Facebook provides some pretty interesting statistics for business pages. You’ve probably seen a little box on your page (viewable only by page admins) titled Insights with a number (and some stars) for Post Quality, the number of Interactions this week and the most active country. Cool. But what does it all mean?
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Feb
26
2010
Top Internet Marketing, Strategy & Technology Links – Feb 26, 2010
Google announced via Twitter, that public status updates from Facebook are now included in the search engine’s real-time search feature. That means the largest social network in the world is getting play in Google’s real-time search alongside Twitter, MySpace, and others.- Your Facebook Page is in Google’s Real-Time Results Now (WebProNews)
While only updates for pages are showing up right now, Facebook’s status as the major social network means that what happens there will have a big play in search results for companies. May be time to figure out how to better use Facebook pages…
Feb
25
2010
Achieve Better Results By Targeting a Niche
This is a guest post by Chris Horner, a freelance photographer.
Over the years I’ve had the privilege of talking at length with many business owners, executives, and aspiring entrepreneurs. It seems that identifying a target market is one of the hardest tasks for these folks to accomplish. I believe it’s because they try to market their wares to anyone with a pulse. (Yes I was actually told that once – word for word – from a bank executive) This results in wheel spinning, poor sales, and the business owner/exec scratching their head trying to figure out what exactly happened as they’re driving to bankruptcy court.
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Feb
25
2010
Top Internet Marketing, Strategy & Technology Links – Feb 25, 2010
I read a lot of blogs and I am growing tired of the mutual admiration society. I think a lot of my fellow bloggers are becoming complacent. We are too concerned with how we will be perceived rather than speaking our minds. We are too concerned that the popular blog owner will be offended if we offer up criticism that comes straight from the heart. We’re afraid of being ostracized from the masses of commenters who have nothing more worthwhile to say than “Great Post!”, “You hit the nail on the head with this post”, or “You are a true inspiration to me and my life!” - 5 Reasons to be Critical of Other Bloggers (DailyBlogTips)
There’s something to be said for thinking critically and having an opinion when someone else posts their own. The most interesting comments are always ones that add to the conversation. Many sites, including my own, will remove comments that don’t really add to the conversation if they’re just “great post!” (which I assume are just linkbait). Posting an opinion means being respectful and backing up what you say with some reasons, but it’s a great way to get your own point of view out.
Feb
24
2010
A Quick Way to Improve Your Website
Wondering what to do to improve your website? Well, there’s a quick way to get started! Ask your customers! They’re the ones trying to use your website and they probably have some ideas of what can be improved if you’d just ask. Better yet, see if you can watch one try to use your website. You may be surprised at what you find.
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Feb
24
2010
Top Internet Strategy, Marketing & Technology Links – Feb 24, 2010
If you crave advice on sculpting the perfect mustache, revel in the dark and mysterious world of vampires or seek a divorce from your partner, yes, there’s a social network for that. Here are 10 weird and truly niche social networking sites that strive to bring together some unusual birds of a feather. – Ten of the World’s Strangest Social Networks (CIO)
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn in are great, but there may be a social network targeted for your specific niche or industry. While many people try to reach the largest audience better, your message and conversations are actually more efficient in a more targeted environment.
Feb
23
2010
Sazcast Episode 19 – Leveraging Facebook as a Business Tool
Leveraging Facebook as a Business Tool. Consumers are spending an average of about 20 mins per day on Facebook and search there for reviews before purchasing – how can a business use Facebook as part of their online strategy? Quick News – Olympics, Google Hackers, From Twitter to TV. Web Strategy & Marketing News & Tips. A special thank you to Kevin (@kidsdesk) at KidsDesk.net for the question about using Facebook for business. Thanks, Kevin!
Feb
23
2010
Top Internet Strategy, Marketing & Technology Links – Feb 23, 2010
If you are a small business owner like me, then you are no stranger to the fact that learning how to master Twitter can seem a little bit like wrestling a hungry alligator. Meaning, there is a steep learning curve and if you mess up it can be deadly. Figuratively speaking, of course! After using Twitter for the past couple of years, and following a lot of trial and error, below are ten ways that I think you can begin to use Twitter to drive more traffic to your small business blog. – Top Ten Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Small Business Blog Using Twitter (ProBlogger)
The first 3 ways are something every business should do – change the default icon, fill in the profile and show up! If you want people to interact and follow you, you need to look professional and you need to have something worth saying. Don’t spam people with marketing crap. Have conversations, provide useful information, and occasionally it’s ok to mention your stuff (nicely). Don’t try to be someone you’re not – people can smell a rotten fish from miles away.
Feb
22
2010
7 Basic Twitter Statistics
You’ve got a Twitter account and you’re tweeting and retweeting like a maniac. How can you measure how well you’re doing? Well first of all, what’s your goal for using Twitter? Increase sales? Collect leads? Knowing your goal is the first step for figuring out what you need to measure. Once you have that, here are some basic measurements you may want to use to see how well you’re doing:
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Feb
22
2010
Top Internet Strategy, Marketing & Technology Links – Feb 22, 2010
This is one of the most common questions small business owners and new bloggers ask. Blogging is uncharted territory. What should I write about? How often do I need to write? How long should a blog post be? Good questions all, but I’m focusing on the last one in this post. - How Long Should a Blog Post Be? (Small Business Search Marketing)
I agree with Matt – blog posts should be as short or long as they need to be. Maybe that’s not a straight enough answer for some, but a blog post should be long enough to explain whatever it is you’re posting about. You shouldn’t get overly concerned about how long it needs to be for SEO – remember, you’re writing for people (who buy your products) not for computers. I do think that longer posts should be broken into sections with subheadings and some pictures, which makes them easier to read and scan for information.
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