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Beyond Grammar: Easily Avoided Copywriting Mistakes

By Enzo F. Cesario in Featured

No system is perfect. There are always flaws and breakdowns that will occur, for any number of reasons. This holds true in the world of online marketing and especially in the realm of the most common web practice, copywriting.

Now we are not talking about the obvious mistakes here. Errors of grammar, syntax, spelling or revision are fairly obvious and can be averted with a simple double-check by running your article past a colleague for critique. This article addresses broader errors of philosophy or doctrine that can cripple an otherwise technically strong piece of copywriting.

Five Copywriting Mistakes You CAN Avoid

Mistake #1 – Missing your target audience

One of the most important points of any piece of writing is to address your intended audience. This is true for absolutely every type of writing out there, without exception. Consider for example that you’re a writer specializing in culinary writing. You could submit the most well-written, elegant article on coconut cream pies ever composed. You still would not get very far with this article if you tried to sell it to someone with a coconut allergy.

As is often the case, understanding your audience happens before and after you do the actual writing, making it a ‘meta’ principle (outside the actual task itself, but still related). Avoiding this mistake takes effort. Get in the habit of asking specific questions of your clients, and researching related material on their sites if available. Information will help you avoid targeting a piece to the wrong audience.

Mistake #2 – Going on and on and on and on…

The web is a fast-paced environment. Technology has increased the speed at which machines can present information, and as a result people expect to be able to process that information faster. With so much out there available so quickly, why would anyone linger on an article that takes too long to get to the point?

Write concisely, focusing on your topic and keeping the content to a targeted word count. Ensure that each section is no longer than necessary, to prevent boredom and disinterest.

Again, research is your greatest ally in this case. Knowing your audience helps, as does being very familiar with your subject. Examine your sentences and see where you can cut down words without destroying meaning.

Mistake #3 – Missing the call to action

A great deal of copywriting is done to promote products and services of every stripe. Similarly, a great deal of copywriting doesn’t do much beyond presenting the basic information. Good copywriting should include a tangible call to action. Don’t just offer the user more information, invite them to ‘Learn more about it here.’

Wishy-washy language is the weakness in this case. Most people confuse simple statements such as ‘You can learn more’ with powerful calls like ‘Learn more.’ The first is just informative. All right, we can learn more, why should we? ‘Learn more and take control’ is an imperative that gets people responding.

Mistake #4 – Getting fancified and highfalutin

Contrary to what some people may think, there IS a place for jargon and technical terminology. That place exists within a common frame of understanding. When two engineers trade talk about ohms, resistance, current and capacity, these terms are intended to speed up understanding and improve their overall efficiency.

For example you could refer to ‘the practice of using keywords, precise writing, and meta tags to improve search engine results for websites.’ This is cumbersome, so among those who understand your reference, instead you can use the term Search Engine Optimization, or the acronym SEO.

The problem with jargon is that it is not universal. Mention Newtons to the average person, and you’re talking about a snack cake. Mention them to a physicist, and you’re discussing concepts of universal gravitation. The term is valuable to the latter, irrelevant to the former. The danger in copywriting is the use of jargon in inappropriate contexts. In a generalized piece, jargon does not make you look clever, but rather arrogant or showy.

Restrict your use of jargon to appropriate times. If you have a reasonable basis to believe others can understand it, go for it. If you find yourself thinking ‘everyone SHOULD know what I mean,’ stop and ask for advice.

Mistake #5 – Skipping the Headline

Attention spans are reducing even as our ability to process information increases. People want quick, catchy information and they want it now. Too late, they’ve moved on. A headline is a key point in catching someone’s attention, and all too often is neglected or slapped on without consideration.

A good headline should convey just enough information to let them know what the article is about, yet be vague enough to generate their interest in reading further. Humorous headlines can be very effective, as can dramatic or ironic statements. Practice with headlines, and make them an essential part of your writing, rather than an accessory.

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Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat. Brandcasting uses informative content and state-of-the-art internet distribution and optimization to build links and drive the right kind of traffic to your website. Go to http://www.Brandsplat.com/ or visit our blog at: http://www.brandsplatblog.com/

Bing Proves Power of Facebook Advertising

By Kalena Jordan in Featured

In a single day, Bing has increased the number of fans of their Facebook page by 500 percent. How? By using clever social media advertising embedded within the popular Facebook application Farmville.

