Your SEO Checklist: 4 Steps to Optimizing Your Website

In his book Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Website, SEO and online marketing expert Jon Rognerud shows you how to build a high-performance website and get top ranking on all search engines. In this edited excerpt, the author outlines a broad strategy for successfully optimizing your website.

The goal of search engine optimization is to have the search engine spiders not only find your site and pages but also specifically rank the page relevance so that it appears at the top of the search engine results. The process of optimization is not a one-time process but requires maintenance, tuning, and continuous testing and monitoring.

Below is a broad four-step process for a strategy for search engine optimization. Use this as your top-level checklist.

Step 1: Target Market Business Analysis

• Website analysis. Analysis of meta sets/keywords, visible text and code to deter­mine how well you’re positioned for search engines. For example, how much code do you have on a page compared to text?
   
• Competitive analysis. Examination of content keywords and present engine rank­ings of competitive websites to determine an effective engine positioning strategy. Pick the top five results in the Google listing results to begin this process. Expand as necessary. Use tools such as Semrush.com and Keywordspy.com.
   
• Initial keyword nomination. Development of a prioritized list of targeted search terms related to your customer base and market segment. Begin with this: What would you type into a search engine to find your business website or page? Then, ask your customers!

Step 2: Keyword Research and Development

• Keyword analysis. From nomination, further identify a targeted list of key­words and phrases. Review competitive lists and other pertinent industry sources. Use your preliminary list to determine an indicative number of recent search engine queries and how many websites are competing for each key­word. Prioritize keywords and phrases, plurals, singulars and misspellings. (If search users commonly misspell a keyword, you should identify and use it). Please note that Google will try to correct the term when searching, so use this with care.
   
• Baseline ranking assessment. You need to understand where you are now in order to accurately assess your future rankings. Keep a simple Excel sheet to start the process. Check weekly to begin. As you get more comfortable, check every 30 to 45 days. You should see improvements in website traffic, a key indicator of progress for your keywords. Some optimizers will say that rankings are dead. Yes, traffic and conversions are more important, but we use rankings as an indicator.
• Goals and Objectives. Clearly define your objectives in advance so you can truly measure your ROI from any programs you implement. Start simple, but don’t skip this step. Example: You may decide to increase website traffic from a current baseline of 100 visitors a day to 200 visitors over the next 30 days. Or you may want to improve your current conversion rate of one percent to two in a specified period. You may begin with top-level, aggregate numbers, but you must drill down into specific pages that can improve products, services, and business sales.

Step 3: Content Optimization and Submission

• Create page titles. Keyword-based titles help establish page theme and direction for your keywords.
   
• Create meta tags. Meta description tags can influence click-throughs but aren’t directly used for rankings. (Google doesn’t use the keywords tag any­more.)
   
• Place strategic search phrases on pages. Integrate selected keywords into your website source code and existing content on designated pages. Make sure to apply a sug­gested guideline of one to three keywords/phrases per content page and add more pages to complete the list. Ensure that related words are used as a natural inclu­sion of your keywords. It helps the search engines quickly determine what the page is about. A natural approach to this works best. In the past, 100 to 300 words on a page was recommended. Many tests show that pages with 800 to 2,000 words can outperform shorter ones. In the end, the users, the marketplace, content and links will determine the popularity and ranking numbers.
   
• Develop new sitemaps for Google and Bing. Make it easier for search engines to index your website. Create both XML and HTML versions. An HTML version is the first step. XML sitemaps can easily be submitted via Google and Bing webmaster tools.
   
• Submit website to directories (limited use). Professional search marketers don’t sub­mit the URL to the major search engines, but it’s possible to do so. A better and faster way is to get links back to your site naturally. Links get your site indexed by the search engines. However, you should submit your URL to directories such as Yahoo! (paid), Business.com (paid) and DMOZ (free). Some may choose to include AdSense (google.com/adsense) scripts on a new site to get their Google Media bot to visit. It will likely get your pages indexed quickly.

Step 4: Continuous Testing and Measuring

• Test and measure. Analyze search engine rankings and web traffic to determine the effectiveness of the programs you’ve implemented, including assessment of individual keyword performance. Test the results of changes, and keep changes tracked in an Excel spreadsheet, or whatever you’re comfortable with.
   
• Maintenance. Ongoing addition and modification of keywords and website con­tent are necessary to continually improve search engine rankings so growth doesn’t stall or decline from neglect. You also want to review your link strategy and ensure that your inbound and outbound links are relevant to your business. A blog can provide you the necessary structure and ease of content addition that you need. Your hosting company can typically help you with the setup/installation of a blog.

