SiteProNews |
- While You Were Social Networking…
- NoFollow Importance
- Get Billions of Bonus Traffic Using Videos
- Online Brand Management – Follow the Tweeter
- Viral Marketing: The Proof is in the Pudding.
- 5 Best Practices of Content Distribution
| While You Were Social Networking… Posted: 11 Aug 2010 01:52 PM PDT  While you were social networking, Facebooking, and Twittering the most influential market demographic has moved on to the new Web. Call it Web 4.0 or whatever you like; the new Web is video-based. And we’re not talking about the homemade efforts you cranked out on your camcorder and laptop; we’re talking professional video. Yes, Martha, the bar has been raised, and if you want to compete you better get your act together. I’ve been preaching this sermon for years but it finally looks like the rest of the Web marketplace has finally caught up. If you don’t believe me, read Erick Hachenburg’s post ” Today’s Entertainment Drivers Are Watching Online Video” in MediaPost’s Blog ‘Online Video Insider” (http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=133670&lfe=1). Hachenburg writes: Video is an inherently powerful way to tell a story. This, of course, also makes it an effective way to communicate an advertising message. It’s about entertainment value and emotional appeal. … The new 2010 Magid Media Futures study, conducted by Frank N. Magid Associates, reveals some important insights into today’s Entertainment Drivers, consumer behavior and preferences in online video, and the reasons brand marketers should consider online video an important part of their media mix. If you’re serious about turning your website into a new media success then it’s time to get serious about Web video content. It’s better to be slightly ahead of the curve than me-toing your way to Chapter 11 Jerry Bader is Senior Partner at MRPwebmedia, a website design and marketing firm that specializes in Web-video Marketing Campaigns and Video Websites. Visit http://www.mrpwebmedia.com/ads, http://www.136words.com, and http://www.sonicpersonality.com. Contact at info@mrpwebmedia.com or telephone (905) 764-1246. Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources |
| Posted: 11 Aug 2010 07:20 AM PDT 
Nofollow meta tags simply means that all outgoing links on a page are not followed by the search engines, in particular Google. These nofollowed links are literally given no link juice value by the search engines. The same thing can be had by nofollows on individual links on any given page. Google advocate webmasters to use “nofollow” if they have paid links on their sites. If it is discovered a webmaster sells link space then Google can penalize that site because it is viewed as a form of cheating by sending the search engines, and visitors, to sites which may not otherwise deserve to get link juice. Unfortunately of course most people who pay for backlinks require that those links are followed to help their own Page Rank. Dofollow links are viewed as a sign that the sites being linked to are trusted. In other words if you as a webmaster place a link on your site that isn’t nofollow you are giving it a ‘certain seal of approval’ and you trust that site’s content. This is one of the reasons why probably the vast majority of blog owners use nofollow on their blogs’ comments section. Spammers will be less likely to post a link to their poor-quality sites if they know that they won’t get any link juice, though of course that doesn’t prevent a visitor clicking the link and the second site getting a hit. The more certain way is for the blog owner to remove any comments which appear to be spam. Incidentally, one of the Wordpress plugins is called “Nofollow Case by Case.” Since by default Wordpress blogs are nofollow on comments what this plugin does is override the default to make some, or if desired, all, comments dofollow. I do know of a few blogs where this plugin has been installed, though it must be said it does tend to get a lot of few-word “thanks for the post” kind of comments. Having said that, it is currently PR3, and ranked high up in the search engines, so Google must be reasonably happy with it. As a form of reward, Google themselves suggest either automatically, or manually removing the nofollow attribute on links posted by members or users who a blog or forum owner believes makes consistently high-quality posts. Again though, if a forum uses dofollow for all of its comments, even though some posts may be of very poor value, that doesn’t necessarily mean Google penalizes the forum. One forum I know of is a PR3, and very popular with the search engines. What I do find strange is when I read advice that you should make all your outgoing links on a conventional site, or blog, nofollow. If you are linking to an “authority” site which you believe is of value to your readers and worth directing them to, are you really saying that you don’t trust that site? And finally, the nofollow attribute can be used even with internal links. If you link to a page on your site which has little importance as far as the search engines are concerned, but is one that you want your visitors to see, don’t give it any link juice by making it nofollow. Brian is an econ major, and manages the Drunk Punishment site. Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources |
| Get Billions of Bonus Traffic Using Videos Posted: 11 Aug 2010 07:09 AM PDT  Among the traffic methods that captured my interest was by Gideon Shalwick. Gideon can show you a method that could get you extra traffic to your site by posting your videos in YouTube. That is just an amazing method. It is easier for me to use videos rather than writing sales letters. It looks more real and gives an interactive experience to the viewer than just words on a page. What kind of marketing ideas would make your video be unique? Gideon Shalwick helps his clients make videos and use YouTube to get them tons of traffic to their video or website. Not just traffic but he also helps them monetize it. Posting videos online has a growing potential and you can earn a decent income from it. Would you believe that there are videos who get millions of views and there is no link provided? You can actually use videos to earn recurring income. One of them is YouTube. It’s easy to sign up with YouTube’s partner program and serve Adsense Ads on your channel page. With