The advert appeared yesterday inside the game Farmville, encouraging players to become a fan of Bing in exchange for free farm cash (the virtual currency used within Farmville). As an incentive for players to act, Bing positioned themselves as the ideal search engine to help them win the game with tips and solutions for how best to use their crops and animals. Probably the cleverest part of the promotion was the fact that users could fan the Bing page without interrupting their game.

As a follow up, Microsoft’s social media team then set about creating dedicated updates for Farmville users on the Bing Facebook page.

The Bing Facebook page started the day yesterday with around 100,000 fans and that figure is now well above 500,000.

39 Free/Low-Cost Tools for Marketing Your Small Business Online

By Stone Reuning in Featured

Thousands of free online marketing tools clamor for attention, with new ones popping up every week it seems. You know you should be doing more to reach out to your customers, but just researching which tools to use can be a vast time investment, even if they don’t require a big financial outlay.

Below is a compiled a list of the most popular (or most useful) low-cost or free small business marketing tools. You might be using some of them already, but you’re sure to find a couple that will round out your small business marketing toolkit nicely. And, if you’re just starting out marketing a new business online, this list may help point you in the right direction.

The Incredible Promotional Power of Video Marketing

By Ivana Katz in Featured

If pictures speak a thousand words, imagine what a video could say about your business.

Recently video has become a popular way to market a business. The main reason for this is that it can generate traffic and interest very quickly. Unfortunately some people are still afraid to use it and believe it’s difficult to do. So now is a great time for you to get ahead of your competition.

One of the main advantages of video marketing is that it saves your visitors lots of time understanding what is being offered. Hearing and seeing about your products and services has more credibility and helps you to connect to your visitors on an emotional level.

If you use the appropriate keywords in the video’s tags, you have a better chance of ranking high in search engines.

According to www.masternewmedia.org “Video search engines – just like Google – index specifically all videos available online, independently from the source. On the other hand, video directories differentiate themselves from video search engines because they list videos according to specific categories (such as “entertainment”, “sport”, “fun”, etc.)

Some video search engines and video directories automatically detect and index the videos published online, while others also allow you to directly inform them of the existence of a video. There are also several video search engines that let you upload your videos, just like you can do on video sharing sites.

However, it is important to distinguish between video search engines and video sharing sites, since the might appear very similar at first glance. All video sharing site feature a search box on their homepage, but they allow users to search only within the video sharing site directory, and not elsewhere. On the other hand, video search engines collect material from multiple sources, included the above mentioned video sharing sites.

Several video search engines and video directories let users review, rate, recommend, categorize, and ” tag” the videos that they watch. These functions facilitate the cataloguing and organization of content so that users can easily discover new videos based on other users’ recommendations. ”

Video Sharing Sites

• video.google.com
• www.youtube.com

Video Search Engines

• video.aol.com/
• www.cliproller.com/
• www.pixsy.com/
• multimedia.alltheweb.com/
• scoopvid.com/
• www.vdoogle.com/
• www.clipta.com/
• www.purevideo.com/
• www.searchvideo.com/
• search.singingfish.com/
• www.searchforvideo.com/
• video.search.yahoo.com/
• www.blinkx.com/
• www.altavista.com/video/default
• tubesurf.com/

Video directories

• www.open-video.org/index.php www.archive.org/details/movies

Another great advantage of using videos is their ability to go “viral” and spread your message quickly.

David Ogden of www.theviralsanctuary.com says “A viral video is a video clip that becomes extremely popular and is spread across the Internet through users sharing it in email messages or through an IM service. A lot of these videos are funny and are often shot by amateurs who happen to catch something funny on their camera phones. There have been many viral videos that have caught fire in the cyber world.”

Did you know you can have a simple video designed for under $300? You can either feature it on your website or post it to Video Search Engines and Directories.

Video marketing is so popular due to its ability to engage directly with your audience and it adds a new dimension to other forms of online marketing. So don’t be afraid to try it … you have nothing to lose … except a lot of traffic to your website, if you don’t do it!

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Ivana Katz of Websites 4 Small Business makes it easy for you to get your business on the internet. If you’re looking for a professional and affordable website designer, visit www.web4business.com.au and download a free website plan.

