupons, catalogs, business cards, and direct mail assets.
 

6) Cross promote on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

Add a link to your Facebook Page on your business's Twitter and LinkedIn profiles (and your personal profile, for that matter). Tweet about your Facebook Page occasionally to encourage your Twitter followers and LinkedIn connections to stay in contact with you on another network.
 

Add your Twitter link to your Facebook Page, and occasionally tweet about your Facebook Page. Don’t stop with Twitter and Facebook; you could also cross-promote on LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, etc. Just be sure that your cross promotions are sparing and strategic -- you don't want to spam the other audiences that you've worked so hard to develop.
 

7) Post valuable content.

 

The best way to increase your following on Facebook is by treating your fans like people -- and that means consistently delivering content that is valuable to them. Delivering value really comes into play with the content you create and share with your fans, and how you interact with them.
 

It's all about building long-term relationships with your Facebook fans. They might not remember one individual post to Facebook, but if they notice you consistently publish high quality, helpful, and relevant posts to Facebook, they'll think of you as a valuable resource.
 

So, how do you know what to publish? If you’re in tune with your buyer personas, you probably have a good idea what types of content your ideal customers like. If not, or if you just need some inspiration, consider spending a week taking note of the types of content in your own News Feed that compels you click, comment, or share. What inspired you? Use your observations to inspire future posts.
 

8) Be active.

 

Getting more Facebook Likes isn't just about profile optimization and an initial push. To continue growing steadily, you need to maintain an active, ongoing presence.
 

Not only does this mean posting educational, insightful content on a regular basis, but it also means monitoring your presence and interacting with your fans. Ask questions, answer questions, and participate in discussions with those posting on your page. Find, follow, and build relationships with others in your industry. Create a presence worth following.
 

9) Use Facebook Ads to expand your reach.

 

Growing your Facebook Likes organically is the best way to drive engagement and, ultimately, convert fans into customers. But if you have the budget for it, incorporating some paid advertising into your Facebook strategy can help augment the hard work you're already putting in.
 

Facebook offers a type of ad called a "Page Like Ad," which contains a CTA suggesting that users Like your Facebook Page. These ads can appear in users' News Feeds or in the ad column on the right-hand side of their web browser when they're on Facebook. Here's what a Page Like Ad looks like on a mobile News Feed:
 

Image Credit: Facebook

 

If you’ve exhausted your existing contacts and want to reach people who don’t know about your page yet, but would be interested in hearing from you, you can use Facebook’s granular targeting capabilities to reach your ideal buyer persona(s) and grow your audience.

 

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/get-more-facebook-likes
 

10 Quick Tips For Marketing Your Website Effectively

Marketing your website properly is just as important (if not more important) as having a properly designed and developed website. In today’s digital world, having a website that works to increase revenue and sales is crucial, especially in a time where a nonexistent (or outdated) website could cost your company hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of dollars in lost sales.

 

It’s a necessity to have a marketing strategy in line with the goals of your company or organization, and in order to increase traffic and revenue at your website, it will take a heavy dose of effort to get your website where you want it. Use these tips below, and continue to research the world of internet marketing, there’s much left to be learned!

 

 

Without further ado, here’s 10 quick tips for marketing your website effectively…

 

1. Make a BIG deal out of the launch of your website!

 

You should be proud of your new site, and use this as a tool to contact your customers to let them know things are changing, and for the better. Market the new features your site will have both online and offline, and let it be known that you’ve invested in yourself.

 

2. Start a subscription-based newsletter.

 

Every company, in my opinion, should have some sort of informative newsletter. Your newsletter should be published on a set schedule, but only one that you can maintain. Ideally, your newsletters should contain informative articles. You don’t need too much content, but the content you have should be eye-catching, easy to read, and something that people want to see. If you bore your customers with your newsletter, you won’t be helping to market your website. Create a newsletter that compels people to do something… write a how-to on something related to your industry, or a top 10 tips that people might find interest in (wink, wink).

 

3. Add your website to your company’s voicemail message.

 

Even if it’s something along the lines of, “Leave us a message, or contact us on the web at www-dot-yourwebsitehere-dot-com. Are you seeing a trend here? It’s important to TALK about your website, and if you have something people want to see (which you should with that fancy site of yours!), your work will pay off.

