Top 10 Tips For Using Web 2.0 To Promote Your Business

We hear a lot about "Web 2.0″ these days. It sounds neat and it's trendy to talk about blogging and social media. But does it really affect our businesses? Is Web 2.0 just for kids and tech-hipsters or is it something we business owners should use to help promote our businesses?

I can't tell you if Web 2.0 is right for your business but I can tell you it's something to be aware of Ignoring it means ignoring a possible tool that could be valuable in helping you get more customers.

So, to help you get started in thinking about Web 2.0 for your business, here are some things for you to consider.

1. Have a plan.

Don't dive in just because it's cool or because you read an article about it. Be clear about what you're trying to accomplish, how much you're willing to invest and what time frame you are working on. Like any aspect of your business - plan ahead.

2. Make sure your target audience is online.

Web 2.0 tools are fun but useless if the people who see your stuff don't want what you offer. Or if they don't look to the Web for information to help them buy what you sell, then your efforts will be less effective. Like any marketing channel, it only works if your prospective customers are there to see (or hear) your message and they are receptive to it.

3. Create good content.

Web 2.0 is the social web but it's still content-driven. Lousy content leads to lousy marketing, no matter how flashy it is. Make your content relevant, interesting and real. Put yourself in your customer's shoes and answer their questions with your content.

4. Don't sell.

Help, inform, educate but do not sell. Web 2.0 is all about people connecting by helping each other. No salesman allowed! Think education, not advertising. Deliver useful, nuts and bolts stuff or honest opinions they can believe. That's how you build credibility and trust that lead to new customer relationships.

5. Start with a free hosted blog.

www.Wordpress.com and http://www.Blogger.com both have very useful and simple blogs you can setup for free. Use them to start blogging and get a feel for how it works and how people use Web 2.0. Dip your toe in the water before diving in.

6. Talk to kids

Chat with some kids (ages 8 to 18) and find out how they use the web. They are the trend-setters. What they're doing now, the rest of us will be doing soon. Learn what they do and why. This helps you understand the web from a different perspective.

7. Do it yourself.

Web 2.0 is about being real. It's real people connecting with each other. It's okay to hire a pro to advise you. But to keep it genuine, make sure you or your employees create the content and do the work. Otherwise people will know you're faking it.

8. Buy a camcorder and start shooting

Go to Best Buy or Radio Shack and buy an inexpensive camcorder, tripod and lapel microphone. Buy 20-30 tapes too. Then take a weekend and shoot film. Practice, practice, practice. Get comfortable being on camera so you're not nervous or dorky. Then, write a funny or useful how-to sketch and film it. Use Microsoft MovieMaker to edit and then upload to http://YouTube.com.

9. Buy an inexpensive audio recorder

MusicBarn.com has a package that includes M-Audio's MobilePre USB recording interface. Add a microphone and you have a high quality setup to record podcasts and MP3 audio files whenever you want. Then buy NGWave sound editing software to make it sound professional and you're in business.

10. Surf 'till it Hurts

Surf blogs, YouTube, Google Videos, http://Del.icio.us, Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Technorati and other social media websites. Get a feel for how they work and who goes there. Become part of some social media communities. Make new friends online. Immerse yourself in the Web 2.0 culture so you know how it works and if it might fit your marketing plans.

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7 Surefire Ways To Increase Your Traffic Starting Yesterday

To help you out in generating more traffic for your site, here are some seven surefire ways to increase your traffic starting from yesterday.

1) Invest in good advertising with search engines

Google's Adwords and Yahoo's Overture provide great advertising schemes that are very truly popular and assures great traffic. Although with this surefire way to increase your traffic would cost some money. While some would shy away from spending money to increase traffic, it is imperative in this case to do so because Adwords and Overture is the top surefire way to increase your traffic.

You could see for yourself the success this search engine advertising methods have reaped rewards for so many companies. Lots of site feature these advertising system and many have signed on to reap the benefits. Do not be left behind. Every penny is worth it with using Google and Yahoo's advertising.

2) Exchange or Trade Links with other sites

With exchanging links with other sites, both of you will benefit from the efforts both of you do to enhance your sites traffic. When one site features another sites link, they could provide one another with the traffic one site generates. The efforts are doubly beneficial because it would seem like both of you are working to generate more traffic. The more links traded with more sites the more traffic could be expected.

3) Use Viral Marketing

Viral marketing allows you to spread the word about your company and product without any costs or if ever low costs only. This is a marketing method that can be quite sneaky; you can attach your company's name, product or link to a certain media such as a funny video, entertaining game, an interesting article or a gossip or buzz. With this method, people get infected with the creativity and entertainment of the medium that they will pass it on to many people.

4) Search and use proper keywords or keyword phrases for your sites content
Search engines look for certain keywords that they would show in their results page. In doing so, having the right keyword and keyword phrase is a high requirement in ranking in high in search engine results. You could write your own content or you could hire someone to do it for you.

