Monthly Archives: August 2008

3 Ways to Increase Web Rankings

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Posted by admin on August 27, 2008 – 1:56 am
Filed under Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Tip, attract clients, client attraction, increase site traffic, online articles, online marketing, small business marketing

Who doesn’t want more site traffic? More traffic means more clients. And more clients equal more sales. An effective way to increase traffic is to strategically post online articles. Focusing on the three areas below will send your site traffic soaring more than if you were to post articles on random directories.

·       Write articles for sites related to your niche market. Other companies in your industry need articles to bump up their own rankings. Regularly posting on niche sites allows you to swap links and further increase your presence on the internet. People will read your content on these niche-oriented sites and be presented with a link to your site. Getting your link on well-known sites that sell to your target market is one of the best ways to put your name out there and draw explosive traffic to your site.

·       Research the most credible online article directories. There are dozens of online article directories polluting the internet. Don’t choose a directory at random. Some are simply not worthy.  

·       Check out some of the most popular social bookmarking sites, such as Digg, Furl, Stumbleupon, and Simpy. Bookmarking sites allow you to post your favorite online articles, blogs, photos, and videos. Post your own online articles and blogs, or post ones from others that you find compelling. These sites have groups or categories directed at a specific area of interest. Your company will benefit from these extremely niche-oriented groups because you won’t be posting in areas with a mixed market. People with the same interests go to these groups and bookmark their favorite articles, thus eliminating any uncertainty about who is viewing your articles. They’ll most likely be in the realm of your target market.

Need someone to write and post your online articles? Visit us at www.mlsalater.com

Travel Copywriting

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Posted by admin on August 22, 2008 – 1:45 pm
Filed under Uncategorized, attract clients, client attraction, increase site traffic, web copy, web traffic

Some businesses need to sell more than one element in their marketing campaigns. For example, real estate companies not only need to sell the house, apartment, or condo, but they also need to sell the community, the location, the excitement of the area, and the lifestyle. Companies with numerous selling points need to utilize descriptive words as much as they use pictures.

A travel copywriter can bring any area, item, or idea to life with web copy, brochures, and ezines. Travel copywriters will lure potential clients to a specific location and further persuade them to return or buy in that area. They are skilled in describing the luxurious elements of destinations and creating a visual in the reader’s mind of what that place is like.

When people are thinking of vacationing, renting, or buying, they want to know what they are getting for their money. They want to know what the culture is like, or are there beaches? What makes this place better than other popular areas? 

Pictures can only show a fraction of the experience. Words can bring life and vivid description to what’s not seen in photos.

Travel copywriters have the talent. Let them use it for your company.

5 Ways a Blog Can Help Your SEO Efforts

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Posted by admin on August 21, 2008 – 3:08 am
Filed under increase site traffic, online marketing, small business marketing, target market, web copy, web traffic

1. Search engines hone in on the most relevant information to your search. What’s more relevant than an up-to-date blog with a focused topic? Constantly updating your blog will enhance your site rankings.

2. It’s all about the links. Let’s say someone found your blog in a simple search for a particular topic. Now that they’re on your blog, they have the option of clicking on various links. Links to your main blog page, specific pages on your website, and other links you provide work to your benefit. Links can also be embedded into the written content on your blogs, peaking interest in the viewer.

3. Keyword placement is critical in attracting viewers to your blog. Keywords that are focused on your target market will provide the greatest benefits. A set of the same three or four keywords can be placed strategically in the title, links, categories, and body of a blog. Don’t use generalized keywords or words that you think will attract a general crowd. Why? Because general searches won’t necessarily get you sales. Attract a specific target market with profitable keywords. Your goal is to get a high conversion rate from your visitors. This won’t happen if you generalize your target market. Know your target market and get specific with your keywords.

4. The right keywords can get your blog inbound links from other higher-ranking sites. Inbound links are links from other websites or blogs that go directly to yours. Viewers who see your blog link on other sites may be interested in checking out your site as well.