the right techniques in place, you can earn about $20 – $50 a day with this partner program. Another simple technique to start with is to make a video of your review about a product and have your affiliate link in the description box. You can also put your own site if you want to let your viewers do an extra step. What kind of videos users love on YouTube? If you focus on sales pitches on your videos, this will turn people off and instantly click away. Give more value to your videos. A downside in using YouTube is that you have less control over your videos as they can suspend you at any point in time when you do not follow their terms of service or user agreement. You can even lose all your videos and channel page. The only thing you need to focus on is getting people to visit your site and use videos as a means to get bonus traffic. If you become really good at making videos, you can even do it as a service for people who do not have an idea how to do a good one. It is so simple to create your own video production with a decent camera and some software. You do not have to spend too much for high end equipment. Companies would go after you if you master the skill of getting pages to show up in Google's first page. How to make your videos truly unique: Show your face – Viewers respond better when they can see you. It allows you to build rapport and a bond with the people. It captures their attention easily and builds trust. Many people do not like talking to an automated voice. When making an instructional video, you might want to switch from showing yourself and your screen alternately so that your audience will feel that you are there with them and not fall asleep. Time to remove your fear of being in front of the camera! Some people get scared or shy showing themselves in front of the camera. Do not worry, Gideon shares some techniques to overcome that obstacle. Create Interview videos of yourself and someone else – You do not actually have to look at the camera and pretend you are just having a conversation. Do a Pretend Interview – you can do an interview video on your own where the questions will come from yourself and focus on an object. Practice makes perfect – Just keep doing it and you will find yourself improving every day. You will get used to it. Your fear will be removed in no time. Gideon has written a comprehensive guide to get you started and get you actual results. You can get it here at Rapid Video Marketing. Using videos online can give you billions of bonus traffic to your site. Just imagine the many possibilities you could do with this incredible traffic. Get started and get the actual results with Rapid Video Marketing by Gideon Shalwick. http://www.buywithbonus.com/video/how-to-get-billions-of-bonus-traffic-to-your-site-using-videos/ Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources |
| Online Brand Management – Follow the Tweeter Posted: 11 Aug 2010 06:59 AM PDT 
Follow Me! One of the most useful features of Twitter is the ‘follow’ function. Following someone on Twitter means his or her posts automatically go to your homepage. You can further customize this by creating lists, which will affect which time-line various users will appear in. However, remember that your homepage is visible to everyone who has the link, whether they’re following you or not. Just having your link lets them see who you’re following, and who’s following you in particular. In the effort to establish a proper awareness of a brand, the company one keeps is exceedingly important. As a result, learning to manage both the following and followed by functions on your Twitter account is extremely important to a web branding effort. Whom to Follow Choosing whom to follow can seem like a simple task, and at the heart of things it genuinely is. For a private account, you follow who strikes your interests and leave it at that. For a brand-driven account, however, a bit of selectivity is important. First, choose accounts that sync with the key interests of your brand. One of the keys to good brand management is focus. Second, it is vital that you choose accounts that post actively. Twitter is a short message service, not a traditional blog. The content is too minimal for you to rely on slow posters, so before you put someone on follow make sure they are inclined to post on a regular basis. Content is still everything, after all. Third, limit the accounts your brand is following based on your audience. Following two hundred others might keep your feed going very steadily, but it also means your audience could miss important messages in the scroll-over. Be selective; don’t jam the channel with so many data – no matter how vital – that it all becomes noise. Force yourself to choose only the most relevant options. The emphasis on quality over quantity will prove invaluable in the highly critical realms of the web. When NOT to Follow It might sound a bit mercenary, but it is important to be relentlessly critical of the feeds you are following. The web is a judgmental place, and despite the stereotypical depictions in the media it is also a place with an exceptionally long memory. As a case in point, during Ron Paul’s most recent presidential campaign, articles from a magazine he edited years ago were brought into evidence. The web is like this with everything. If someone your feed is following posts something that goes against your brand image, block them. It can be as innocuous as a difference of opinion, or as outrageous as a racially insensitive remark, but be assured someone somewhere has a record. Post about it, and put up a notification as to your decision. Cover your bases, instead of giving the benefit of the doubt. Presenting the Picture Of course, there are occasions when you might want to follow someone whose image contradicts your own. There is no hard and fast rule, after all. Remember, for example, that you can compose lists that display users in managed groups. This is a valuable tool that can create the all-important context necessary for good brand management and promotion. For example, consider a brand that promotes environmental awareness and social activism. It might be odd to see them following a blog from a petrol company, but the list they put this company in makes all the difference. This list might be, for speculation purposes, a watchdog collection of all