11 Januari 2010

The NEW Rules of Marketing & PR

My copy of this book is flagged with sticky notes. There are at least a dozen techniques I plan to implement in my own marketing. In fact, this book seriously opens the eyes of businesses relying solely on traditional marketing methods.

Coming from a traditional ad agency background, over the past several years, I've had a learning curve when it comes to, what has been called, unconventional marketing methods. I've embraced the trends and know how important it is to continually stay up to date on the ever-evolving, online marketing methods available. I'm also quite certain many ad agencies who haven't embraced online marketing, won't want you to read this book. This is simply because the return on investment for online marketing, when executed properly can far outweigh the ROI of traditional media for a much smaller budget.

Gone are the days where a pretty brochure website is all the online presence needed to succeed.

David Meerman Scott skillfully illustrates this, beginning with demonstrating how the Web has changed marketing and public relations rules. According to him, before the Web, businesses had two main choices to attract clients.

1) Purchasing expensive adverting

2) Getting third-party exposure from the media

The Web changed this and savvy marketers know this medium is one of the most effective ways to develop direct relationships with consumers. Consumers who get to know and trust you and eventually choose to do business with you.

This book is perfect for businesses who want to leverage online presence to succeed. Tips, techniques and the new rules of marketing and public relations are shared in relationship to including online marketing in your overall plan to reach buyers directly.

You'll specifically learn:

· How blogs help you and others share your story online to gain more exposure

· Why news releases have evolved to work more effectively on the Web

· About online forums, communities and Wikis

· How Web content influences buying decisions

· Tips on creating an effective online media room

· Podcasting and viral video strategies that work

· The importance of social networking sites

This is just the tip of iceberg when it comes to the valuable information shared in the book. If you want your business to succeed online, it's important to educate yourself on the new rules of marketing and PR. You can get started today by grabbing a copy of this book.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Manyon

Copywriting Services Today - Top SEO Copywriting Tactics

SEO copywriting is a new functional art form. It appeals to two very different groups and the tactics used need to reflect the demands of both. Good SEO article writing appeals primarily to the web browsing public but only if well written and well targeted to the web browsers search preferences. Furthermore, SEO copywriting needs to grab the readers' attention, engage the customer's thirst for knowledge and deliver satisfactory answers within just 500-600 words per article. A good copywriting services provider should know this, but to stay one step ahead of the game, so should you. SEO article writing is both technical and creative. Here are the steps necessary for really great SEO article writing.

  • First, you identify the topic phrase or keywords used by your target audience. For instance you want to bring 'long-life' bulbs to the buying public. 'Long-life' then becomes the keyword you need to use in several key places throughout your article. But we want to dig a little deeper here...
  • Secondly, in the SEO copywriting process, make a list of words that relate to 'long-life' and 'bulbs'. These words should be ones that ordinary people use all the time to describe them. This is an essential aspect of SEO article writing because these words are those that your potential site visitors will type into the search engines in order to find your website. So how about 'eco', 'compact fluorescent', 'lamps' and 'lighting' etc.
  • Thirdly you should do keyword research. It doesn't take long with the aid of comprehensive research tools such as 'Wordtracker', 'Wordze' and 'Keyword Discovery'. If you like the free options the above programs occasionally offer free trials or try 'Google Keyword Tool'
  • Fourth, write a list of topics you believe would interest your audience. Then choose several and get writing! Consider all the angles you can use that relate to your topic or industry, think about common questions being asked by your audience and answer them in your article, consider providing information that your audience and potential customers would really want to read or would find particularly interesting so as to shed enlightenment and entertainment onto your articles. Typical SEO content should be between 500 and 600 words. More than that, you're wasting your time writing, readers have a short attention span. Review your SEO content and work in naturally those keywords and collocation phrases. Ensure your sentences link together and make sense. Make sure you only use one keyword several times in the article and once in the heading. People used to say 1-3% - The search engines are getting smarter, so simply put the keywords were appropriate. Also use a few synonyms of the keyword in the article. This will also help searches and your audiences find you for related terms.
  • Proof check the article for spelling and grammatical correctness. Most readers who visit your website, drawn by your SEO keywords, will mind bad grammar and spelling. Once you turn the reader off it is impossible to bring them back so make sure it's correct.

