*Note: This is a guest post written by one of our readers, Jim Estill. For more information on how to submit a guest post, please send an email to Janelle [at] unlimitedwebsolutions [dot] com or see our guidelines for guest posting.

Why do you use a certain brand of detergent, perfume or toothpaste? Is it the ad you saw on the TV, the billboard, the coupons, the store flyer, the sample, the attractive packaging, the magazine ad or the radio ad? You likely buy it for a variety of reasons. Promotion and advertising all adds together to make an impression that ultimately causes a purchase.

Of course, in the end, you will not use a product that does not work (or add value). And the most powerful selling tool is having a friend tell you to try something. And like all products, once you get a customer to go to your site, you need to add value. Perhaps humor, be interesting, help them make or save money or help them learn. Add value to their life. So make sure your site delivers, or no amount of marketing will work.

We can learn from experienced marketers and apply the same holistic approach to marketing our blogs and websites. Here are my 10 low cost ways to promote your web business:

1. Market to customers at any appropriate opportunity. This is a balance. If you buy spam lists and interrupt people with telemarketing when they are sitting down to dinner, this will fail. But always “softly market”.
2. Offer a bonus. For example, I have offered people a free whitepaper on “22 powerful time tips” if they sign up to receive my time management blog by email.
3. Put your web address in your email signature file. For example, my email sig file is: Jim Estill, CEO| SYNNEX Canada Ltd. (NYSE: SNX) |Tel: (519) 780-6213; Private Fax: (519)837-1479 | 107 Woodlawn Rd. W, Guelph ON N1H 1B4| Check out my blog http://www.jimestill.com/ or simply reply with “subscribe” in the subject line and you will be subscribed.
4. Make sure your web address is on your cards, letterhead, checks, flyers, boxes, envelopes, etc. Never go to the printer without making sure your web address is printed. It costs nothing more to add it.
5. Offer an email newsletter. This can add value and keep in touch with people.
6. Write articles or guest blog on other peoples’ web sites or use some of the free article sites like iSnare and Articlesbase to submit articles.
7. Add your website to any signage on your trucks, cars, building, etc.
8. Add your site to your phone music on hold, your voicemails and your reception answering.
9. Do contests and promotions on your site. Prizes can be a great way to draw crowds.
10. Most important: add value. If you do, people will tell other people which is the most powerful marketing of all.

Take an integrated approach to marketing. Follow the professionals. They know what works.

About Jim Estill: Jim started a computer distribution company, EMJ Data from the trunk of his car in 1979. With a great team, he built the company up to $350,000,000 in sales and sold it to SYNNEX in September of 2004. Now, he is the CEO of SYNNEX Canada, selling approximately $2 billion in computer products.

For more information about Internet marketing or to submit a guest post, contact CBG today!

[photo credit: llawliet]

Tags: Business Building, Guest Posts by Janelle - No Comments »

Rounding up this week are the following sites, which are more than worthy of your mouse click!

1. PR Squared- written by Todd Defren, PR Squared has been around since 2004ish and currently has over 2,000 subscribed readers.  This blog deals with anything and everything social media related and is really well-written. Check it out and subscribe.
2. PR 2.0-written and managed by Brian Solis, PR 2.0 deals with everything Web 2.0 related.  Another well-written and insightful blog, it offers much in the way of blogging, social networking, visibility, marketing and more.
3. Melanie McBride Online- Melanie McBride is an educational new media consultant and her blog reflects that with coverage of such issues pertaining to technology, social media, education, culture and more.  I’ve personally enjoyed reading through it and definitely think it’s worth your time!
4. Social Media Today- Headed by Robin Carey, Social Media Today  caters to bloggers, marketers, media professionals as well as global organizations, helping them along with maximizing their Web 2.0/social media potential- it’s a great networking site for social media enthusiasts as well.
5. Delightful Work-written by Tom Volkar, Delighful Work is meant to encourage people to work towards success both in a professional as well as a personal sense.  It is the pursuit of happiness as well as the pursuit of “work life freedom” that Tom’s after.  Definitely check it out.

For more information about Internet marketing, contact Create Business Growth today!

Tags: Blogging, Business Networking, Who Said That? by Janelle - 1 Comment »

Easy reading is damn hard writing. -Nathaniel Hawthorne-

As hard as some of us try, we simply cannot please every person who reads our blog posts. Some writers try harder than others and see some positive results in terms of traffic and people genuinely reading and enjoying their content while for others, writing comes a lot easier. But regardless of whether you spend three minutes or three days writing what you think is a fantastic blog post, someone will always be ready and willing to cut you down the first chance they get. Sad, isn’t it?