Culled from Entrepreneur

Post Tags:#checklist#seo optimization#webiste optimizing#website

8 Reasons Your Book Isn’t Selling

With Amazon, and other similar platforms, self-publishing is becoming more and more popular. But there is the challenge of not making enough sales, which is one of the advantages of using a recognized publishing company (like us). Here are 8 reasons why your self-published book might not be as sought after as you anticipated.

1. Competition: Self-publishing has become so much easier and there lies the problem. The publishing world is a crowded place with books from centuries ago to the latest eBook that was published a few minutes ago. These are your competitors and there are millions of them. But you can improve your chances of breaking into the market with the right content and marketing.
2. Writing for ghosts: Many writers do not know whom their targeted audience is. Writers like this are bound to fail as they will keep writing without direction.
3. Writing for an empty market: Before you write, you need to consider the market. Check for similar books to yours and if you find out that there are little or no books in that market, it might be a signal for you to change direction.
4. Writing in thin air: Every writer should have what is called an author’s platform. This is a following on blogs, social media, etc. A following that will be eager to read your material when it drops.
5. Book Cover: The saying “do not judge a book by its cover,” does not apply to most readers because that is exactly what they do – judge your work by its cover. If it looks amateurish, then they will assume same for your work. Your cover must be classy, attractive and professional enough to catch a reader’s attention.
6. Price too High (or Low): Understanding the competition landscape is essential to knowing how much similar books to yours are priced at. But do not be tempted to price your book too low as it only tells the reader it isn’t valuable enough.
7. One thing to Write, another to market: You might be a skilled writer, the next William Shakespeare, one of the best at what you do and still sell less than someone who can’t even make correct tenses. Many skilled self-published writers do not see the need to market their work because they feel “their work should speak for them.” Most often than not, this leads to stunted sales. The trick is to put twice the effort you put into writing on your marketing strategy.
8. Maybe, just maybe, your book is bad: You might not want to admit it, but this could be a valid reason why your book isn’t making sales. In this instance, you may need a developmental editor, or better still, a reputable publishing house to turn a poorly written manuscript into a masterpiece through end-to-end services.

#book

Some Things I’ve Written to Myself About Writing

Here is everything I wrote to myself about writing last year. Word for word from my note book (with a few added headers to break things up a bit).

(Bonus recommendations at the bottom of the page.)

I hope these meditations will help you with your own writing (and life):

Authenticity is key

• Your words likely won’t resonate with others unless you are willing to be honest with yourself.
• We tell ourselves a lot of stories. About ourselves, about others, about the world, and about the meaning of life. We tend to fill in the gaps where we lack knowledge and understanding. We are so used to doing it that we often don’t realize we do it. And the gaps are many. We know far less than there is to be known. But we do experience moments of truth when we’re able to see through our own B.S. and be humbled by the mysteriousness and complexity of life. In this state of mind we are most able to resonate with others and help them enter that state of mind also. It’s about cutting through all the noise so we can hear the voice of truth within.
• The closer you can get to universal truths, the more likely your words will resonate with others. Being overly-complicated, overly-explanatory, or intentionally controversial doesn’t often help. At the end of the day, what people want the most is something that will help them breathe easier.
• If you want to have a message that no one can live without you must speak from the heart. From your own weakness and vulnerability. This will make your message more universal. It will be universal when it speaks to a universal truth — something we can all relate to. This makes you a leader, when you are able to put into words what others are thinking and feeling. It’s the one who is brave enough to speak the truth and articulate enough to express it, who will lead.
• What helps you might not help others, but you won’t know unless you share it. All any of us can do is rely on our own experience. And all we can share is our own experience.
• Authenticity cannot be manufactured. A crafted message can still be true, but it’s only authentic when it’s not premeditated. This is what separates the marketer from the writer. The marketer’s first priority is to gain a following to sell products and services to. The writer may want this as well, but the writer’s first priority is to share an important message. If the marketer doesn’t eventually make some money he will go away. But the writer will continue even if she never makes a penny.

Go with the flow

• What you write is for who it’s for. It’s not for you to decide who it’s for. Just write what is on your heart to write and put it out there.
• Write what wants to be written. Don’t take control of it. Even in the editing process only edit what wants to be edited. Most of what we do is motivated by our sub-conscious mind. Yield to the process. Sit in silence and solitude and let the words flow. This is also a good metaphor for life. You don’t have to be in the driver’s seat trying to control the direction of everything. This does’t mean that we sit back and do nothing. It just means that we live in the moment and trust our inner wisdom to guide us from moment to moment. Don’t create a life where you need a lot of detailed plans, check lists, and to-do lists.
• Don’t judge your writing. Don’t try to make it what you think it should be. Let it be what it is and use the same state of mind while editing that you did while writing. This is what resonates the most with others anyway. When you write without judgment — without inner dialogue.

