Ever wonder why your web site isn’t getting the kind of traffic you think it should be getting? Well, it could be due to several problems, but the one area that most people overlook is the part that has to do with the writing. Writing is an essential part of any web site’s success. If you’re trying to market something on the Internet, sure your web page should look a little flashy- but once a person gets beyond the looks, it’s all about what’s actually written.

Some Helpful Tips

Some of us are fantastic writers. However, you could be the greatest writer in the world and have a ton of interesting ideas; but if you don’t know how to properly convey that to readers, no one will notice how talented you are nor will they care what you have to say. So, here are some helpful tips to assist you into becoming a better writer:

1. Have a Headline: Spend some time working on a catchy headline. A really great headline will grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read on to see what your content has to say. For example, many people who read newspapers only tend to read the headlines. The will usually scan the headlines until they find something that grabs their attention. Then, and only then, will they read the article.
2. Know Your Audience: If you are writing for a particular web site, or if you have your own web site, it helps to know who your audience is. Who are you trying to market your information to? This will make a difference in how you write as well as what you’re writing about.
3. Give Examples: Providing examples when you are writing content can help a reader to better understand what you are trying to say because it adds clarification. However, be careful not to overdo it with too many examples because then all you’re doing is breaking up the text, making it more difficult to absorb what is being said. Take the example of some books and articles that have the footnotes right in the text.
4. Avoid Being Verbose: No one likes to read a piece of content that is too wordy. Avoid the wordiness if you can and keep things as succinct as possible while still providing the necessary information that readers will be looking for.
5. Don’t Play the Guessing Game: Readers shouldn’t have to guess at what you are trying to say. Rather, it should be fairly obvious.
6. Keep it Short: No one likes to read content that goes on and on. Keep your sentences and paragraphs relatively short. Remember that if someone comes across a page of entire text, they are less likely to read it. Create some white space in there by shortening sentences and paragraphs down so that it will look and read better.
7. Use Active vs. Passive Voice: Whenever possible, avoid using passive voice. Content that is written in passive voice is a lot weaker than content that is written in active voice. An example of this would be: passive: My shoes have been completely destroyed by rain VERSUS active: The rain completely destroyed my shoes.
8. Be Specific: Readers love details and hate generalizations. When you are writing content, always try to be as specific as possible. Being specific also makes you seem a heck of a lot more credible because it shows that you know what you’re talking about.
9. Don’t Stop Writing: When you are writing content, just write what you what you feel. After you’ve finished writing, then you can go back and correct your mistakes and/or change it as you please.
10. Pretend to Be the Reader: When you are finished writing your first draft of content, take a minute to step outside of the box and into the shoes of a total stranger who would happen to come across your content. Does it seem appealing? Is everything explained well and in a way that can be easily understood by the average reader, or are there still questions that you might have?

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

Tags: Marketing by Janelle - 2 Comments »

If you’re thinking moving or relocating to a different area but don’t want to have to drive your vehicle, then you should consider auto transport. Auto transport is no longer just something reserved for car dealerships. Rather, it is gaining increasing attention from everyday people who are concerned with saving money as well as the uncertainty of the future of the economy and rising oil prices, etc. Think about all of the expenses that you would normally be responsible for if you drove versus if you used a car transport company. For example, if you were moving from New York to Florida, you would probably rent a U-Haul truck as well as drive your car down to Florida. Now consider all of the money you would have to spend on gas for that long drive, battling traffic, inclement weather and frequent stops for food, gas or to stretch. Also consider the fact that the drive would probably take up the span of at least two days, which would mean that you’d also have to shell out money on a hotel/motel. Now imagine going with an auto transport company. You would’ve already called and arranged for a representative from the auto transport company to come to your house to pick up your vehicle. You may have chosen to go with the enclosed vehicle shipping deal (because you’re super paranoid about your car). You have been told that your vehicle will be there the day after you’re scheduled to move into your new home. With all of that taken care of, all you have to worry about is booking your plane ticket and letting the moving company take care of the rest. For a lot of people, auto transport is the easier, more convenient and financially sensible choice. So, the next time you’re thinking about moving or if want your car to be wherever you are but simply don’t feel like it driving across the country, consider having it shipped. It just may save you a lot of time and money minus the headache!

