Archive for July, 2008

I know, I know…no post in 4 days. I've been under the gun…under a deadline but as always, the brain is churning about possibilities and the limitless wonder of online marketing.

Don't 'cha just love it?! 

It's true though.

With technology and the way the web works and the amount of change that occurs on a daily basis the possibilities of what can actually be accomplished are astounding. 

Take blogging for example. Originally created as a means to publish personal thoughts and ideas on the web, it's now considered very old school not to have a blog as a part of a marketing plan.

Then think about social networking online (social marketing). Who knew? I mean, really, who knew?!?! I've talked about StumbleUpon, Digg, del.icio.us, technorati and many of the lesser known social bookmarking sites and how they can bring massive (yes, MASSIVE) amounts of traffic to your site.

It's truly astounding.

As always, there's more. More new tips and tricks, new technologies and new ways of thinking to get your business roaring in the web environment.

The thing I'm finding out is that most people still don't know. They don't know HOW to use the technology. I'm happy to say we do, here in the land of TrulyTwistedMarketing.

It's our job to be on the edge of that technology and to uncover how to use it not only to have fun (because it truly is FUN) but as an advantage to strategically bring your online presence up a notch which (as we all know) ultimately leads to an increase in the bottom line.

So, today is a day of shameless self promotion. This is what we can do (just in case you're still wondering…

• We do an excellent job both with design and marketing. Check out our new baby still in the works - BestEcoStuff and BestEcoStuff/Blog
• We know how to use the web to grow a business. Take a look at our portfolio and click on one of the images - we list the techniques we used to grow those sites. Each one is different.
• We know how to get that big rank in google. Go to google and type in picnic basket as a search phrase and look at #1 (picnicfun.com) or go to google and type in eco stuff for home and look at #2 (bestecostuff.com) - these are sites that have been touched by our magical SEO wand.
• We know how to use ppc to increase sales and get a good return on your investment. Go to google (again) and type in the search phrase tabletop fountains then look at the Sponsored Listings for kineticfountains.com - it's usually the #1 or #2 sponsored spot.
• We know how to use social marketing to grow your business and bring in traffic. This site is actually an excellent example. TrulyTwistedMarketing's biggest traffic sources from social marketing are StumbleUpon and Buzzfeed. 

And, that is just the start.

So, if you find yourself in need of any of the above or simply want to chat, head on over to the I want to grow my biz! Now what? page and fill out the form.

Or heck, just leave a comment below. 

Go to Google.

Type in the search phrase (minus the quotes) "eco stuff for home."

The number one spot is…

My new baby, my sweetheart of a site, BestEcoStuff.com.

Now, let me explain.

To get a number one ranking in Google for anything takes a lot of knowledge, a lot of work, a ton of effort and possibly years…that's right, years!

I had a theory of what would work, how to get a good ranking on a brand spanking new domain name (just registered a few months back) using socialization of the web. And let me just say one more thing so you'll get how truly unusual this is. It's almost unheard of  in Search Engine Optimization circles for a new domain to rank so highly and so quickly.

Well, the theory, the grand plan worked…really well.

My hypothesis worked before I even got through all the testing and before the shopping portal actually launched - you can get a sneak peak of what the site will look like (even though it's still in development) by going here…bestecostuff.com.

While I can't say that the rank will remain intact without some serious link building behind it, nonetheless, it's looking extremely promising. This fledgling site is destined to be quite B-I-G. I can feel it!

What? You want a number on rank in Google for your site?

Drop me a line. We'll discuss it. Or, head over to the "I want to grow my biz" page and fill out the form.

Ok, we made it to number 5!  It’s a simple, overlooked, free strategy that will help in getting content about your site across the web.

Drum roll please…

Use article directories.

This is not a new technique. But it will help with your SEO efforts (because the content, of course, contains links that lead directly back to your site). It will further establish you as an expert and the possibility of other people using your content on their blogs and websites, newsletters and ezines is quite high.

Lacking in ideas? Try one of these out to get your creative juices flowing…a series of articles about a hot topic in your industry, unusual or fun uses for new products, tips and tools to educate people about a topic or even first-hand reviews of new products…any of these are considered informational and likely to be picked up and used by others.

Submission to article directories is free. However, each one has its own separate writer’s guidelines and rules for embedding links and images. Here’s a quick list of directories. There are TONS more but these will get you started.

Ezine Articles

GoArticles

Article City

Idea Marketers

Article Alley

Article Depot

Amazines

Googlebase – Articles and reviews as well as videos, product information, resumes and just about anything else you can think of can be uploaded to Googlebase and displayed in search results

But wait, there's one last super secret strategy that goes along with this. When a blog or web site or ezine picks up and uses your article, let them know you appreciate it and stumble it using StumbleUpon - or any other social bookmarking service (del.icio.us, digg, newsvine, etc.). You are giving them a boost by helping get their blog or web site out there and giving yourself a boost because the article contains information about you!

See how fun sharing the marketing love can be?

"Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results."

–Anon 

As promised, here is #4 and it's on…Reviews.

Reviews, for all intensive purposes, are based on the opinions of your users and clients and are published on your site - they are not testimonials. While they might sing your praises as a testimonial does, they might also tell a tale of poor customer service or a faulty product. 

So, why, might you be wondering would anyone publish information that is less than stellar about themselves, their product or service?

The answer is balance. You are looking to create a relationship of honesty and trust with your customers and clients. The best thing you can do is admit fault when and if it happens and then…this is important…take action to correct it. You are balancing out the good with the bad. 

But reviews aren't static. They are dynamic pieces of important information submitted by your customers and an important part of the community you are hopefully creating around your brand. People want to know about other people's experiences with that product or service. It's a component of word of mouth marketing.

Obviously you DO want positive reviews - the more the merrier, as they say (whoever 'they' are). But when you get a negative review (and you most definitely will) it's an opportunity to look hard and what went wrong and fix it. The beauty is that you can respond to negative reviews and show your customers what you did, the action you took, to correct the problem which in turn fosters that wonderfully exciting honest relationship you are working hard to establish. 

Now, here's the secret part of reviews that you maybe didn't know about.

Reviews are content. They can be submitted to the search engines and when reviews are picked up in the search engines the result is similar to what happens with a digital press release. They are viewed as pure content and generally rank pretty highly and quickly for the product or service the review is about. If that review is about one of your products or services…well, you are probably getting the drift…yes, it's a strong link back to your site which brings both traffic and gives your SEO and SEM efforts a nice boost.

Reviews can be as simple as a script you install on your site where people can give a thumbs up or thumbs down or you can employ companies like Power Reviews (which I'm sorry to say is no longer free…bummer) or Bazzarvoice. 

So, there's your mid-week tip for this hot and hazy July. A little something to think about and to add to your arsenal of marketing tips.