11 Reasons You Can’t Ignore Social Media in 2009

So, do you still think social media is a fad that we’ll all look back on and laugh at in the future? You can keep thinking that, but you’ll be stuck on the sidelines while social media continues to grow in 2009. In fact, let me give you 11 reasons you won’t be able to ignore social media this year

1. Everyone is Using it

2. Social Media is Gaining Trust

3. It’s Still Growing

4. Our President Uses it

5. When One Social Network Falls, Another Rises

6. It’s Fast

7. Cost Efficient for Companies

8. It’s Passionate

9. It’s Free

10. Social Media is Versatile

11. The Internet is Social

Are you ready to pay attention to social media in 2009?

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10 Principles of Social Media

The 10 Core Principles of Social Media:
Associations are inherently good – Knowing more people expands opportunity and conversation.

Information wants to be free - Free society runs on free information. Information hoarding is the enemy of discourse and growth.

Economies have currencies - All economies trade on specialized currencies.

Decentralization is freedom - Decentralized power structures spur creativity, growth, and innovation.

Rules beget rules – The more rules you have, the more rules you make.

Karma is real – You give more, you get more.

Context is Fluid - How you view an object today will be different tomorrow. Don’t destroy tomorrow’s value.

Immediacy in all things - Strike while the iron is hot. Eat when the food is fresh.

Communication is blood - Communication is the river upon which information flows.

Findability is power - Unfindable information or people are irrelevant.

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Most Small Businesses Fear Search Engine Marketing

If you’re a traditional small business chances are you realize the potential benefits the Internet can possibly bring. You’ve spent years building your in-store sales and spent countless hours working on plans to drive foot traffic to your store. But what about online? You know the opportunity is there, but something’s holding you back. 

A good majority of small businesses are still weary of creating a presence online mostly because of fear of the unknown. Worse, many of these small businesses are lost when it comes to online marketing. They need help with understanding marketing to the online crowds. According to a new survey by Microsoft, more than half of all small businesses with an online presence aren’t doing any kind of paid search marketing because of a variety of reasons.

The survey goes on to report that those small business that ARE doing paid search marketing are actually very satisfied and happy with their results (higher than 70 percent).

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Interested in learning how Search Engine Marketing can benefit your business, contact us!

Can Your Business Survive Without Social Media?

It’s time for businesses to seriously consider the impact of Social Media on their business. Social Media must be investigated from two different business perspectives.

What is the impact if the business does not initiate a Social Media Program?

What is the impact on the business from initiating a Social Media Program?

A lot of the benefits of Social Media appear to be more perceived than based on quality market research. To assist businesses determine if Social Media is a worthwhile addition to their marketing program here are esults of recently completed surveys.

Without a doubt the conclusions are clear. Social Media will have a positive impact on your business, and the risk factor of implementing such a program is as close to Nil as is possible in a business situation. Risk free improvement of business performance, seems unlikely but Social Media Programs come very close to that benchmark

60% of American citizens used Social Media. Of those 93% indicated business should have a Social Media presence and 85% indicated businesses should interact via Social Networks with their customers.

Consumers surveyed indicated businesses should use Social Media to:

• Solve Problems – 43%
• Obtain user feedback on product and services – 41%
• Enable consumers to interact with the company brand – 37%
• Market to consumers – 25

Barriers to initiating Social Media Programs:

• Lack of understanding by Senior Management 58%
• Negative impact on employee productivity 49%
• Fear of unknown technology 58%

Companies currently using Social Media reported the following:

• Improved Feedback 78%
• Improved Customer Satisfaction 66%
• Improved Customer support 71%
• Increased Sales 40%
• Improved public perception of company 75%

The results of the surveys clearly indicate that Social Media has become an accepted and expected method of interaction and communication by consumers.

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10 Reasons Commenting is Good For Bloggers

Blogging is not just about saying your piece, it is also about going out and joining the conversation where it is happening. It’s about reaching out to people and exposing yourself (steady!) to new ideas. Some giving as well as all this taking back we focus on.

It’s the right thing to do - people complain about not enough comments on their own blog but don’t take enough time to comment on others.

Make friends and influence people - Blogging is partly a networking activity.

Create Commentable Content – By observing which posts you commented on and which you did not (or couldn’t no matter how hard you tried!) you develop an awareness of what works to attract comments.

Comments = Ideas - You managed to comment. You never know who is reading -  You never know unless you try.

Keep Match Fit - Comments should be short, fast, to the point and make an impact.

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10 Awesome Ways to Integrate Twitter With Your Website

There’s no better time to start utilizing Twitter integration tools than right now. Here are 10 of the most useful ways to start turning your site readers (or your client’s customer base) into Twitter followers, and vice versa.

1. Twitter Widgets

2. Twitter Buttons

3. Twitter Tools

4. TwitThis

5. Tweet Suite

6. Chirrup (for WordPress blogs)

7. Twitt This

8. Intense Debate

9. Aweber

10. Twitterfeed

Learn more about these Twitter Tools >

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Businesses turn to social networking sites for marketing

More and more businesses are seeing the value of incorporating social networking Web sites — no longer just the domain of college students — into their overall marketing plan.

Social media sites, such as Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn, offer ways for users to blend communication with friends and businesses seamlessly. With the exception of paid advertising spots and certain applications, it is free to set up pages on the sites.

Businesses are finding ways to interact with clients through video, blogs, messaging and more.

Using social media isn’t the best option for every company. But when it works, it can be powerful, and inexpensive.

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Social Networks Are the New Web Portals

To be sure, social-networking sites like Facebook, like the portals before them, aggregate services to provide one-stop shops for Internet users. But they’re competing, too, in a race to provide a social context for Web usage generally. Facebook Connect and MySpaceID are new tools that offer users a way to make their social networks portable.

Social networking sites are  growing at exponential rates and attracting users of all ages.

Facebook’s fastest-growing segment is users over 25 years of age. 

LinkedIn, the business-oriented social networking site, claims more than 30 million active members with an average age of 41.

As social meta-Web emerges, the players that own and harness social applications will radically reorganize and reshape the Web in ways we can only imagine today, and that will profoundly alter our experience of the online world.

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Measuring the ROI of social media

Businesses operate for one reason and one reason only To Make A Profit.

Businesses are now faced with the necessity of participating in Social Networks with their consumers. If they don’t chances are the consumer will click on your competitors site who happens to participate the way they want them to.

But the bottom line here is, operating a Social Media Campaign is a business expense. To succeed in Social Media time and commitment is required, Social Media is not a part time marketing initiative.

Measuring The ROI

The success of Social Media Campaigns comprise of both tangible and intangible measuring metrics.

The Baseline - determine the business’s current status

Intangible Metrics - customers experience (improved communication, better service response, higher brand perception)

Leads and Sales – the value of anew lead

Website – baseline traffic analysis of current visitors (new visitors, page views, newsletter subscriptions)

Social Media is as measurable as any other form of promotion and in some ways even easier to determine.

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Six Neglected SEO Tips That Can Save Your Business Big Bucks

Every marketing tactic gets more scrutiny when budgets face the severity 
of a struggling economy. Marketers are increasingly responding to the 
accountability found in digital marketing, placing their budget toward 
efforts that they can clearly measure against. Put SEO under this 
microscope, and it consistently delivers. 

1. Eliminate Navigation Bars

2. Check Your Code

3. Go for Quick Wins

4. Meta Info – Describe yourself

5. Optimize Your Keyword Platform

6. Be Reachable

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