5. Posting your blogs on social bookmarking sites will also increase your company’s exposure. Popular blogs and articles are ranked and, in turn, can get your blog tons of views per day. The relevancy of topics on these sites also helps increase your search engine rankings.

How a Website Can Double, Triple, or Even Quadruple Your Sales

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Posted by admin on August 18, 2008 – 8:40 pm
Filed under Copywriting, attract clients, client attraction, online marketing, small business marketing, web copy, web traffic, website, website navigation

Online shopping is increasing in popularity. Just how popular is it? An estimated $204 billion dollars worth—an estimated 17% increase for 2008—according to a recent study by Forrester Research, Inc.

Many companies don’t need an area for purchasing on their website, but for those who do—especially retail companies—the above statistic should be enough to motivate you to get a website up and running if you don’t have one already. For those of you who have a shopping cart on your site, it’s crucial that you update your inventory on a regular basis.

A website is a powerful sales tool, yet establishing a strong online presence is a challenge to some businesses that are unfamiliar with how to compete and stand out among the millions of websites. For apparel companies looking to establish an online presence, this can be even more difficult as many of them, especially the small to midsized businesses, have little or no experience selling products and promoting their businesses online.

Let’s say you own a chic boutique downtown, and recently, your clientele has leveled off. You know you need a fresh marketing campaign, or something that will lift you out of that arid plain you’ve been sitting on and get you steady sales volume.

 You don’t want steady sales. You want skyrocketing sales.

According to the Forrester Research study, most online shoppers are visiting apparel stores online and spending $26.6 billion. How much of that $26.6 billion could you tap into?

Creating a website for online shopping for your boutique will greatly benefit your business. An online shopping cart will allow you to make money 24 / 7. The simplicity of virtual shopping is extremely attractive to people who are too busy to shop downtown or for those who want to save on gas. It also provides customers the option to shop whenever they want—not simply during regular business hours.  

There are two worlds out there: the real world and the online world. Get involved in both, and your sales are guaranteed to increase.

 

Want to know more about bringing your company online? Visit www.mlsalater.com to view the list of copywriting services.

The Key to Grabbing Your Target Market

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Posted by admin on August 12, 2008 – 4:31 pm
Filed under Copywriting, attract clients, client attraction, increase site traffic, online marketing, small business marketing, target market, web copy, web traffic

You’ve decided it’s time to revamp your company’s website and rewrite existing marketing materials. Instead of wasting time and energy trying to do it yourself, hire a copywriter.  

Freelance copywriters, depending on their area of expertise, are skilled in web copy writing, SEO writing, general business copywriting, freelance editing, and much more. A good freelance copywriter knows what it takes to attract potential customers to your site using a simple equation. First, they listen to your needs and your company’s goals and objectives, and interview you to better understand your target market. Then, they further research your target market and competition. Only after this work do they write the copy.

If you’re interested in hiring someone to write or rewrite your web copy, a copywriter should know how to write optimized copy that reads organically. Good copy is important not only for search engine purposes but also because it sets the tone for the website.

Let’s say you own a luxury real estate company. You know the exact target market you’re trying to appeal to but don’t know how to appeal to them. Presenting the facts and photos of your real estate isn’t going to cut it. This is where website copywriting becomes a vital element of your company’s success.

Web copy for a high-end real estate company needs to have a very specific tone, one that expresses a chic, sexy, luxurious lifestyle that creates desire for the potential client. Unique and well-executed web copy will speak to the company’s target market while incorporating keywords and phrases to increase search engine rankings.  

Eliminate competition and increase your clientele by hiring a copywriter to bring in sales. View Michelle Salater’s copywriting services.

Why Care about Web Copy?

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Posted by admin on August 11, 2008 – 2:42 pm
Filed under Copy, Copywriting, Uncategorized, attract clients, client attraction, increase site traffic, online marketing, target market, web copy, web traffic, website

Can you relate to the following scenario?

 

You have a brilliant business idea. You are clear on what you offer your clients. And you have a website you paid a lot of money for. You think you’ve communicated effectively what you offer. And, even better, you’re getting site traffic. But . . .

 

And this is a big but . . . it can make or break your business.