Part of what makes blogging fun is all of the interaction that we get to experience with other people in our niche who share similar interests or others who are curious and want to learn more about what we’re discussing. Of all the things that can go wrong with a blog (and believe me, there’s a list!), one of the major issues that often gets hard-working bloggers down is when someone leaves a negative comment on their blog post.

Walking the Line

If people didn’t think differently, then the world would be an awfully boring place. Part of what makes the World Wide Web so unique and interesting are all of the different opinions, ideas and experiences that each of us brings to the table. Having said that, it’s ok to offer constructive criticism to someone else- or even to disagree with them and say so. However, many bloggers would argue that it is NOT ok to leave disparaging comments on blog posts just for the sake of doing so.

What to do About Negative Comments

Web strategist, Jeremiah Owyang, discussed several ways of handling negative comments. To further supplement what he says, here are some words of advice I’ve come up with with regards to negative comments:

1. Get to Know the Person: Before you jump to any conclusions, take the time to look the person up. Do they have a blog of their own? Have they commented on other blogs besides yours before; and if so, do they have a history or pattern of leaving negative comments? Are they a competitor of yours?
2. To Delete it or Not to Delete it? Don’t rush to delete a negative comment right away. If you’ve determined that the person isn’t spamming you and that their comment has some validity, you may want to leave it up. Many bloggers are against leaving negative comments on their blog because they feel that it somehow damages their credibility. However, leaving the negative comment up there might provoke some discussion or reactions from other bloggers, thus helping you to drive traffic. Keep in mind that this isn’t something you want to do all of the time though.
3. Face the Facts: While some people are shiftless and are out to do more harm than good, you must face the fact that not every single person is going to like what you’ve written. The best blogs are those that have diverse comments. Reading through comments or even receiving comments that fall along the lines of “great post-it really helped me with…” or “I really agree here…” tend to be boring and somewhat unbelievable. Surely, there had to have been someone who saw things differently!
4. Build a Relationship: If the person leaving the negative comment has an email address, you may want to consider emailing him/her to simply discuss why they felt the way they did to see if perhaps it was due to something you left out of the blog post, etc.
5. Don’t Ignore the Problem! Ignoring a problem will never solve it. By reaching out to the person leaving the negative comment, you are acknowledging that there is a problem as well as demonstrating to your readers that you have an open mind as well as confidence- both of which will serve you very well in the blogging world!

For more information about Internet Marketing or to submit a guest post, contact CBG today!

[photo credit]

Tags: Marketing by Janelle - 6 Comments »

Why do most people hate where they work?  Why are so many of us miserable?  Recently, I came across an article written by Karl Staib in which he talked about the effect(s) of putting people in a design-friendly atmosphere in order to inspire excellent work.  After all, if the environment you work in is relaxing and comfortable, wouldn’t you look forward to going to work?  Kinda’ makes sense doesn’t it?

It’s Ok to Like Where You Work!

Have you ever seen images of the Google Offices over in Zurich?  It’s almost unreal.  I’m not saying that this is how other offices should model themselves, but it brings up a great point which is that it’s important to like where you work.  For some people, enjoying where you work isn’t just about the atmosphere; it’s about simply enjoying the type of work that you’re doing.

It all goes back to knowing what it is you like to do.  When you prepare to leave for work, are you excited about going?  Do you often think about the tasks that you will need to complete?  What goes through your mind?  Studies have shown and proven time and time again that happier employees are more productive employees.  And while this hasn’t yet translated into shorter workweeks or less hours worked per day (which would make the majority of us  happy), there are still ways to feel satisfied with what you do.  Here are five reasons to love where you work:

1. You are fairly compensated for the work that you do (ie. you are not expected to work longer than is necessary).
2. The work enviornment is kept clean (bathroom & kitchen areas are kept clean and there aren’t any problems with rodents or insects in the office area).
3. You get along with the other employees (at least on a professional level).
4. The design & overall layout of the office allows you to work comfortably (i.e. the desks/chairs are in good working order, there is ample lighting, etc.).
5. Your supervisor is willing to make concessions regarding your basic needs and/or things that you may need (ie. different lighting, pens, keyboard, etc.)

These are just five reasons you should love where you work.  However, everyone is different- so if these don’t match up-it’s no big deal.  In the meantime, you should consider these and other reasons (I’m sure you can think of some) for how you can find happiness at work.  If you’re experiencing serious discontent with your job, perhaps it’s time to re-think your career…

For more information about Internet Marketing or to submit a guest post, contact CBG today!