Share your inner wisdom

• If you want to be a better writer, be a wiser person.
• There has to be wisdom in your words, otherwise who wants to read them? Don’t publish something just for the sake of publishing something. Don’t air your grievances and don’t speak confidently about things you know little about. Write what you know is universal — what is common to human experience. And provide the solutions that have worked best for you. Shed some light on the path, provide some sign posts to the right path. Everyone is trying to get to the same place, sometimes we are on the right path, sometimes we’re not. Sometimes we need someone who is on the right path to guide us back onto it. Sometimes we don’t even know what we are looking for, we just know we are looking for something.
• Wisdom can be distilled, and should be distilled. Long-winded essays are not necessary and can be a big waste of time. Keep it short, sharp, and to the point. Wisdom can come in small packages. More words do not necessarily mean more insight.
• There are some things that cannot be written. Some things that cannot be expressed in words. Some things that are just for you.

Purpose

• Many writers write about what we should do while we are here. Such as how to live, how to get what you want, and how to make a difference. But few write aboutwhy we are here. I’ll take that job.
• My brevity, my authenticity, and the depth of my words are what will set me apart from other writers.
• The uniqueness of your message is what counts. Your ability to go where others are not willing or not able to go. Your ability to present things from a different perspective.
• Don’t get caught-up in aesthetics, focus on your message. Be a messenger of light. Be a master of letting go and helping others do the same. Letting go is an act of faith.
• You are not a “writer”. You are a messenger. The message is for you and for all. First for those who are ready to hear and than eventually for the rest. Some people are not ready to hear, and not necessarily from me.
• It’s not necessary to be a new voice. What you write was probably written before. But you can be a voice for this era. You can be the contemporary of those who came before you. Many of whom have been forgotten.
• Are you writing to show off, or to be helpful? It matters. Are we here to massage our egos, or to learn something and share those lessons with one another? All to often success is measured by what we gain for ourselves and how much better we are doing than others.
• Use your words to bring people into your world. Help illuminate the path for others.

The internet

• Your world is not “online”. But it will become your world if you allow it to. If you have something to share with the online world, share it, but don’t live there. If you have wisdom to share you are not going to find it by being on the internet all day. It’s your platform, not your world. Your world is at home. With your family. With yourself in silence. Sometimes in books. And sometimes in the community. The internet is a community too, but it’s less personal.
• Don’t waste your time in the comment section. Start working on the next post. This is actually a good metaphor for life also. Don’t waste your time listening to the naysayers, patting yourself on the back, or having debates. Move on to the next thing.

Writing as an art

• A painter doesn’t paint to replace photographs. A painter does not try to show an image of the world exactly how it is. He is showing an image of the world as he sees it. Or is presenting it in a unique way so others see reality in a different way. It’s metaphorical. That’s what art is, it’s metaphor. And that’s what writing is. As Chuang Tzu said “words exist because of meaning. Once you’ve gotten the meaning, you can forget the words.”
• Life is mostly an art. Artists create. Artist’s dance. Artists sing. Artists explore. You don’t have to literally dance and sing, but they make great metaphors for living. What I’m writing right now is my version of singing.
• What is art? Art is sharing a part of yourself or your world view with those who need to experience it. Art is unique expression. Expression of something that is not easy to describe. Unique, in that you have a way of helping people see things from a different perspective. Or to open their eyes to it for the first time. Or to give a name to something that others have experienced but were not able to identify.

What more can I give?

• The power of the pen can create opportunities you wouldn’t have if you remained silent. The power of the pen allows you to release ideas into the world that change the way people think. I give people bits and pieces of information to contemplate. But what can I give them in a more comprehensive set of instructions to deal with a specific problem?
• Write more often, write longer, write better.

The purpose of my blog

• What is my blog about? Why the name Living With Confidence? It’s about helping people break free from religious oppression and find peace within themselves. To have a different view of God. One related to grace, rather rules. Also to help people be more accepting of themselves. To live a more meaningful life. To be more optimistic about the future. This is all based on my own experience, my own struggles, and some of the solutions I’ve been able to find. Or that have found me by God’s grace.
• I’m looking for readers who are willing to come on a journey with me. If they are looking for me to say all the right things they are coming to the wrong place. If they are looking for dogma they have come to the wrong place. But I do prefer to keep it positive, in a realistic way. If they are looking for nuggets of truth to help them live with more confidence, they have come to the right place. I will give them my best.

Try not to be divisive

• Use words that transcend religions and ideologies. Speak in a language that’s more universal. Have the guts to tell your story. Share your experience. This is how you’ll resonate with others. Not by being polarizing, but by being inclusive. Not in the sense of trying to appeal to everyone, but in the sense of avoiding language that is sure to be polarizing. Sometimes there’s no way around it. Sometimes you will turn people off. This will happen even if you tell the truth. But chances are if you speak your truth in a thoughtful way you will earn the respect of a lot of people.

