Wikipedia Marketing Strategies

Doug Williams @ 6:25 am

This blog entry was posted on February 28, 2008.

Wikis are a collaboration tool right? So, how can you use a Wiki as part of your marketing effort? The answer is that you can use wikis as part of your search engine marketing for your website to get valued backlinks.

Wiki marketing methods are an indirect type of marketing. You are not trying to promote your company or your products. You are presenting valuable resource information that would appeal to your targeted customer. You are also contributing to the wiki community.

Wikipedia is the most popular wiki on the Internet and it is highly valued by users of the Web. Today, Wikipedia has a PR9 with over 50 million unique visitors each month and is ranked by Alexa as #9 on the entire Internet. Links from Wikipedia are very valuable and can produce a nice stream of visitors to your website.

Wikipedia is a Web-based, free-content encyclopedia where any visitor can edit or add content, including links to valuable references. The Wikipedia community will quickly remove biased or self promoting information. Your goal needs to be to enhance the articles or write new ones.

Here is a process that works.

Find Wikipedia articles that are already flagged as looking too much like an advertisement and still related to your website content.
Write an unbiased, authoritative page on your website or blog that is a great resource to the Wikipedia article.
Re-write or edit the Wikipedia article to improve it.
Add a link to your new website page or blog posting under the References section or External Links section.

You have now added a highly valued link to your website that will stay and you have helped improve Wikipedia. This is a great win-win strategy.

There are other Wikis out there that this strategy works with. Here are some of the most popular ones:

If You Like this posting please +1 it!

Filed under: SEO Strategies,Wikis

Comments (11)

The 7-C’s of Social Media

Doug Williams @ 5:30 am

This blog entry was posted on February 26, 2008.

Blogs, social networking, wikis, forums, photos, videos or any type of social media share essential elements and common characteristics. These make social media distinct and different than traditional media and websites.

Conversations: Social media is about interactive conversations. Traditional media broadcasts a message to be heard and not responded to. This has changed from an advertising message to product discussions. Consumers today want to discuss, respond and give opinions and not just be marketed to.
Collaboration: This is about the sharing of information, opinions, stories, photos or videos. This is the norm in social media and is done with candor and openness. There is easy access to content where password protected content is not the norm. The interactive nature of social media encourages publishing, participation and feedback
Cooperation: Social media is active and you are no longer just a reader. People ask for help and others will chime in. “I’m working on a project and I need some help with…” The separation between writer and reader is gone.
Community: Social media forms small social communities around common interests or needs. People participate and form these virtual communities around hobbies, occupational interests, political beliefs or philosophies.
Connections: It is easy to recycle or build upon other conversations and content. Linking to other resources, other sites or other people make access to information faster threads easy to follow.
Confidence: People interact and participate because of the trust level that comes with social media. Honest and open communication is at the core of social media and with this comes confidence and trust in what is being said.
Creativity: User generated content (UGC) makes it possible for the average person to participate. It is easy to create, share and publish original content and videos. This is very different from the days of traditional media where only a few provided what we read and watched.

If You Like this posting please +1 it!

Filed under: Social Media Marketing

Comments (0)

Social Media Demographics

Doug Williams @ 8:46 am

This blog entry was posted on February 24, 2008.

Social networking websites like MySpace and Facebook are most visited by people from the ages of 18 to 24. The social networking website orkut.com is most heavily visited by people 24-34. This is according to demographic data supplied by quantcast.com.

Each Social media website develops its own community and its own demographic profile. Understanding the demographics of each social media website allows us to understand things such as age, wealth or interests for participants in each community. Each will appeal to different market segments and allow us to present different messages that will capture the consumers’ attention.

Social media marketing requires different social targeting to reach your niche market. It is important that each of these social media websites is made up of a wide mix of demographics. Using Quantcast, we looked at 15 popular social media websites to see what we could learn about the demographics of each website.

Analysis Results

MySpace and Facebook have the highest volume of monthly visits and the highest % of 18-24 year old visitors.
Propeller.com and stumbleupon.com have the highest percentage of over 65 aged visitors.
MySpace and yelp.com have the highest percentage of female visitors.
Digg.com and reddit.com have the highest percentage of male visitors.
Linkedin.com and yelp.com readers have the highest household incomes.
Linkedin.com and orkut.com visitors have the highest percentage of head of households with a college education.
MySpace and Facebook visitors are most likely to have children 6-17 in the household.

If You Like this posting please +1 it!

Filed under: Social Media Marketing

Comments (8)

Social Media Marketing

Doug Williams @ 5:16 am

This blog entry was posted on February 22, 2008.