the major industrial concerns in an area. When the companies promote a new initiative or claim they’re helping the local environment in their tweets, the watchdogs can post a Twitter link to a news article linking them to dangerous practices, and so forth. So despite the above rule of caution in association, it is equally important to remember that no rule is ironclad. Do what the situation warrants, adapting your techniques to the moment available. Policing the Audience The composite of who follows your feed says as much about your group as the composite of whom you’re following. A little pruning is often in order. Yes, sometimes the following list can be so large as to make it difficult to manage. Stephen Fry, a famous English comedian, has 1.5 million people following his account. Still, pay at least some attention to the ‘followed by’ feed. Randomly select one or two every day to see what they’re saying. This is a great way to get aware of what kind of perception you have in the web community, and to do something about it, if need be. Additionally, if you happen to come across a troublemaker you’d rather not have associated with your account, well, so much the better. Enzo F. Cesario is an online branding 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 www.BrandSplat.com or visit our blog at www.iBrandCasting.com Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources |
| Viral Marketing: The Proof is in the Pudding. Posted: 11 Aug 2010 06:51 AM PDT  Many folks today do not realize just how powerful viral marketing is and how much potential it has. Viral marketing revolves around creating an intense buzz on the Internet. It is a truly powerful concept that causes viral campaigns to spread pandemically around the Internet with a rapid intensity. If used properly, it can be a very successful marketing technique for your business. One thing that we can all be sure of is that viral marketing works and it works very well. In this age of high-speed communications – when a message or video can travel around the world multiple times in a matter of minutes or even seconds – advertisers have to learn to use that to their advantage. Viral marketing is not just for the big fish either. A viral marketing campaign does not have to be expensive or expansive and can be utilized by businesses of any size. The campaign need only be creative, catch the attention of its audience and spread around the Internet like wildfire thanks to people referring others to the campaign. This referral process has become even easier nowadays with services like RSS Feeds, social bookmarking, AddThis or ShareThis, Twitter's "retweet" function and Facebook's "like" and "share" buttons. You no longer even have to forward an email or send a message, a user of a social network like Facebook or Twitter can simply click on a "Share" link and send the viral marketing material to all of their friends, fans or followers. The first component of the viral marketing process is the actual creative material itself. Will you use a picture, article, video or text? Something as simple as the headline of a news article can be viral on the Internet. If you can think of a creative way to promote your products or services that will strike a chord with people and make them laugh, cry, feel inspired or any other emotion then they will want to share what they have seen, read or heard with their friends, family, co-workers, neighbors or any others in their social circle. Then the web of content sharing has begun and it's "gone viral." It is truly amazing how fast something can go viral online and spread throughout the world in a matter of minutes. After you create the viral campaign then you must "seed" it by planting it at strategic places on the Internet. There must be a distribution network to get your campaign to the masses so you need to figure out what online mediums will work best for spreading your marketing to the masses. Perhaps you start with making a video, uploading it to YouTube and sharing it with your Facebook friends, your newsletter mailing list and any other contacts you might have. Then you can use social bookmarking sites like Reddit, Digg, StumbleUpon, etc. for a further reach. If you strategically and intelligently use viral marketing techniques in your e-commerce business then you should find them an effective promotional tool. Viral marketing is a tremendous way to build a ton of links in a little amount of time. This is great SEO practice for your business and can help you climb up the SERP (search engine results page) in o time! Forrest Yingling is the Marketing Director for WebNet Hosting, a Premier Partner Miva Merchant Web Host since 2004. WebNet Hosting provides reliable, fully PCI Compliant Hosting and e-commerce solutions at the industry's most affordable prices. Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources |
| 5 Best Practices of Content Distribution Posted: 10 Aug 2010 10:00 PM PDT 
1. Blogger Connections: You aren’t the only blogger out there. This may seem like a bad thing sometimes when there are so many other blogs to read. How will your blog get read if there are so many others that have equally great content? The trick is to get your content on blogs that are already being read. There are many wonderful blogs that get a lot of their content from guest bloggers. You can submit articles that you have already published on your own blog or create something new that you think the particular blogger would like for their blog. They may even have a request for a specific kind of content they would like from those interested in guest blogging. Along with contributing to blogs that you are following already, make sure that you are also using services that will connect you with other bloggers. These are great for not only getting your content posted elsewhere but also for getting guest bloggers on your blog. These blogger connection services already have a great network of bloggers who would love to share content. It would be a waste of a resource if you didn’t use something like this. Getting others’ guest content on your blog is another great way to link up with more bloggers. These guest bloggers may not have a particular need for your content yet, but they will most likely read your blog if they are contributing to it. This is great because not only have you acquired another