Tags: Marketing by Janelle - No Comments »

Advertising isn’t as easy as you think, and it definitely isn’t as easy when it comes to electronic marketing.  All of the same rules involved in other forms of non-electric advertising still apply to internet marketing and then some.  For this reason, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has prepared guidelines in order to promote a healthy exchange of information as well as to protect businesses and consumers alike. 

What CAN’T I Do?

The Federal Trade Commission Act was created out of the FTC to act in the interest of all consumers in order to prevent unfair practices.  Things that advertising should not do are: mislead consumers and/or affect a consumer’s decision whether to purchase the service/product.  At the outset, this might not seem like a big deal, but you’d be surprised at how many people get in trouble for false advertising.  It’s one thing to misjudge your target audience; it’s quite another to purposely try to mislead them.

Protect Yourself

Good internet marketing begins with smart internet marketing.  The FTC holds website designers and/or advertising agencies responsible for reviewing any marketing information to make sure it is truthful.  To protect themselves, the FTC suggests that catalog marketers ask for material from manufacturers to back up claims.  If the manufacturer is hesitant in providing you with the materials, a red flag should fly up.

Some other points that the FTC wants Internet marketing agencies to consider include the following:

• If you’re advertising a service, disclaimers and disclosures must be noticeable where the consumer will be able to read or at least hear the information.
• Demonstrations of how a product is used must accurately show how the product will perform under normal use (ex: paper towels, glass cleaner, etc.)
• If you promise to give a consumer their money back, do it.
• Be careful of advertising to children.  Know all of the information and rules governing it.

By following this advice, you’ll be one step ahead of the game.

Tags: Marketing, Internet Marketing by Janelle - 1 Comment »

As human beings, we desire to feel connected to one another; we desire to be understood and appreciated. So, how does this need to be appreciated and understood transfer over into the world of marketing? Simple. Cater to the consumer’s desires. Think about how often we watch television. Everyone has a “favorite” television program, a “favorite” commercial, even a “favorite” song; and why? Because something in each of those things appeals to the consumer. Think about why you like that Beach Boys song. It’s because when you hear the lyrics, it makes you think of when you spent that summer at the beach with your friends before you all went your separate ways to college. It’s all about the connection.

When commercials are created, they are created with the consumer in mind. Everything from pencils and pens to soda cans and bottles are designed to keep the consumer in mind. You might prefer the bottle of water with the snap top to the bottle of water where you have to twist the cap off because of its usability. It seems like everyone is competing for each others attention at times. Everyone wants to be heard. Internet marketing is no different. We write to capture a readers attention. If anything, marketing on the Internet is more of a challenge than any other form of social media. After all, what is there to prevent you, the reader, from clicking off this page right now? Sure, there are all sorts of tricks out there such as pictures and interactive menus to keep a reader on the Internet interested, but at the heart of it all is the writing. It’s the writing that captures your attention for that split second; the kind that makes you wonder what else that person or business might have to say or offer. Advertising will be around as long as there are consumers and connections to be made.

Tags: Marketing by Janelle - 3 Comments »

When the Yellow Pages (Phone Book) charges a business hundreds if not thousands per month to run a 12 month ad that the business is locked in to, do they guarantee in writing a certain ROI? I don’t think so.

What about Direct Mail through something like Money Mailer that usually costs about $500 for 10,000 addresses. Again, I don’t think so.

What about a newspaper ad that may cost $500, $1,000, $2,000 or more for 1 ad depending on the city and the size of the ad. Again, I say… I don’t think so.

So what’s up with people concerning Internet Marketing? Is there a guarantee that the phone will ring from it? No, it’s marketing. It’s advertising. There are lots and lots of variables…consistency…budget…the client…etc.