The Internet viewing public has shifted to social media… to trust based social networks. Business marketing is following. Millions of conversations are happening online each day. This creates a highly involved audience who engages and interacts around focused topics.

Companies who can take advantage of this shift will be able to connect with their target audience and reap the benefits of increased brand awareness and increased sales. Businesses need to re-visit their marketing assumptions to take advantage of the evolution of Web 2.0 social media marketing.

Businesses need to understand that social media marketing is very different than traditional marketing. Social media marketing is about publishing interesting content, creating relationships and trust. Not about selling.

Social media marketing allows you to promote your brand by making your presence known on targeted social media. These social media include blogs, Facebook, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, Digg, etc. Each social media has its own rules of engagement and strategies that need to be developed for each in your social media marketing strategy.

Use social media as a set of tools that allows you access to audiences with shared interests and viewpoints. These tools include blogs, wikis, social networks, social bookmarking, discussion forums and much more. Media can include pictures, video, audio, widgets or text.

Why should a business expect to get from social media marketing?

Attention and recognition for the company brands and the company itself.
A build up links that will help the company’s SEO strategy.
Targeted visitor traffic to the company website.
The ability to interact with customers and potential customers
Increased sales thru increased brand awareness.

If You Like this posting please +1 it!

Filed under: Social Media Marketing

Comments (0)

eBooks as a Business Marketing Strategy

Doug Williams @ 4:13 am

This blog entry was posted on February 20, 2008.

Providing valuable information in an eBook is an effective way to brand yourself and your company as the authority and the expert in your particular field. eBooks are digital books that are usually published in a PDF format that are easily read on your computer or printed out. The key is to provide valuable information that will be prized by your targeted reader.

eBook Marketing

Topic: Select a topic that you are very knowledgeable about and that would appeal to your targeted customer. eBooks that focus on solving a specific problem are considered the most valuable.
Plan: Start with an outline, a written plan that will help you tell your story in a logical flow. Include a plan for strategic links to your website that will drive traffic to key pages.
Format: Use a 6×9 format with at least a 12 point font. Make it legible and easy to read. Use headlines and bullet points so it can be scanned. Add in images or graphics for visual interest.
Create PDF: If you write your eBook in Word or other word processing software, you can convert your document using a PDF converter. These are low cost or free applications.
Website: Upload the eBook to your web host. Have visitors register their name and email and then deliver the link location once they have signed up. This will allow you to build up your contact database.
Sharing: Invite readers to share this eBook with others. This will spread your company name and links to your website in a viral way.
Publicize: Promote your eBook on your website, on your blog, social networks and forums. The more people who download your eBook, the more attention your company will receive.

A good eBook will attract attention, attract visitors and brand you and your company as the expert. If you target your topic properly, the visitors will all be interested prospects.

If You Like this posting please +1 it!

Filed under: Internet Marketing

Comments (1)

Your Online Persona

Doug Williams @ 4:17 am

This blog entry was posted on February 18, 2008.

Your online persona is your complete online presence. It is more than your blog and your website. It is more than your linkedIn profile and your MySpace area. It is the sum total of what everybody says about you online. It is your digital reputation. It is what people find when they Google your name.

Out of business cards? Just “Google me.” This works for people as well as businesses. Potential employers not only search for your name and read your blog to see what you write, but how you think. They also follow Trackbacks to see how you handle comments and disagreements. It is important that you manage your online persona and behave professionally online. What you say and do online stays online.

Common Names: If you have a common name you can add your middle initial. Jim Fisher can become James M. Fisher and now you can be easier to be found. This is a good technique if you want to separate your personal from your professional.

Google Alerts: If you would like to track what others are saying about you, consider using Google Alerts. They are easy to set-up and manage. You will be emailed each time your name is found by Google.

Image: You want to carefully craft your image if you are after a key job. Your image is made up of what you say, what others say about you, even the design you choose for your website and blog. It includes your MySpace postings and your political views. It is a natural outcome of personal branding and does affect how employers make their hiring decision.

If You Like this posting please +1 it!

Filed under: Blog Marketing,Social Media Marketing

Comments (0)

Business Website Design Tips

Doug Williams @ 6:28 am

This blog entry was posted on February 16, 2008.

Business websites should be designed to be inviting for visitors and for search engines. This means a balance of graphics and text. Text is required for search engines to under what your website is about.

Do…

…create a professional BIG company image. The Internet is a creates a level playing field for businesses of all sizes. Use your company website to present you as a competent quality business.
…grab someone’s attention in 3 seconds or less. When visitors arrive you have approximately 3 seconds of their attention before they decide to leave or look around. Make it clear what you can do for your visitor.
...design a simple and intuitive navigation. Make it easy for visitors to find their way around your website. Follow you natural selling process.
…have a clear call to action to get results. People will do what you ask. Simply asking them to “Buy Now” can convert an interested prospect into a paying customer.
…put your contact info on every page. Once you have your visitor’s attention, make it easy for them to reach you.