Search engines won't know a split infinitive from an anaphoric reference but your site visitors will. So quality content should always take preference over SEO.

Search engine algorithms are the second group of art lovers for your SEO copywriting and when they appreciate your efforts they reward you by pushing your website, content or article higher and possibly on the first page of their search results.

So when the Google spiders come along and scan your article, they are looking for results to put in front of the reader who types "long life bulbs" into the Google home page. What happens then? It works incredibly quickly, searching through millions of Internet sites in seconds looking for very specific matches to the keywords. The more exact the match and the more matches within any one site's text the higher the return ranking will be.

Of course the algorithm is not really an art lover. It can never appreciate the poetry that you pour into your SEO content prose. In fact it appreciates the spaces between your words and each individual letter in equal measure to number of keywords in your text. Fundamentally it loves a good 'keyword dense' piece of text. A minimum of 1-2 in every 100 words should be keywords and a further 1-2 of synonyms if you really want to turn the search engines on.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anton_Stoutjesdijk

How to Find Cheap Valentine Flowers

Valentine's Day flowers are not always easy to find close to the February holiday, but for many who are on a budget this year, finding the least expensive way to say, "I love you" may mean the difference between being a Valentine delight or a Valentine dud. However, anyone who has ever purchased the sentimental posies knows that flowers tend to go up in price around Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. Even if your budget is not very forgiving this February, there are ways to lessen the holiday's blow. Here are six tips for finding cheap Valentine's Day flowers this year.

Shop around. Finding cheap Valentine's Day flowers may be as simple as shopping several different flower shops and online flower delivery specials and finding the right bargain. Be sure to read the fine print to find out if there are any delivery restrictions or blackout dates. Look for a floral shop that has been around for a while, offers some form of guarantee, and seems to have a good selection available.

Look for coupons. When making purchases online, many companies, including those which might be offering cheap Valentine's Day flowers, have coupon codes available to receive discounts on products and services. These coupon codes can give a substantial boost to your Valentine's Day budget without sacrificing quality. Be sure to read the rules for the coupon code, expiration dates, and requirements for using the coupon.

Use the buddy system. Some flower shops have bargains on larger-sized bouquets. If you are looking for cheap Valentine's Day flowers but cannot find any that measure with the same quality your sweetheart is expecting, consider purchasing a dozen or two roses with a friend and splitting the costs and flowers with one another.

Try a plant. If cheap Valentine's Day flowers are nowhere to be found, consider sending a plant instead. Plants can be adorned with bows or heart-shaped plastic picks like those made for cake decoration. Less demanded plants are typically cheaper around Valentine's Day than flower bouquets are. Try ivy, a traditional symbol of friendship and affection.

Send silk. Silk flowers are long-lasting cheap Valentine flower. A silk bouquet is also much more suitable for sweethearts with allergies or aversions to cut flowers. Artificial flowers last forever, can be re-used for other decorative purposes, and can be added to other bouquets and arrangements later.

Buy less than perfect. There are many Valentine's Day flowers suppliers who offer lovely, less than perfect flowers. Flowers whose stems are too short, are in the wrong bloom, have an unpopular color, or are simply grown in surplus are often offered by discount cheap Valentine's Day flower warehouses, roadside stands, and special websites. Though the flowers may sometimes, but not always need slight work prior to presentation, the discount is often reasonable and helpful.

Finding cheap Valentine's Day flowers need not be a struggle. Often, the key to cheap Valentine flowers is to simply keep to a budget. Remember, the sentimet behind a Valentine's Day gift is much more important than the price paid. After all, the holiday is for recognizing a relationship, something that should be for every day not just Valentine Day.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Franke_Milo