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Posts Tagged ‘keywords’

I’m speaking at the Good Ol Gals Women’s Business Networking meeting Tuesday October 26th at 7:30 – 9am regarding the very important topic: Why Keywords are your Key to Online Marketing Success.

Online marketing is here, now. A business must have an online presence to survive and if you do not know what your keywords are, you don’t know how people are searching online for your products and services, so, you can’t be found.

And, if you are aware of what your keywords are, do you know where to use them online for optimal results? Come to this meeting and learn how to identify your keywords and where they must be placed online to improve your Search Engine Rankings.

The Good Ol Gals Scripps Ranch/Poway meeting meets every 4th Tuesday morning of the month, at Mimi’s Café on Mira Mesa Blvd. When you join us on October 26th, you’ll get to meet a great group of women, network about your business, and learn how to improve your online marketing results through knowledge and placement of keywords.

I hope to see you there. Sign up at Good-Ol-Gals.com.

Joann Whetstine
Social Media Marketing Consultant

For those who know how to use it wisely, LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for lead generation. It’s not just a place to put your resume or a job board, though most people tend to learn about it when they are job searching. It’s a very effective tool for targeted, free, online networking and lead generation.

LinkedIn is the largest online business networking site. Using the power of “who do you know,” you can make great connections and generate leads for your business, but, you must get involved to do it. This is the way all the social sites work, Facebook, Twitter, etc… You can’t just open an account and let it lie. Participation is key.

LinkedIn has approximately 45 million members, where Facebook, by comparison, has 300 million and Twitter is reported at 32 million. Just looking at the numbers alone, you can see that if you do not have a presence on LinkedIn, you are missing a huge opportunity to connect with potential customers and connections that can help further your business objectives.

Here are 7 tips to follow to optimize your profile, get involved with the community and connect with some experts in your industry in a targeted way:

1. Fill Your Summary with a Keyword Filled Story:
   That first section before the laundry list of every job you’ve had is the place to tell a story that is filled with keywords about you and your business. Always add a call to action at the end.
2. Add Your Picture:
   Social spaces are about connecting with people. You must add your picture to your profile. The human element is how people want to connect with you. Plus, if someone is searching for you specifically, this helps them identify you.
3. Give and Receive Recommendations:
   Just like references on your resume, get your top clients to recommend your work with a glowing review. And, do the same for them.
4. Participate in “Answers”:
   Read the status updates of your friends, and browse relevant groups to answer as many questions as you can. This keeps your name top of mind, just like a marketing campaign. Plus, all your answers appear on your connections’ home page.
5. Post Questions:
   This is a great way to connect with people and it helps reinforce your name as a “go to” person in your industry.
6. Join Groups:
   After you’ve added everyone you know, make new connections and keep building your network by finding groups that interest you and fit with your industry. Find out who is in your group and reach out to them. This is the most targeted marketing you can get!
7. Add LinkedIn to your Auto Signature:
   And, now that you are actively participating in this incredible social network, add your profile URL to your email auto signature. (And be sure to add any other social media space sites as well, like Twitter and Facebook). You want people to be able to connect with you on any and all social spaces they are using.

You can connect with me at: linkedin.com/in/joannwhetstine

This is the first in a series of blogs I’m calling, “Search Engine Marketing 101” or How To Get Your Business Found Online. Today, my specific topic regarding getting yourself found online is about Keywords and their power to help you come up in natural search results. Think of you own activity. When you want to find something, you Google it, right? And, that word, or series of words, you are type into the search box is called “Keywords”.

If you don’t know what keywords your customer is using to find you, you are in trouble. Keywords are of the utmost importance in all your marketing efforts. They need to be everywhere, including the following places:

• Your Web Site for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Tagged in Images on Your Web Site
• Your Blog
• The Titles of your Blogs
• Your Social Media Posts in Facebook
• Your Tweets in Twitter
• Your Headlines on Your YouTube Videos
• Your Summary Section on LinkedIn
• Your Online Press Releases

Keywords can be just one word, or a series of two to even eight words. When they get that long we call that the “long tail”. Think about how you search for something…. When you want to buy shoes, what do you type into the search box? “Running shoes”, “Supreme comfort jogging shoes”, “Nike cross training shoes”, “Brand name athletic shoes at a discount”… and the list can go on and on.

You need to conduct research and know exactly what keywords your customers are using to find you, and in a variety of short and long tailed combinations. Once you have this, it is imperative that you use them in all your online marketing efforts. Knowing what your keywords are and using them often and everywhere will improve your natural search results.