5) Write Articles that can lead traffic to your site
Submit articles to sites that would contain the same subject that your site deals in. If you sell car parts write press releases and articles about cars and car parts. Attach your sites description and services at the end of the article as well as the link.

6) Join forums and form online communities

Capture a market and show your expertise and credibility. When you found a good foundation for your site, people will trust you and your site and will pass on to many people their trust. Traffic will certainly increase because they know that you can provide what they need.

7) Lastly, Offer newsletters.

If many people know what you are about and your existence is shared with many others, you will find a loyal traffic that can provide you with more traffic by recommendation. If you arouse the curiosity of your customers they would be pushed to help you with your traffic.

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The 6 Web Traffic Techniques.

Building a great website is not enough; visitors must be able to find it. Successful sites build links, optimize their sites for the search engines, build partnerships online and use all other means available to extend their reach. These sites generate more traffic, leads, sales and create greater exposure.

While there are literally dozens of options for getting in front of your ideal visitors, here are some key web marketing techniques to promote and drive traffic to your site. In some cases you will be pulling traffic in from search engines and ads; in some cases you are pushing your site out to new audiences.

SEO (search engine optimization) Optimizing your site for the search engines is the key to grabbing the lion's share of visitors from the natural search traffic. Search engines use many factors when deciding where a site ranks. Still, the best first step to any successful SEO campaign is to identify the search terms / phrases that you wish your site pages to be found in the search engines. Once you have a well researched list of keywords and an SEO plan worked out, start the optimization process by applying them to the following site elements:

Write compelling Title tags for each page. Place the most important keywords within META tags (description, keywords tags). Develop keyword-rich Alt attributes for images. Define page headings that include important keywords. Create keyword-rich anchor text for links. Optimize page copy. Clean up HTML coding errors.

PPC (pay per click) PPC refers to a site's paid listings in the sponsored results of the search engines. Pay per click advertising works by charging you each time someone clicks on your listing. When a user searches for a particular keyword, site ads are displayed according to how much they bid on that particular word or phrase. The beauty of PPC advertising is that you only pay when someone clicks through to your site.

PPC campaigns can be set up and begin generating traffic in less than 24 hours, but can be complicated, competitive and require constant monitoring. Competition for position and keywords drives click prices up. PPC is not for every business, it is up to you to determine how PPC fits into your overall marketing campaign and combine it with SEO or other online marketing techniques to drive targeted traffic to your site.

Directory Listings There are thousands of online business directories where you can submit your site. Backlinks from directories are very important, helping drive traffic to the site and helping to improve a site's status in the search engines. Directories fall under two cateogories: general directories which provide general authoritative information about sites, and topic specific directories that target specific interests and industries. Find the most appropriate directories that relate your industry and get listed.

Email Marketing Email can be a very cost effective tool for promoting your business. Because the nature of email marketing is immediate, a message can be tracked within hours of a campaign being launched. A monthly newsletter, weekly product or promotional update to your clients or prospective customers will generate return traffic, as well as enhance the relationship between you and your visitors.

Additional Traffic – building techniques: Write and submit authoritative articles about your products or services. Research content related sites to place ads on that will bring your site additional traffic. Begin a business blog that positions your business as the expert in your industry. Advertise your site in free and paid classified sites. Include your site's URL on all online and offline business materials. Join online forums that are related to your industry. Create a custom advergame highlighting your brand or product.

By using the techniques and methods outlined here you can get the ball rolling and begin experiencing growth online. Which option you choose depends on your own marketing goals.

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The 9 Tips for Choosing a Good Domain Name.

In this digital age, your company's web site is your electronic business card. A strong domain name is the key to your Internet presence. It should be recognizable and relate to your business name, brand, product, and/or activities. Make sure it fits on a business card and is easy to remember whether seen in print or mentioned over the phone.

Use the name people know you by. Don't abbreviate, unless the abbreviation is your company's trademark. Ask your co-workers, your customers, your friends, and your family what domain name they'd expect your company to have.

Don't forget to include your domain name in your site's logo. And put your domain name on all company promotional materials such as business cards and stationary.

Length Matters
Conventional wisdom states that a good domain name is easy for customers to remember, easy to spell, and short. That said, it's increasingly difficult to secure short domain names among top level domain names such as .com, .net and ,org. In these cases (and you have 67 characters to choose from), it's preferable to choose a meaningful statement such as Lawreferralservice.com" or Hotelreservationservice.com," rather than lrs.com or hrs.com

Give a Good Impression
We all know that first impressions can be crucial, so choose your domain name carefully. Domain names often come without spaces, so pay careful attention to the total package. For example, PatternsExchange can look like patternsexchange.

Select Alternate Names
If your first domain name choice is not available, you can check the "whois" information box for the domain name, contact the person listed, and see if they're willing to sell it. If they want to sell, they will likely charge more than the $24.95 registration fee. An easier alternative is to register a variation of your first choice.