Hitting Your Stride: Four Keys to Timing Your Blog

By Enzo F. Cesario in Featured

There are a number of important factors that go into the production of a first-class blog. Quality of content, the layout of the page, how best to integrate video, formal versus informal tone, each of these is a decision that must be made during the creation of the project. That all comes before more esoteric concerns, which include the integration of meta tags, link building, traffic generation, and keyword/SEO implementation.

Yet underlying these important issues is one that many people wrestle with: How often should the thing be updated? Innocuous as it sounds, post frequency is actually vital to the success of any content project, and especially to blogs. Equally, it is a surprisingly complex decision that can involve numerous factors. Time, place, and availability of content all have parts to play in determining just how often you need to update your blog.

Finding the Right Frequency

Blogging is an extension of the principles of marketing. You want to get your content the exposure you feel it deserves, so you market it as best you can to cultivate an audience. This involves doing the legwork and research necessary to act on good information, and testing your ideas while allowing room for adjustment as you work and grow. Chances are you will not hit the right rate of posting immediately, and that is all right as long as you’re prepared to adjust when it’s required.

No single article can cover every eventuality of course, but we can break down a few core principles to get you thinking in the right direction. The key is to consider these ideas and extrapolate from them, using the other lessons you’ve learned, to build a solid, whole-picture approach.

1 – Make content king.

More than almost any other community, web users are keenly attuned to fluff pieces that don’t really say much. This isn’t true for 100% of the community of course, but those who can pick out an airy, pointless piece will almost invariably be sure to point it out, leading to some word of mouth you probably didn’t want. Don’t pick an update schedule that can’t live up to the content you have available. Stick to a schedule that you know you can provide a quality post for, every single time you sign on.

This has a twofold effect. One, it keeps the ‘pressure to post’ at a minimum. Content drives the posting, and you aren’t struggling every third day to come up with more information, or worse to rehash the information you’ve already posted. Secondly, it shows you have respect for the community, and keeps them interested and coming back.

2 – Set the time and day.

Even though the web never sleeps, a great part of the world still functions on a Monday to Friday, 9-5 schedule of sorts. Taking these rhythms into account can help you build the ideal web traffic for your project. For example, a blog focusing on home and family concerns and selling books related to it might not find as much of an audience during traditional business hours as during the time when people are at-home with their families. Granted this is only a rule of thumb, as many people surf the web for their favorite blogs during lunch breaks.

Another part of this element is the Monday-Wednesday-Friday cycle. Many business blogs and publications settle on a three-a-week update schedule, and the MWF routine works out very well for this. They’re all business days, and the schedule covers the start, middle, and end stretches of a workweek.

Of course since this ends up being something of the default, it means that Tuesdays and Thursdays end up with comparatively little content for people to peruse. Sundays suffer a lack of content as well, for the obvious related reasons. If you find yourself preferring less frequent, longer posts, consider a T-Th routine to take advantage of the ‘gap’ between other updates.

3 – Have a conversation.

One of the most interesting contributions to modern marketing is the blog comments section. Every blogging software out there has some feature for allowing or disallowing comments. As we’ve discussed before, consumer input can have an incredible effect on any brand, and blogs are no exception.

Taking advantage of this resource requires a certain amount of patience. Conversations develop in the comments section as people discuss, dispute, and debate the merits of what you’ve posted. In short, you need to not just let this happen, but cultivate the effect. Allow reasonable discussions to grow, and comment yourself on the more relevant points. Let the consumer know their input is being seen, and that you care enough to respond to it. Posting new blog posts too frequently overruns this tendency, and could rob you of vital feedback.

4 – Be nimble.

As we’ve mentioned, you are not likely to get it right just out of the gate. You may bite off too much to chew, or update too infrequently for people to care. Evaluate the data, ask your consumers questions, and be prepared to change as needed. Flexibility is the ultimate survival tool on the web, and your blog will benefit if you approach the affair with an open mind and a willingness to try several approaches. Pick an update schedule, observe it, and then experiment with others until you have the one that best fits your needs.