Tags: Marketing by Janelle - 7 Comments »

Rounding up this week are the following sites, which are more than worthy of your mouse click!

1. Boing Boing- founded by Mark Frauenfelder and Carla Sinclair back in 1988 as zine, today Boing Boing publishes to over 1.7 million readers each day with subjects covering technology, humor, gadgets, science fiction, futurism and politics.
2. Digital Capitalism- written by Kipp Bodnar, Digital Capitalism covers issues dealing with social media, marketing and other SEOish type stuff. You can also follow him on twitter.
3. Wine Library TV- maintained by Gary Vaynerchuk (VAY NER CHUK), Gary is Director of Operations at Wine Library in Springfield, NJ. This savvy business owner and wine connoisseur has attracted a cult-like following of more than 80,000 viewers a day with his unconventional commentary on wine, having made several guest appearances on shows such as Conan O’Brien and Ellen Degeneres. Definitely check it out and subscribe!
4. BarCampRDU- is an “unconference”. A “barcamp” is defined by Wikipedia as an international network of user-generated conferences- usually in the form of participatory workshop events where people come to learn as well as to teach others what they know about web apps, open source technology, etc. Rather than have formal speakers, everyone sorta’ pitches in. There are usually small groups with someone speaking and others listening, which helps to foster an intense learning environment- plus it’s a great way to socialize, network and make friends!
5. Marketing Pilgrim- launched by Andy Beal back in 2005, this site covers the latest news, rumors and reviews of all things related to online Internet marketing. Definitely check it out sometime!

For more information about Internet marketing, contact Create Business Growth today!

Tags: Marketing, Who Said That? by Janelle - No Comments »

Delve into the mind of a blogger with me for a second. Why do people blog? Well, for most of us, it’s to put useful information out there and hopefully make a connection with readers. In my mind, if I can read a blog or an article that someone’s written and get something useful out of it-even if it’s nothing more than a smile- then that person has done his/her job.

Blogging is meant to elicit a response from readers. Whether this means that they will find out something that they didn’t know before, purchase a product or service, or leave a comment saying that they disagree entirely, it is a way to connect with others and create a buzz about something.

Keep it Short. Keep it Simple.

One of my pet peeves with blogging is what I refer to as “empty blog posts”. These are the blogs you come across that are long (usually more than 400 words) and don’t really capture your attention; they’re boring. If you’re going to write a blog post (especially one that is lengthy), make sure that you have something to say that will keep your readers captivated; otherwise, you’re just wasting your time and theirs.

In my experience, I have found that most people who read blogs tend to prefer ones that are shorter versus ones that are longer. If you know that you have a lot of valuable information that you want to get out, why not break it up? Split your post into a Part 1 and Part 2 and post them on different days. If the content is well written and thought provoking, readers will want to come back for the next in the series. This is preferable versus trying to shove a ton of text/information down someone’s throat in one sitting. Even if you break up your post with pictures, it’s not going to break up the fact that your word count is creeping up to near 800 + words as your number of subscribed readers is going down.

For more information about Internet Marketing or to submit a guest post, contact CBG today!

Tags: Marketing by Janelle - 3 Comments »

You’ve probably heard it mentioned plenty of times by now, but the question never gets old it seems: What happens when an SEO company “promises” certain results for its clients but then the outcome is less than what was originally expected? Does the client walk away satisfied? Probably not. Do people end up getting sued? It’s a question that seems to be growing and will more than likely continue to be a cause for concern as increasing numbers of businesses and professionals are switching to the Internet as a form of marketing their presence.

So, what to do? Do we continue on in the pattern of thinking that “the customer is always right”? When you hire a professional to fix the plumbing in your house, you expect that at the end of the day, you will get the intended results that you want: ie. the toilet will work again. Therefore, it sort of makes sense that when you hire an SEO professional: ie. an Internet marketing company, you’ll get the intended results that you were guaranteed at the end of a certain amount of time. So, for instance, if you were told that you were going to have n amount of visitors to your site and that your rankings in Google would go up by a certain number, is it then unreasonable to expect results? Are the circumstances different? Some would argue that they are.

Flushing a Toilet is Easy; Flushing your Business Down With it is Not…

Flushing your toilet and flushing your business down with it both have one major difference: one stinks and the other one doesn’t. So, when things don’t work out as planned with your SEO company of choice- if you still haven’t moved up the ranks in Google- if you still haven’t received any leads from all of the marketing ploys- is it then ok to demand your money back? Take the poll below to find out what others think about the issue.

For more information about Internet marketing or submitting a guest post, contact Create Business Growth today!

