Category: News & Trends

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How to Successfully Use LinkedIn for Business and Networking

I’ve just published my September e-newsletter and it is a special feature on how you can use LinkedIn for business. This special edition is interesting reading and my candid viewpoint on social networking.

If you have been pooh-poohing the value of social networking or thinking that Facebook and LinkedIn take too much time, you really need to read what has happened to me as I researched this article. From my perspective, I have a whole new take on social networking and am actively and aggressively growing it not to move my business forward.

Here’s just a snippet to get you thinking…

“What I found out in my testing was, well, shocking. So much so, that it has dramatically changed my viewpoint of social media and social networking. Here’s my candid experience and story. …In under 12 hours from my large list invitation my LinkedIn network contained over 90 connections. Less than one week later I am at 140 connections and still growing. In the first 24 hours, I also picked up a possibility for a new speaking engagement in front of 60 local area public relations professionals and a potential new subcontracting partner project for search optimization, ghost blogging, and Google AdWords management. All this with a wee bit of time investment.”

I now as of today have 178 connections and am looking to break 200, and that seems very doable. I have made business connections with three resources which should turn into remarkable business endeavors and have reconnected with clients and friends in a fun new way.

Read my story and see what you think.

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AdWords Getting Big Changes

Some very important changes are coming to AdWords. But that being said, you may not see them appear in your account just yet, Google is rolling out some of these changes to key contacts first.

Here are the changes in a nutshell:

  1. Quality score is not predetermined. It will be determined on the fly as each search query is done. This allows advertisers in local areas to possibly be a better match for local queries. This will also help keep your ad showing. For poor performing accounts this means that you will not be eaten alive by a bad history as your quality score can and will change more rapidly. This is a good change.
  2. No longer will we have keyword disabled with the phrase “not eligible for search”. I have just hated that when a keyword, which is good for an account is disabled arbitrarily by Google based on their algorithm. Low search terms could simply not get traction in an account. The phrase Google will now use is “first page bid”. As Google now shows options to view more ads this is also a good thing for advertisers. Not only will advertisers have more assistance in regards to ad placement, but if you really want to spend less you can and then appear in pages other than the first page. This change also gets rid of the minimum bid.
  3. Keywords will no longer be disabled. This really ties into number two as these two changes work so closely together minimum bid and not eligible for search. Many keywords that were either low search volume terms, niche terms Google did not understand and for some accounts aggressively disabled them in accounts literally shutting down and ad group. You may still have issues with impressions with this roll out, but at least the advertiser feels more like they are in charge than Google’s money making ad apparatus. I have had some advertisers simply feel like they were getting squeezed for money and it appears that Google has addressed some of these very important issues in these upcoming releases.

The changes from my point of view are good and welcomed. Keep an eye out for these changes in your own AdWords account in the upcoming weeks.

Read the full article here: http://searchengineland.com/080821-210012.php

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Is Your Website a “One Night Stand”?

Do visitors hit your home page and stay less than 10 seconds? Do your visitors rarely return for a second visit? Is your your home page bounce rate over 90%? If so, you may really need some help to improve stickiness and your visitor’s web experience. Your website may be one of the Web’s “one night stands” — never good enough for the “second date” or return visit.

Put your website to work for you by concentrating on providing great informational content. If your website is just about you and your services, and does not provide any interesting, conversation building content, you are missing the boat when it comes to what moves customers to contact you. You will never get the “second date” or sales call from a client or prospect when your focus is not on them, meeting their needs, and working to exceed their expectations.

It used to be that a website was like a brochure, but now we have gotten jaded by the “Web experience”. We want, crave, and demand interaction. Every website needs to engage visitors into conversation. Set the stage to become the authority for your clients and prospects and be their “go-to person” with excellent content and transparency of what you do and how you do it using your website as your platform.

Don’t fall into the rut of being a one visit website. Break out and become the voice of your industry and watch your business grow!