Marketing and advertising should give a higher ROI than the investment, but that is not always the case. In our Internet Marketing Business, the clients who get the biggest ROI are the ones that let us do what we were hired to do and trust our expertise in the field. These clients are usually very happy. The clients who are not happy are the controlling ones that often expect next day results. O.K., realistically not next day just the day after.

Two simple case studies…Both in the same field but one targets men and the other targets women. That’s why we worked with both at the same time.

Client 1: Knows exactly what the business is about
Client 2: Doesn’t have a clear business focus

Client 1: Approves our work fast
Client 2: Continuously revises copy

Client 1: Has a phone number that rings to a live person during business hours
Client 2: Phone number is a cell phone that doesn’t get reception at their office

I could go on and on. Needless to say,client # 2 decided that since their phone wasn’t ringing from the internet that they’d no longer use our services. We think it’s best if they find another marketing company.

Share your thoughts below…

Tags: SEO, Marketing, Internet Marketing by David - 4 Comments »

I must say I am a bit behind with this keyword tool. An SEO pro friend of mine mentioned that he used Spyfu.com a lot. And asked if I had used it at all. Of course as a PPC pro I said I had definitely heard of it but wasn’t very familiar. I have known about and used KeyCompete before. However I have grown to like and appreciate SpyFu. Spy Fu is an online tool with limited free information and expansive information with a paid for version. Spy Fu lets you get a great glimpse at which keywords your competitors are targeting and using in their ad campaign. The estimates are pretty close to accurate. My SEO pro friend was curious as to how accurate their estimates were on Ad Spend. After using Spy Fu to analyze my own clients it seemed to be about 20% low on their estimates. This was for a handful of clients across various industries. Pretty good indicator. For all of us setting up and managing AdWords marketing campaigns and other PPC efforts, Spyfu.com should definitely become a resource in setup and ongoing PPC management!

Tags: Marketing by Noah - No Comments »

If you are time crunched like I am, it’s hard to sit down and read through WIRED. Although WIRED is all that…totally awesome…yada…yada in the opinion of the masses, I really like the five magazines ( Search Marketing Standard Magazine, Website Magazine, Revenue Magazine, Response Magazine and Target Marketing Magazine ) listed below because they are all about 50 to 75 pages or so each, easy to digest, cover multiple areas and are perfect for the 2008 time crunched seo/tech/marketing enthusiasts.

Click on the image to visit the websites and enjoy…

Tags: Resources, Marketing by David - 2 Comments »

This is part of a series that I am doing weekly on “Favorite FREE SEO Tools.”I encourage comments on the tools that are featured each week.

Please comment as follows:

1) Comment on the Tool that is featured.
2) Mention a similar Tool that you use that you like just as good or better.
3) Please do not simply link to Aaron Wall’s SEO Tools Page (just an example) and say, “Check out all these “FREE SEO Tools” by Aaron Wall.”

I hope you don’t mind me setting up the simple 3 step guideline above to keep the comments focused on just the tool being mentioned or other very similar tools.

Quintura is the featured tool this week. With this tool, you can find like keywords and dig, dig, dig even deeper.

Here’s a screen shot using the word “Real Estate” as the search phrase.

Notice the words surrounding “Real Estate:”Agent, Company, Services, Brokers, Listings, Commercial, etc. In other words, the tool is suggesting “Real Estate Agent,” “Real Estate Company,” etc. Notice what happens when I click on Company…the words change. Also, notice that the word “Mortgage” shows up:

Mortgage has to do with “Real Estate.” Then, notice below what happens when I click on “Mortgage.”

Can you see how Quintura can help you expand your keyword horizons?

Tags: SEO, Marketing by David - 5 Comments »

This is the beginning of a series that I plan to do weekly on “Favorite FREE SEO Tools.”

I encourage comments on the tools that are featured each week. Please comment as follows:

1) Comment on the Tool that is featured.
2) Mention a similar Tool that you use that you like just as good or better.
3) Please do not simply link to Aaron Wall’s SEO Tools Page (just an example) and say, “Check out all these “FREE SEO Tools” by Aaron Wall.”

I hope you don’t mind me setting up the simple 3 step guideline above to keep the comments focused on just the tool being mentioned or other very similar tools.