 

4. Put your website on your company building’s sign.

 

This one’s sort of a no-brainer, but what better of a way to get people to scope out your company in the comfort of their own home. People driving by will remember your address, especially if you have an eye-catching sign, and make your website large enough and easy to read from a distance.

 

5. Tell Google when you’ve got new content…

 

Take this tip straight from Google themselves, “If your site is very new, we may not know about it yet. Tell Google about your site. One way to expedite Google’s discovery of new pages is to submit a Sitemap. Even if your site is already in the index, Sitemaps are a great way to tell Google about the pages you consider most important.” If you aren’t sure if your site has a sitemap indexed with Google, or you’d like help building your sitemap and properly publishing it, contact your web developer.

 

6. Use an email signature in your correspondences, and make sure that a link to your website is in it.

 

Not only will this provide for an easy way for your customers (or potential customers) to find your site, but it will also allow for an easy portal for them to visit you.

 

7. Yes, your website is up and running, but now how are people going to find it?

 

Many companies build a website and forget about it… YIKES! Use social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter to broadcast your website to those you are in contact with. For small businesses and start ups, word of mouth can be the difference between success and failure!

 

8. Advertising your site offline is equally important as advertising your site online.

 

Make sure your web address is in your literature and publications (business cards, corporate branding material, fax cover sheets, etc.)

 

9. Update your website AT LEAST once a month.

 

I would say less than once a week is too little, but it’s important to keep your content fresh, especially if you have an informational site.

 

10. Make sure that your website is built with valid code.

 

Check your meta tags are properly used, and each page has a proper title. Consult your web developer about these items, as they are all important for your website to have.

 

Realize that the key to successfully marketing your website is a never-ending, integral process that you NEED to do. Take the time to properly work on the items above, and dedicate yourself to doing it right. You just invested in your website, right? Why not make the most of it and start seeing your hard-earned efforts pay off!

 

http://2marketawebsite.com/10-quick-tips-for-marketing-your-website-effectively-2/

 

8 SEO Trends Every Website Owner Must Pay Attention To In 2015

Do you know what SEO trends will affect your website in 2015? Want to make sure you’re keeping up with Google’s latest guidelines?

 

It’s essential for any website owner wanting to be found online to understand what Google is looking at when they crawl their site and, perhaps more importantly, what makes them decide who should rank above who.

 

Take a look at this infographic from CJG Digital Marketing for their 8 trends to look out for.

 

 

http://blog.red-website-design.co.uk/2015/01/27/8-seo-trends-every-website-owner-must-pay-attention-to-in-2015/

 

Consumer Biases: The Blemishing Effect

From ads in the newspaper to banners on websites, consumers quickly process advertising information to ease their decision making process. What if you could create a positive effect by using negative information about your products or services? Entrepreneurs, marketers and optimistic people in general tend to see (and to show others) the positive angle of things. That’s a great thing to keep your sanity. However, what if I told you that by presenting some negative information you could make things look more attractive?

Being Too Optimistic

 

Most marketers are trying to promote their company’s core values and benefits. They promote outstanding reviews about their companies and so on, sometimes to the point that it sounds “too good to be true.” Don’t get me wrong – you should definitely keep doing so.

 

However, you should make your marketing messages seem more realistic and down to earth, by exposing some of the cons of using your service or product, but in a managed way. As in other aspects of life there’s no good without bad, you will experience no joy if you won’t know what sadness feels like.

 

A recent research conducted at Stanford University shows that a tiny bit of negativity actually strengthens a consumer’s positive impression of a particular product or service. As long as the negative information about a product is minor, the pitch to the customer might be more persuasive, particularly if consumers have already learned some positive things. This is called the Blemishing Effect.

 

The Blemishing Effect

 

The Blemishing Effect is one out of many natural biases that affect our decision making, and not necessarily in a rational way. As on an average day we make hundreds of decisions – all the way from choosing the right time to cross the road, through what to eat for lunch, and up to your rapid business decisions – our brain has sorts of “shortcuts” to allow us to make quick decisions.

 

In some aspects of our lives it works perfectly; For example, you don’t need to calculate the length of a road, speed of oncoming cars, your walking speed and so on, just to make a decision about crossing the road, but rather just look both ways and take action. Yet in some other aspects of our lives, especially when it comes to consumer behavior, our decisions are not that rational. The good news is, they are predictable.