reader, but they will be more inclined to request permission to use one of your blog posts on their own blog in the future or to spread the word about your wonderful blog to all their friends and associates who it would appeal to as well. Remember when submitting a guest blog post to include the byline that you would like the blogger to use for your guest post. You want to make sure that they give proper credit for your blog, and it makes their job easier if they don’t have to ask you for it. Conversely, remember to request a byline or resource box from each of your guest contributors so that you may give them proper credit as well. 2. Publishing on Reputable Websites: There are numerous well established article databases and other content-based websites where you can submit your content. These websites are selective about the content that they publish which increases their reputability. This is positive for you because when your content is accepted by these websites and published, you know that your content is top quality. Those who find your content on those websites will also know how valuable your content is by virtue of the fact that it has been published by an already well-respected source and they will be more likely to want more content from you. Be sure to read the submission guidelines of these websites. If you continue to submit content that is substandard, your future submissions will likely be ignored. If there are minor things to tweak in your content that will make it worthy of publishing on these websites make sure that you aren’t missing out on this. Overlooking necessary but simple corrections is an easily avoidable mistake. Make sure you are running with the top dogs. If you think your content is worth submitting to a well-respected site, don’t hesitate to do so. Overcome your fear of rejection and go for it. You may be surprised at how valuable those leading authorities find your content. Don’t deprive readers of your information. 3. Keep Track of Published Content: When syndicating your blog posts and submitting them for inclusion on several different websites, you will want to make sure that you are keeping track of each place they have been submitted to and published. Part of building your credibility is that the content that you write is applicable to more than just your immediate readers. Make sure that you are keeping track of where your content has been published in order to write more content that appeals to those particular audiences. Remember that part of interaction with readers and customers includes responding to comments and questions. How can you respond to these if you don’t even remember where your content has been published? Keeping track of comments and questions is easy when you are managing content posted on your own blog because you will receive a notice every time there is a comment left. Some blogs offer an option to notify you when anyone posts a comment after you have already posted, but you won’t know about initial comments unless you are keeping track of the post. One last but very important aspect of keeping track of published content is that, like all marketing strategies, these efforts need to be measured and analyzed in order to create more appropriate future content. If the published content is receiving a lot of positive feedback, be sure to create more like it in the future. If the feedback is negative, adjust your content until it becomes something that readers find useful. Success relies on customer and reader satisfaction. Be sure that you are monitoring this. 4. Publish Press Releases: When an article, blog post, or video is being syndicated, it is completely appropriate to submit a press release. This doesn’t need to be an incredibly formal, pricey press release. There are many free press release publication services that will allow you to post as many press releases as you wish. Having your content syndicated is big news, make sure that you are reporting it! Every time we have an article or blog post syndicated, we publish a press release about it. Our excitement about sharing our content with the world is equally felt by our readers who find out via press release. Creating a mutual interest, such as excellent content, with our readers is key in building relationships with them. Press releases also get picked up by bigger news sources. The syndication of press releases lets even more people know about your incredible content and the cycle of content distribution continues. Make sure that you don’t skip this step because you may find new readers to provide with valuable content. Let the world know that others think your content is as great as you do. Write a press release! 5. Tweet and Digg About Published Content: Tweets and diggs are like mini, severely informal press releases. If you don’t have the time to sit down and write a press release the moment you find that one of your posts or articles has been published, make sure that you are at least tweeting about it. All of your twitter followers will immediately be aware of your content being published and if they haven’t already had a chance to read it they will be more inclined to do so. The same concept goes for Digg. You can digg about your content to let even more of the world know what excellent content you have created and where they can find it. Let your friends and business acquaintances know that they can digg this content, too. You can let them know through your other social media platforms such as MyMark, Facebook and Twitter. Creating great content is extremely important. The next step is to distribute that content throughout the internet so that it can be found. Make sure that you are publishing your content to other bloggers and websites and telling everyone you know that your content has been published there as well. This will increase the effective reach of your information. Start your distribution and information dissemination now! For this and other articles by Brad Hess, please go to www.MyMark.com. MyMark, LLC is a media rich professional social networking website that gives you the tools to use social media optimization to enhance your search engine optimization and generate revenue. Visit www.MyMark.com today to set up your free account! Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources |
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