Let’s start with one of my absolute favorites: SEO Quake for Firefox and Explorer.

If you don’t have it installed and like SEO, you should give it a whirl. It provides a snapshot very quickly of important data needed for foundational SEO. Here’s a screen shot:

After you install SEO Quake, you will have a request parameters button just below the search box before the rankings. Anytime you are surfing using a search engine, you can click REQUEST PARAMETERS to see all kinds of information on the page about all the sites on that page.

Here’s how I use it to make me look good in just seconds…

1) On the phone with a Potential Client
2) May I have your domain name
3) I’ll then usually either do a site:www. or I’ll use the SEO Quake Tool Bar that is installed. Either way, I gather some quick data.
4) I respond with… I see that you site is ____ months/years old, you have ____ links pointing to your site and you have ____ pages in Google.
5) Remember, this is just quick 15 second snapshot

Now, this is how I use SEO Quake to give additional feedback.

1) Armed with the information above.
2) What is a phrase that you would like to rank for.
3) I type that phrase in Google and hit request parameters.
4) I then look at the Age, Pages Indexed in Google and Links Pointing to the sites.
5) Remember, all of this is literally done in just 2 or 3 minutes. Quick Snapshot.
6) Based on info from the potential clients site and info from the Top 10 ranked sites, I may give combinations of feedback like…

“Your site is a June 2007 site and all of the Top 10 for that term are 2005 or older” (Hint: Site is too new to potentially compete.)

“Your site has 57 links and all of the Top 10 sites have at least 950+ links; however, this does not mean you cannot compete. Linking is more about quality, but I’ll have to dig further on this one.”

“Your site has 5 pages indexed. Most of the Top 10 sites have 100+ pages indexed.”(Hint: They are probably targeting more terms, have a good sitemap, have solid links, etc. Why does the site have only 5 pages? Is it really that small or just not being indexed well?)

Please don’t take me out of context. This is the short version of just some of the things you can do with SEO Quake.

Do you use SEO Quake? It will make you look pretty sharp in a matter of seconds when talking on the phone with someone. Please share your comments.

Tags: SEO, Marketing by David - 5 Comments »

If you own a business, you’ve no doubt had some crazy brainstorming sessions trying to think up new ways to promote your products or services. Here are 3 companies that didn’t stop with just the ideas:

Sheep-vertising

A Dutch horse breeder looked out at the sprawling land and herds of livestock around and saw a huge blank advertising canvas. The progressive company Hotels.nl was the first to try his idea of branded shirts for sheep, paying 1 euro per shirt, per sheep. What happened next couldn’t have been better. The authorities demanded the advertisements had to go and fined Hotels.nl 1000 Euro per day. Hotels.nl decided to pay the fines, refuse to remove the ads, and take the city to court as the dispute escalated into news. As a result, sales at Hotels.nl increase by 15%.

Alien Marketing

In a boardroom somewhere, a group of KFC execs decided that what they absolutely needed was to build a KFC logo that could be seen from space. KFC hired a team that spent 3,000 hours painstakingly designing, creating, and positioning 65,000 1 foot by 1 foot tiles to create an 87,500 square foot logo that is visible from space.

Watch the video of it’s creation and ultimate destruction:

Bumvertising

This is my personal favorite. A big thanks to Jonathan who linked to this post on Small Business Branding who introducing me to bumvertising! Bumvertising’s president Benjamin Rogovy recognized that “bums use a business model that takes advantage of high volume traffic,” and “imagined that there had to be some value that was not being utilized.” A lot of people are in a frenzy over Bumvertising, claiming that it exploits bums. I disagree! As someone who has hitchhiked across the country and met bums and vagrants and train hoppers from coast to coast (and even held up a sign myself once or twice) I can’t think of one person I’ve ever met who would have been offended to get paid for taping an advertisement to their sign. No matter what you think, Benjamin’s Bumvertising site is getting a lot of links and generating a lot of exposure for PokerFaceBook.com!

Tags: Marketing by Adam - 6 Comments »