Positive Thoughts for a Positive World
One common SEO mistake small business owners and solopreneurs fall victim to is building poor quality backlinks. Often times, these business people maintain their own websites, yet they don’t fully understand what backlinks are. Continue reading “Why You Should Avoid Building Poor Quality Backlinks”
I’ve been reluctant to use Google+ as a marketing platform for my business, let alone encourage my clients to get on there. But I’m warming up to the site now, as you’ll see in my guest post for the SEMrush blog. Click the link to read it: SEMrush Blog | How to Get Leads with Google+ – SEMrush Blog.
A new study finds that users of Facebook’s Graph Search focus on the top couple of results, similar to what happens on Google. And those users lose interest in lower results as they move down the page.
I’ve always been a different type of searcher, especially on Facebook. I’ve been using Graph Search for a few weeks now, and I’m not that crazy about it. I don’t always find what I’m looking for, and I have to keep refining my search, or clicking on the “view more” link at the bottom of the page.
Graph Search is still in beta, but it’s likely to be permanent at some time in the future, so it’s in your best interest to optimize your Facebook page with keywords so you can be at the top of the heap. In a future article, I’ll explain exactly how to do that.
Read more about this survey in this MarketingProfs article…Social Media – Facebooks Graph Search Results Page: An Eye-Tracking Study : MarketingProfs Article.
Google is experimenting with an “Evernote” type product called Keep. However, the author of this TechCrunch article is extremely skeptical about this new product, especially on the heels of Google’s announcement that it’s ending support of Google Reader. (I’m an avid user of Google Reader and am very disappointed that it’s going away.)
Read about Keep here:
Google Keep’s Already Shaky Ground | TechCrunch.
Did you know the biggest in-person social media conference is happening in just six weeks? Social Media Marketing World, presented by Social Media Examiner, takes place April 7-9 in beautiful San Diego, California and I am so excited to be attending.
When I heard about this conference last year, I just knew I had to be there. 50 social media gurus will be sharing their expertise. Folks like Guy Kawasaki (author, What the Plus), Mari Smith (co-author, Facebook Marketing), Chris Brogan (author, Google+ for Business), Sally Hogshead (author of Fascinate), Dave Kerpen (author of Likeable Business), Michael Stelzner (founder of Social Media Examiner), Amy Porterfield (co-author, Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies), Jay Baer (author of Youtility), Mark Schaefer (author, Return on Influence), Jesse Stay (author, Google+ Marketing for Dummies), Brian Carter (author, The Like Economy), John Jantsch (author, Duct Tape Marketing) and Jason Falls (co-author, No Bullshit Social Media)–just to name a few. Plus, there will be executives from companies like Sony Electronics, TaylorMade Golf, Zappos.com and eBay sharing their real-world, proven social media tactics. Click on the video below to ciscover all that Social Media Marketing World has to offer:
If you’d like to join me in San Diego, there’s still time to register, but you need to act fast. This conference is selling out. If you register by Friday, March 1, you can save $200. Click here for more information: http://bit.ly/Q6nxKo
One of the biggest frustrations small business owners have with social media is trying to manage it and their company operations at the same time. This is particularly true of solopreneurs. I feel your pain, because I have the same challenge! It’s not easy balancing client work with my own social media marketing. But I have found a tool that has helped me manage my time more effectively, and is one that I recommend to my clients as well. It’s Hootsuite. Continue reading “How to Easily Manage Your Social Media Presence”
Anyone who has used LinkedIn Answers is probably disappointed to know that the service has been eliminated. Answering questions submitted by LinkedIn users was a terrific way to demonstrate your authority on a subject.
If you’re looking for an alternative, check out Quora. This social networking site has been around for several years, but it doesn’t get the same kind of attention that Facebook or Pinterest does.
1. Search & Answer Q’s – Search for questions that relate to your industry and then answer them. Be thoughtful about this process. Make sure your answers are of high quality. Review other answers that have been posted so you can add something new that will be useful to the questioner. Doing this positions you and your company as a thought leader in your industry.
2. Include Keywords in Answers – Social activity shows up on the search engines, and Quora is no exception. Include keywords in your answers to make them visible on Google. Since Quora is a reputable domain name, people will click on answers they see in the search results. Why not give them the chance to view your answer?
3. Approach Questioner Directly – People who submit questions on Quora are looking for help. Even though answers are posted, they might still need more help with their problem. You can follow up with them to offer more assistance, but do it tactfully. Some marketers spam Quora frequently, and the community hates this! Don’t leave simple answers and then message a user for business. Leave a thorough answer, and then pursue a relationship with the person, if you want to help them further.
You can always pose your own questions too. That may be a good way to get started on Quora. The answers you get can give you a good insight into your target market. If you’d like to see some of the questions I’ve answered, visit my Quora profile: https://www.quora.com/Gloria-Rand
Last week, I shared some reasons why an editorial calendar is so helpful for content marketing. In this post, I’m going to give you some tips on how to go about building an editorial calendar. Continue reading “How to Build an Editorial Calendar”
Ever since Google’s Panda update, content marketing has become all-important since businesses have been told that they need to come up with original content for their websites. But the challenge lies in creating that content. If you don’t have a plan in place, you may find yourself struggling to come up with ideas for the next week’s blog post or your company newsletter. Continue reading “5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs an Editorial Calendar”
Posting blog articles to LinkedIn groups is a great way to share useful information with the other group members. But if you belong to more than one group, it can be cumbersome posting to each individual group. There is a way to share articles with more than one group at a time. Continue reading “How to Share Articles to Multiple LinkedIn Groups”
Gloria Grace Rand 