Don’t…

…use blinking or scrolling text or auto-loading sound. This annoys people and they will quickly leave your website.
…use graphic intensive slow loading pages. If a page takes over a few seconds to load, visitors will quickly leave and never see your great looking website.
…use an Intro or Splash page. The search engines place great importance on the home page and with little or no text you site will never get high search engine rankings.
…design a website in frames. Frames are cool and easy for designers, but search engines dislike websites built in frames.
…have pages that are full width. Most monitors today are very wide. Pages that stretch full width are very difficult to read.

If You Like this posting please +1 it!

Filed under: Website Design

Comments (3)

Anonymous Resume Blogging

Doug Williams @ 4:42 am

This blog entry was posted on February 14, 2008.

Sometimes you can’t let your current employer know you are looking for a new job and you are forced to follow the anonymous resume approach. It is more difficult to obtain an interview without disclosing who you are. That is where the anonymous resume blog comes in.

In a resume blog you are able to tell your story and show what you are capable of even though you haven’t given your name. Blogging will allow you to much more than just another face in the crowd. It is much better to supply no name than use a pseudonym. It is best to provide inquirers your correct full information to maintain a perception of full disclosure as early in the process as possible.

Consider using your first name and not your last name. That is if your job history doesn’t give you away. Otherwise you may need to use the title of the position you are seeking. You may wish to state that you are not using your real name to protect your current employment. This way you are still being honest and forthright.

You will need to judge how much you can disclose. This includes things such as employer name, your title and your duties. Consider substituting what your past employer does instead of their name. If you worked at HP consider using “Computer Printer Manufacturer” instead.

You will want to include as much information as possible with stories about past projects and accomplishments. Disclose your credentials, education, skills and major accomplishments. The goal is to build interest and rapport with potential employers. They can get a good sense of who you are and what you can do for them.

If You Like this posting please +1 it!

Filed under: Blog Marketing,Social Media Marketing

Comments (0)

Blog Marketing Workshop February 20

Doug Williams @ 7:52 am

This blog entry was posted on February 12, 2008.

Doug Williams, Author of the new book Biz Blog Marketing, will be conducting a half day workshop on blog marketing in Vancouver, WA.

Business Blog Marketing: This half day workshop will introduce attendees to blogs and how businesses can use blogging to reach new customers, promote products, for branding, improve search rankings and be recognized as an expert. Blogs have become the new source for up to date information.

This is an overview course designed to teach business owners how to market their businesses using blogs. Blogs not only communicate to a different audience than traditional websites, but learn how they can be used as a powerful SEO tool that will promote the primary company website.

Workshop Schedule

If You Like this posting please +1 it!

Filed under: Blog Marketing

Comments (0)

10 Resume Blogging Tips

Doug Williams @ 9:10 am

This blog entry was posted on February 10, 2008.

Once you have set-up your resume blog you will need to blog with purpose and focus. You will need to commit time and energy into writing content. There is no denying that writing blogs is time consuming, but writing great content will get you noticed.

Branding: People want to hire the best they can find. If you are an expert in some area, make it known by talking about relevant developments in your industry.
Omit personal info: Leave out personal information unless it is relevant to the job you want. This would include writing about family activities, your kids or your family pets.
Quality: It is OK to write in an informal style but people will be gaging your ability to communicate. Remove foul language, misspellings and poor grammar before posting.
Content: Be prepared to commit the time to produce great content. This communicates your knowledge, skills, standards and ability to communicate. Post at least one posting each week.
Newsworthy: Talk to industry experts and blog about your interviews with them. This will get the attention your industry and is an excellent networking tool.
Networking: Tell everyone about your blog. Comment on other blogs with a link back to your blog. Include links to your profile on networking sites such as LinkedIn.com.
Availability: Let everyone know you are available for hire by letting it slip as part of your posting. Let it become part of the conversation.
SEO Friendly: Make it easy for the search engines to pickup your information. Use keywords that are industry specific. Link out to well known websites, this invites the search engine spiders to your site. Insert links between your postings to produce inbound links.
Restraint: Refrain from writing about proprietary information concerning current or former employers. This will make potential employers uneasy about your judgment.
Contact: Include your contact information not only in your blog, but your blog URL on your resume and business cards. Include your contact info in all your emails.

If You Like this posting please +1 it!

Filed under: Blog Marketing,Social Media Marketing