For example, if your company name is Mrs Smith's Cookies, but mrssmithscookies.com and the more obvious cookies.com are registered, try adding a small letter such as "e" to indicate that it's an online business. Or add the word online. Or add your location to attract local customers:

ecookies.com
Cookiesonline.com
CookiesNewYork.com

Alternatively, try registering a local domain name:

mrsmithscookies.ca
mrsmithscookies.us

Use a little creativity, and you may find your alternative beats your original choice. Once you've got a list of alternatives for your online business, test them with your friends and colleagues to see which ones they like best. Make sure these names can be easily pronounced and spelled by your test audience. Then, rank them in order of popularity.

Consider Spelling Mistakes
Consider mistakes people will make when typing your web site address and how your domain name sounds when you have to read it over the phone to a customer. Explaining special characters, abbreviations, and spelling is awkward and doesn't make good business sense. Will customers accidentally make spelling mistakes? Will they use the plural form of a word instead of the singular form, or visa versa? Make a list of possible mistakes, and register additional domain names that incorporate these mistakes.

Register Multiple Versions of Your Name
Register all possible domain name variations related to your company name. If your company's name is hard to spell, register common misspellings. Register every domain people might use to find your company. It only costs $24.95 a year to register each domain name, and that's a small expense to keep a customer.

Take this example: Before America Online acquired Time Warner for $178 billion, it registered at least 21 domain names that might be useful to the new company, named AOL Time Warner, from AOLTW.com to AmericaOnlineTimeWarner.com. Alternatively, web sites exist that capitalize on misspellings using them as advertising vehicles and diverting customers from your site.

Register Product Names
When users search the Internet for a particular product or service they often search by product or service, rather than business name. To increase the chances of having your site found, register extra domain names that relate to your core business or products. If you owned the hypothetical company name of Widgets & Widgets co. but you sold an array of household products, you could register generic domain names relating to all aspects of household goods. You may be too late to snap up obvious domain names such as detergent.com or vacuum.com, but a little creative thinking into alternatives can be lucrative. These alternative domains can be easily linked to your main web site.

Avoid Trademarked Names
Ensure someone else has not trademarked the name you register. You cannot register names already registered as copyright (for example, McDonalds). Like company names, domain names are unique and cannot be duplicated. Avoid registering domain names that are similar to your competition or to famous trademarks. Businesses have lost their rights to registered domain names due to conflicts with existing trademarks for off-line companies.

Register Locally
If your company is located in Canada, you can register a .ca domain name even if your business activity includes export trade. If you have an international presence, a top-level domain such as .com, .net , or .org is more suitable. Many businesses choose to register all three, and we suggest doing so. All three addresses can "point" to the same e-mail account and web site.

Conversely, you might open a virtual office in another country. For example, bread.com could also register bread.ca, which may "point" towards the same site, attracting a larger audience. Don't forget to check to see if a local presence is required in the country you wish to register.

Use a metaphor
If your .dot com businesses does not have a name, the world is your oyster. One Internet incubation company decided on the metaphor campsix, referring to the final basecamp on the Everest climb rather than a straight description of services. The name reflected the difficulty and challenges of building an Internet company to the scaling of Everest. Bear in mind that if your web site is the primary tool for business, the company name must be the company URL.

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5 Critical Pay-Per-Click Tips

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising is a good supplement to natural search engine optimization, IF you keep a few tactics straight.

1. Choose the right search terms. If you go after the broad phrases and terms, you'll pay top dollar. Strive for more descriptive and specific search terms that reflect your products or services.

2. Map out a strategy. Don't go after every possible keyword or phrase. Target your online ads around business priorities--such as seasonal purchases, your most profitable products and services, etc.

3. Use bid management software. Software can regulate your bids and turn off keywords. You might be interested in clicks during business hours you might not want to pay for those clicks at 1 a.m. (There’s less of a chance that it's a business prospect at that time of night).

4. Write effective ads. Google, Yahoo! Searching Marketing and other services have limits on characters per line. With Google, it's tough not to push the limits because space is so narrow. With Yahoo! Searching Marketing, focus on getting your message across without consuming every character. Long ads may discourage people from reading them.

5. Test. Test. Test. Try different keywords, ad copy, landing pages and calls to action. Put your budget - whatever size it is - to the best use after effective evaluation.

The Search Engine Marketing Industry is estimated to reach $23 billion by 2010.

The vast majority of SEM investment in the coming years will involve pay-per-click. We applaud the SEM vendors and companies who can prepare a coherent plan that produces outstanding conversions.

But for all the clicks and conversions via pay-per-click, many SEM players will miss the lead generation that natural SEO offers through greater Internet acceptance and traffic. The fact is, people are far more likely to click on a natural listing. Studies show that about 60%-70% of the links people click on are organic, not the PPC variety.

Again, be careful how you spend your online advertising dollars. Make them work for you!

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