 

When the negative information presented is very minor, it won’t help you to benefit from the positive effect. If it is too substantial, then it can actually hurt you (e.g. If you are selling shoes – having a very limited set of sizes in stock will hurt you). Typically smaller purchases rather than large expensive ones will benefit from listing a bit of negativity about the specific product.

 

Yet, there are limitations to the Blemishing Effect. First, the positivity must outweigh the negativity, customers cannot be too invested in their purchase and lastly, the positive must come before the negative.

 

Here are three ways to put the Blemishing Effect into full throttle:

 

1. Unflatter Your Product, Mildly

 

Most products or services have attributes that are less appealing than others, make sure to always list these attributes after you have already listed some strong positive ones.

For example, assuming that you don’t offer free delivery on a certain item, list your “low delivery rate” right at the end of the list of features, rather than emphasizing that.

 

2. Downgrade Your Offering a Bit

 

If you are in the hospitality services (e.g. Hotels, Restaurants), you might want to add a bit of negative news such as “During busy hours, service might take longer than usual”.  Or if your product or service really does magic, you could mention that it might take a few months to start and see results (though it’s tempting, as marketers, to promise quick results).

 

3. Be Honest and Direct

 

There are always some difficulties along the way, and you already know about some issues that other customers gave you feedback on. Don’t be afraid to mention them to new clients. It could actually work to your benefit.

 

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/consumer-biases-blemishing-effect

 

17 Stats You Should Know About Visual Content Marketing in 2015

Each year in mid-January, when all of last year’s research has been published, we like to read through some of the major reports on inbound marketing, content marketing, social media and online behavior.

 

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, honestly, it’s amazing how fast things can change in twelve short months and 2014 was certainly no exception.

While reviewing this year’s research two major trends emerged and both highlight the effectiveness of visual content marketing. As you will learn, this year’s data reveals that marketers who are leveraging visual content are seeing significant increases in their blog traffic, social media engagement, visitor-to-lead conversion rates and inbound customer acquisition results.

Let's begin by examining a few statistics that demonstrate the impact visual content has on social media reach and engagement.

 

Over the last 12 months almost every major social network, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram have increased the prominence and importance of visual content. Keeping pace with this trend, several research studies conducted over the course of 2014 point to the rather amazing effectiveness of visual content for social media.

 

Here are a few stats, specifically related to social media, that you should consider while you are crafting your 2015 content marketing strategy:
 

1) Last year the amount of video from people and brands in Facebook's News feed increased 3.6X year-over-year.

 

 

2) Tweets with images receive 18% more clicks, 89% more favorites and 150% more retweets.

3) Socialbakers.com looked at the top 10% of posts made by more than 30,000 Facebook brand pages and found that posts with photos saw the most engagement—accounting for a whopping 87% of total interactions.

 

 

4) In 2014, 39% of B2B buyers identified that they share infographics on social media frequently.

 

5) Adding a photo URL to your tweet can boost retweets by 35%.

 

6) Images and photos are the most important tactic in optimizing social media posts.

 

 

7) Visual content is a key component in each of the top 5 most effective B2B marketing tactics.

 

 

8) 70% of marketers plan to increase their use of original visual assets in 2015.

 

 

9) The top 3 content formats that B2B buyers seek out to research a purchase decision include: Whitepapers (78%), Case Studies (73%), and Webinars (67%).

 

10) B2C marketers are more likely to use original videos (63% B2C vs. 56% B2B) and original visual assets (63% B2C vs. 56% B2B).

 

11) 95% of B2B buyers agreed that they preferred shorter content formats.

 

 

 

12) In a recent study 86% of buyers expressed some level of desire to access interactive/visual content on demand.  

 

13) Social Media Examiner recently asked marketers which forms of content they most want to learn about in 2015. Creating original visual assets took first place, followed by producing original videos.

 

14) In 2014 the use of video content for B2B marketing increased by 8% to 58%, while the use of infographics topped the adoption list increasing in usage by 9% to 52%.

 

15) Interactive content formats such as Brainshark and SlideShare increased in popularity during 2014, up from roughly 21% in 2013 to 28% in 2014.

 

16) B2B marketers are employing on average 12-14 formats of content.

 

17) The popularity of whitepapers as a B2B content marketing format is actually declining in relation to more interactive, easily digestible formats such as video.

 

 

Given that white papers were previously the most widely used form of marketing content for inbound marketers I might be so bold to call this shift the birth of content marketing two point zero.

 

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/visual-content-marketing-strategy