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Posts Tagged ‘Presence’

You may be hearing a lot about blogging in business circles today, and for good reason. Blogging is very important if you want to create a strong online presence, improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and generate leads.

Every business wants to come up in page 1 of Google results. If you are blogging consistently, and the RIGHT way, which means knowing what your keywords are and using them in the right places, you can help yourself do just that.

Take a look at these top 5 tips on how to effectively blog for your business:

1.  Blogging Improves Natural Search. If you want to start coming up in Google search, the biggest bang for your buck is to blog every day! To blog the right way, be sure to put your keywords, or, (your customer “pain points”) in the title of your article and hyperlink them in the 1st few sentences of your article back to the most relevant page of your web site
2.  Links from Other Web Sites. Help Google find your articles by asking other bloggers to link to them. Plus, you should link to your own content from your Facebook business page, LinkedIn and Twitter. Blogging is MORE than just a “field of dreams”, you should build it, and they might come, (over time) but, help them get there faster by getting other sites online pointing to your content.
3.  Feature Others. A great way to get people pointing to a blog article on your site is to talk about them! If you did business with them, write a review. If you use their product, tell how you liked it. Include photos or videos (this is what people love to see and click on the most) and tell the person you’ve blogged about them so they will visit the article (drives traffic) and tell their connections about it too (drives more traffic). Plus, encourage them to leave a comment.
4.  Add the Blog to Your Domain. One of the biggest mistakes I see in blogging is when a business sets up the “free” blog and does not host the blog on their own domain (URL). Google loves to see a website change their content. If you’ve had the same old website for years and never edited it with new copy or images, chances are Google is not visiting you much. A Blog remedies that because each new “post” is a change to your web site and also adds a new page. Each new page is another opportunity to optimize for keywords, improving your SEO.
5. Call to Action. Once you’ve made this investment of time creating great content, don’t miss the chance to capture a web site visitor. Include a strong “Call to Action” on your website, such as “Order now and get Free Shipping with this code”, “Sign up for our Free E-Newsletter”, or “Get our Free report”. Social media is very effective at getting people into your sales funnel. From there, continue with your traditional marketing efforts to convert them to a sale.

So, get out there and start blogging! You can generate leads and improve SEO, which all leads to improving your bottom line. Fairytale Brownies is a GREAT example of a successful business blog who was able to cancel their Pay Per Click marketing spend due to fantastic natural search results. Check out their blog!

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