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Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the “voice” of our client’s brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to http://www.BrandSplat.com/ or visit our blog at http://www.iBrandCasting.com/

The Fallacy of Search Engine Marketing Only

By Scott Buresh in Featured

Allow me to offer a pre-emptive caveat – I own a successful search engine marketing company. Like most businesses, we are constantly trying to expand our client base – primarily through using the same search engine and internet marketing methods that we deliver to our clients. A quick search on terms such as “search engine optimization company” or “internet marketing company” on Google will demonstrate that we practice what we preach. As I write this, on a “clean machine” (one with all browser settings reset and cookies removed), my search engine marketing company ranks number 1 on Google for both of these phrases and the plural forms of the phrases. Based upon your past search tendencies, your specific location, and whims of the Google Gods, your mileage may vary, but you should find us near the top of the SERPs for those and hundreds of other related terms.

12 Methods to Improve Website Return on Investment (ROI) Using SEO and Other Strategies

By Nashat Mostafa in Featured

Return On Investment (ROI) is the relationship between the total amount you spend and the total amount you earn from a certain internet marketing campaign.

If you are doing any online marketing campaign, then Return On Investment (ROI) is the most important measurement to estimate your success and the one metric that you must work hard on to improve over time.

Generally speaking, Return On Investment (ROI) is a performance measurement used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment and to compare the efficiency of one investment to the other or over a certain period of time.

Return on investment is a very popular metric due to its versatility and simplicity. That is, if an investment does not have a reasonable positive ROI, or if there are other opportunities with a higher ROI, then this investment should not be done. Return On Investment (ROI) is the final measurement of success for any advertising campaign.

How You Can Use News Releases and Announcements to Promote Your Business

By Mark Shapiro in Featured

Press releases are no longer just for the press. Here is how you can use Press Releases to promote your business and web site.

Press releases and news announcements serve many different functions in addition to being source material for journalists to write about.  Yes, it is good to have BIG news that will motivate a writer, editor or journalist to write about your company, product or service, but that is no longer the only reason to create a press release. You don’t need big news just a good hook.

Whether or not you use a Public Relations Agency or do it yourself, here are three good reasons why you should try to write and distribute at least one press release every month.

1. Its Good SEO (Search Engine Optimization & Press Release Optimization) – One of the most important components to getting top Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc., search page results – appearing high up or number one when someone searches for your product or services is the number of external web sites that link to your web site.

Your news release appearing on an online or industry news site, at a social networking site, on a newswire such as BusinessWire or PR NewsWire, or even at a directory of press releases, helps improve your site’s overall SEO. In addition to that posting and SEO results, many other sites and blogs may pick up that release and print it on their pages as well, further increasing the Search Engine results for your web site and business.

A good news announcement could show up on hundreds or thousands of different sites!

You need to post new releases on a regular (monthly) basis. As most major news sites only keep their press releases online for about a month or so, you need to keep posting new press releases and news announcements every month to maintain your SEO rating and web page search results positions.

By SEO optimizing your new release and by embedding hotlinks in it that link to specific landing pages on your site, you can further increase how high up your web site will appear in the search results.

You should also make sure your press release also gets posted on your own web site. (You will be amazed by how many businesses neglect this obvious step).  By posting your press releases on your own site, you increase the amount and quality of content on your site. As you probably know, most search engines heavily weigh the amount and quality of content on a site when assigning search results.  For most search engines, the two of the most important factors towards getting a high search page result is the amount of quality links pointing to your web site and the amount of quality content you have on your site. News announcements can fulfill both.

2. Your news announcements and press releases can inform potential customers about your company, its products, services and areas of expertise. No longer targetted to just the press and media, good press releases and news releases also function as marketing documents for your organization.

Most people and businesses now rely on a web search as an integral part of their search for products, and services. Seeing your news announcements all over the web – at the magazines they read, at various blogs, and as a result of web searches, can greatly help boost your company’s brand and product awareness in their mind. It is also useful to have news announcements that inform current and past customers of what is new and that you are still successfully in business.

3. Press may be interested in your “small” news and may want to include it as a standalone announcement or as part of a trend article or column. They may be doing an industry overview or product round up. Also, it is also useful to occasionally inform press that you are an expert in your industry area and are available for comment as needed.    If they don’t see press releases from you or your company on a regular basis, you will drop off their radar screen. You need to show ongoing, consistent news and growth or the press will forget about you.

Better Search Engine results and great SEO, direct out reach to your customers and potential partners, and ongoing contact to the media are the three main reasons why you and your company need to develop and distribute an ongoing series of press releases. They don’t have to be big news. Small news is fine. A new hire, updated web site, and upgrade to your software, new partnership, maybe speaking at a conference or industry event.