Tags: Marketing by Janelle - 8 Comments »

Another week has come to a close, which means another brief list of cool sites you can peruse to find more info on the latest happenings in business, media of the social kind and other neat things to keep your spirits up and your fingers typing when you’re “stuck” at the office. Here’s this week’s lineup:

1. inside919| If you live in the ‘919′ area code and are a small business owner looking to connect with other business owners or just business like-minded people, this is a great site. Inside919 serves as a great resource for both women and men who are working and living within the 919 area code of North Carolina.
2. Social Carolina| This is another great social networking site that keeps users informed of the latest tech events to happen in the Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill areas of North Carolina (aka: the “Research Triangle”). You can also follow Social Carolina on Twitter to get the latest updates.
3. Social Desire| Written by Shana Albert, Social Desire is devoted to everything related to social media and Web 2.0. Definitely check it out if you can.
4. Andy Beard| The name says it all…well, kind of. The site has been around since 2006 and currently has over 4,000 subscribed readers. Andy Beard deals with all sorts of great SEO stuff such as blog search engine performance, niche marketing, tips for affiliate marketing, social media and more.

For more information about Internet marketing, or to write a guest post, contact CBG today!

Tags: Marketing by Janelle - No Comments »

I recently came across a post by Steve Hodson over at Mashable in which he discusses Web 2.0 and social media. Despite whatever rumours you may have heard, social media is a widely popular, ever growing phenomenon that is sweeping up thousands of newbies each day. That being said, there are still people who don’t know how to use it properly. In his post, Hodson stated:

..Others though haven’t seemed to grasp the later effects to posting inappropriate stuff, even if they think it is funny as hell at the same time, it could very well come back to bite them on the butt.

Sadly, this is true…people misusing social media, that is… You see, while social media can and should be a fun tool, does this necessarily mean that we should abuse it?  Take, for instance, the hundreds upon thousands of college kids who are on Facebook and Myspace.  While both of these social media sites are fantastic for finding old friends and linking up with new ones, is it really a wise idea to post pictures of that wild night of drinking you had with you and your friends?  What about those surveys that often get passed around- you know- the kind that ask you all sorts of personal questions that you think you’d probably want to keep between you and your doctor or therapist?

Behave Yourself!

When you’re young -or really- when you’re first learning something, you tend to make mistakes until you figure it out.  That being said, the Internet is a very unforgiving place.  If you put something out there and it’s less than flattering- whether it be a negative statement about someone else or a photograph, there’s a good chance that it may come back to haunt you.  Not surprisingly, the same rules of etiquette for human social interaction are very similar when it comes to the Internet.  Be courteous.  Introduce yourself when talking to others.  Thank people when they do something nice for you (especially if they weren’t obligated).  If you have something to say, say it succinctly and make your point as clear as possible.  All of these things will make you a more credible and highly valued resource.

For more information on Internet marketing or on writing a guest post, visit Create Business Growth today!

Tags: Marketing by Janelle - 10 Comments »

If you type in “key to successful blogging” on Google (which I just did), it takes 0.18 seconds to come back with approximately 491,000 different results. It seems that when it comes to the wonderful world of blogging, everyone and their mother wants to throw in their two cents about how to be a decent blogger. And even though millions of posts have been written on the subject, this doesn’t necessarily mean that we know what we are doing. There are still plenty of people out there who, when it comes to writing, just don’t get it.

On TechCrunch, Micahel Arrington wrote a blog that dealt with the issue of how most PR professionals don’t really know or understand what blogging is all about. But PR folks aren’t the only ones. Most bloggers don’t have a clue! Anyone who can write a sentence can have their own blog. What makes one blogger more successful than another depends on a number of factors which include but are certainly not limited to the following:

• the individual
• the market that the individual is in
• the individual’s actual ability to write (grammar, etc.)
• the individual’s ability to connect with the intended audience

Making the Connection

The Internet is a vast place with a lot of people who, at any given moment, are trying to do a number of things. Whether you’re sharing a recipe, a new song you wrote, a funny video you saw, or simply recounting the bad day you had in your personal blog, the Internet ultimately functions as a way to share information with one another. People who use the Internet are typically looking for functionality. How hard is it to navigate someone’s website or blog? What is the typeface like? Does reading what they wrote put a strain on your eyes? What about the content? Is it worth your time to sit there and read what they have to say?

First Impressions are lasting ones. In the real world, someone might actually get a chance to correct themselves and salvage a relationship. But in the blogging world, all it takes is one bad post to turn hundreds, perhaps thousands of potential readers away.

For more information about Internet Marketing, contact Create Business Growth today!

Tags: Marketing by Janelle - 2 Comments »