 

No one is calling you. Customers aren’t buying your products. They aren’t emailing for a consultation.

 

You decide you need tweak the web copy on your site. So, you try a little of this and a little of that. Still, nothing changes. Frustrated, you scratch your head and wonder, What am I doing wrong? The answer lies in the quality of your copy.

 

Think of web copy as bait. If you want clients, you must give them what they are hungry for. 

 

The information you find necessary isn’t always what the potential customer needs or wants. Your copy must speak to your target audience. And you must communicate your message a clear, concise, informative way. If you don’t, the alternative is that they will go somewhere else—no matter how stellar your services or product may be. Remember, for your potential client to feel the same enthusiasm you have for your product and services, you must project this image.

 

Need copy? Contact Michelle today.  

Data Research Tips for the Small Business

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Posted by admin on August 7, 2008 – 6:14 pm
Filed under Business Goals, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Tip, Small Business, marketing trends, online marketing, small business marketing

Researching the industry that your company is a part of can be extremely beneficial to the growth and long-term success of your company. Understanding the economy, as well as the demographic changes occurring in the U.S. can lead to new products and services, and changes in existing ones. When first researching data for your business, I suggest learning more about your competitors and other business owners in your industry. Research competitors’ demographics, target markets, company success, number of employees, years in business, etc. This is going to give you an idea of what your competition is like, and help you create tactics to be on top. After doing extensive research on the industry and your competitors, dive right into customer profiles and demographics.

Places to Research:

·       Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/ The Bureau is an excellent source for data on the economy and the people of the U.S. It’s a great place to get an overview on the industry your business is a part of. This website provides data on people, households, businesses, industries, geography and recent news.  This website also provides the Survey of Business Owners (SBO), which updated every five years. It’s a great place to find stats on business ownership (based on various demographics), characteristics of businesses, and characteristics of business owners. 

·       Other stores in your industry: Visit other companies’ websites and stores to get an idea of what they’re doing right when it comes to attracting customers. Once you have an idea of the positive aspects of your competitors, figure out what would make your company stand out above the others. Are their prices too high? Is their website amateur? Is the customer service good/bad?

·       ResearchWikis.com: This website provides free market research for over 250 industries and has contributors worldwide. The goal of ResearchWikis.com is to “let the global community of research and others contribute high-level core research on all major business research topics” (http://www.researchwikis.com/Main_Page).

·       Outsource: Market research can be very difficult and sometimes you may not know what to do with the information you receive. It’s about searching, sorting, and analyzing. This could get extremely time consuming and confusing. Outsourcing your market researching to a professional allows you to focus on other areas of your business, things you are more familiar with. Since market researching is an important element to the workings of your business, it’s sometimes best to leave this task up to the professionals.

Want more small business marketing advice? Subscribe to Your Business Marketing Solution, a bimonthly ezine filled with marketing tips and informative articles. 

 

 

 

When Life Gives You Lemons . . .

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Posted by admin on August 5, 2008 – 7:17 pm
Filed under Small Business, small business organization

Owning a small business is a challenge (fun and exciting) in and of itself. But when life happens, small business owners have find balance between work and personal demands.

Over the weekend, my dog ran away and was missing for eleven hours. She disappeared at 11:15 p.m. Saturday night and someone found her at 10:00 the following morning. We searched for her almost all night. When we went to pick up Mama Mia from a man who found her, we realized she’d been hit by a car.

On three hours of sleep, we rushed to the animal hospital. She was admitted and kept over night. I slept a good four hours before I had to pick her up at 6:00 a.m. and take her to the vet.

While Mama Mia is doing fine and recovering quickly, I am dragging. Lack of sleep, worry, and running all over town have worn me out. On top of that, I have customer’s with needs and promises to keep. I have blogs to post and web copy to rework. My accountant called. I need to update my QuickBooks.

This morning over a cup of coffee, I wondered what other small business owners do to balance life’s demands and customer demands. How do we make lemonade when we’re thrown a sack full of lemons?

I have no clear answer. No perfect solution. What I have learned is to take it one step at a time. One day at a time.