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Mark Shapiro is a professional writer with over 17 years experience in public relations and media relations. Mark Shapiro has worked with hundreds of companies throughout the world, promoting their products and services. He has written thousands of press releases and news announcements. He has hundreds of articles published covering a wide range of subjects including media relations, public speaking, internet marketing, web video, digital imaging, etc.  SRS Tech Public Relations provides a wide range of public relations functions, from big picture strategy planning to writing, distributing and following up on press releases and contributed articles, pitching products, services and solutions, and setting up and hosting show/phone briefings with editors and analysts

Article Marketing: Top 7 Out-of-the-Box Ideas to Get Your Articles Published Online

By Donna Gunter in Featured

Even though I use an amazing article distribution service, not all publications or blogs serving my industry or my target market are on the distribution list for this service or for the well-known, high traffic article directories. So, to ramp up the syndication of my articles yet another notch, I also submit them to specialty or niche publications that I have discovered over the years.

It’s not always easy to find these publications and sites. Here are my 7 best out-of-the-box ideas to find publications and sites that are frequented by your target market and might publish your articles:

1. Blogs. Research blogs written for your target market at Blogcatalog.com, Technorati.com, and Google Blog Search. Many of the blog owners will willing publish posts of guest authors. And, if you subscribe to Cathy Stucker’s BloggerLinkUp.com, you’ll receive weekly notices of bloggers looking for content for their blogs.

2. Associations and print publications. Research the trade and professional associations for your target market. You can create a query in your search engine for combinations like “target market” + “association” or “target market” + “magazine” to get you started.

When you locate the associations, examine their trade publications, newsletters, and industry-related magazines for information about online blogs, ezines, forums, or the online edition of their publication. Many publications well-known for their print versions now have online versions where the publication lead time is much shorter and the stipulations for publications aren’t as restrictive. And, don’t forget to look at the online versions of your local newspaper, magazines, and media outlets. They are often seeking experts with content to beef up their online offerings.

3. Your competition. Google the name of your competitors and examine the results. Note where their content is being published. Chances are that you can be published on the same sites, as well.

4. Trainers of your target market. In your search engine look up “training” + “target market.” Whatever associations, portals, training companies, consultants, etc. that are providing education and information for your target market probably also need content for their sites and blogs.

4. Gender specific or business specific groups. If your target market is women, there are countless numbers of women’s business and networking associations and portals online. Simply search for “women” + “networking” or “women” + “association” or “business networking” + “association.” Many of these sites need content for their blogs, ezines, or web sites.

5. Niche article directories. You might find article banks or expert sites geared for particular niches, so look up “target market” + “article directory.” Some of the better known niche article directories are SelfGrowth.com, for self-improvement and holistic healing experts. Many of these sites will let you create a profile and publish your articles free of charge but require a fee to move your articles to a prominent place on their site.

6. Large portal sites. Look for portal sites like About.com and iVillage.com where the sites have guides, editors, or experts in specific areas. Many times these experts must publish a regular ezine or blog and are constantly seeking content. One of their editors at About.com used to publish a lot of my articles on her section on Online Business. Check out information portals like Squidoo.com and Hubpages.com as well for ideas on where to submit your articles. You might also find large portals geared specifically for your industry or your target market.

7. Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a large online encyclopedia to which the public contributes. Some areas are very well documented on Wikipedia. Additionally, Wikipedia’s References section, See Also section, and External Links area are often good online sources as well.

The content that you create is a primary business asset. Don’t let it languish on your computer’s hard drive. Make it work for you over and over again by seeking out new sites seeking useful content like yours.

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Internet Marketing Automation Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals create prosperous online businesses that make more profit in less time. Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at ==> http://www.TurbochargeYourOnlineMarketing.com

Social Media Marketing Strategy: 6 dimensions to consider when you strategize

By Koz Khosravani in Featured

There are several benefits to introducing social media into your business marketing platform. However, this new addition to your traditional marketing method is not at all similar to buying the latest fashion accessory. If that is the approach or mindset you adopt, then it is like marching with a noisy band with your brand new trumpet, only you have no clue how to play it let alone harmonize and make music! You may need to take trumpet lessons to begin with. Taking time to put together your social media marketing (SMM) strategy is the only place to begin this new journey. Putting together a winning social media marketing strategy is one of the least expensive but most effective ways to attract business and increase profits.

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