How to avoid writer’s block

• Put your thoughts down on paper, whether they are true or not. You can look at it later and decide at that time if what you wrote is true. The main thing is to get it out, so you can look at it. If you don’t, if you insist on only writing what is true, you will likely get writer’s block. And you’ll miss out on the benefit of flushing out some unique thoughts. As you write, you create a flow and one thought leads to another. An untrue thought can lead to a true thought. Sometimes your pencil has a life of it’s own, let it live!
• There’s lots of stuff in the vault. You just have to keep writing and it will make it’s way to the surface. You have as many thoughts and ideas as there are stars in the universe.
• There’s always more to write, because there’s always more to learn. And there’s always more ways you can say the same thing. Always more ways that various ideas can intersect with one another. The combinations are infinite.

Be a maverick, but make it about helping others

• If you are going to write according to other people’s rules, its going to be watered down. Writing for attention and popularity lacks soul. It’s not something you can be proud of. The same thing happens when you try to turn everything into a masterpiece. Good writing requires you to be a bit of a maverick, ditching conventional wisdom. But you don’t want to be such a maverick that you are willing to say anything. At the end of the day good writing is still about helping the reader, not about airing your grievances.
• If you want to write the truth, you have to write in a way that does not fear reprisal.
• Be willing to write from the heart. Be willing to be a heretic if necessary. You can’t lead if you are afraid to be yourself. The world doesn’t need you to be a writer or a leader if you’re not going to say what needs to be said. You have an insight and a way of articulation that most people don’t have. It’s okay to be controversial sometimes. It means you are saying what others are afraid to say. Be their voice.

Thanks for reading. I hope you got something out of this.

 

Credit: Personal Growth

• WRITING

Ten Myths About Creativity

There’s an old myth floating around, which suggests that creativity is inherent. You’re either born with it or you’re born without it.

But creativity can be learned and developed over time. Some people may have a more natural inclination toward creative thinking, but anyone can foster and nurture creativity.

Artists throughout the ages have gone to great lengths and sunk to fathomless lows in pursuit of inspiration. The ancient Greeks personified inspiration in the muses. When they needed inspiration, they invoked these supernatural entities, calling on them for artistic help. Artists have set out on journeys, pursued spiritual and religious activities, and engaged in painful or unhealthy experiences in order to feed their imaginations.

Indeed, there are famous examples of authors drinking themselves to death or committing suicide, and of course, there is the well-known tale of Vincent Van Gogh cutting off part of his own ear. And finally, there’s the ever-present stereotype of the starving artist.

Despite these tales of suffering and tragedy among authors and artists, the most successful creative people tend toward more practical measures, choosing lifestyles and habits that are healthy and conducive to creativity.

Unfortunately, these destructive myths about creativity persist.

Ten Myths about Creativity

1. Drugs and alcohol: One of the worst myths about artistry is that drugs and alcohol promote creativity. That’s a lie. What drugs and alcohol do is promote dependence. It is ineffective and inefficient to rely on these substances in order to make art. It’s also unhealthy, and in fact, it can be deadly.
2. Misery: Another common myth is that pain, sorrow, and anger are the best conduits for creativity. Sure, when we are unhappy, writing can provide a healthy, therapeutic outlet. But this has nothing to do with creativity and everything to do with the need to express oneself. While misery may indeed inspire us, we can be just as inspired by happy or emotionally neutral experiences. Relying on a depressive state of mind for inspiration is just as dangerous as relying on drugs and alcohol. And like drugs and alcohol, such thinking is unhealthy and can be deadly.
3. Suffering: This myth is based on the idea that artistry is won through suffering. Some people actually believe that artists should suffer, and suffer hard, before they get to succeed. What you have to do to succeed is work hard. You shouldn’t have to suffer.
4. Divinity: There are less dangerous myths about creativity and inspiration. Some people believe that creativity makes a divine appearance only when they are supposed to create, and the rest of the time, they shouldn’t bother. We all have moments of great inspiration. They come and go and are rare for most of us. The most successful writers don’t wait for inspiration, they work for it. Regardless of our religious or spiritual beliefs, we can learn to control our own creativity just as we control other aspects of our lives. It’s called free will.
5. Talent: Lots of people believe that creativity is inherently tied to talent. Talent just means you have a knack for something. Lots of creative people may not be especially talented, and there are plenty of talented individuals with no interest in pursuing the arts.
6. Two kinds of people: Some people are artistic; everyone else is not. That’s definitely not true. Everyone is creative, and the more we nurture and foster creativity, the more creative we become. Creativity is closely associated with the arts, but artists aren’t the only people who are creative.
7. Life of poverty: Many people believe that it’s practically impossible to succeed or make a living as any kind of artist. They mistakenly believe that an artist’s life is one of poverty and struggle. All kinds of people experience poverty—not just artists—and artists who do experience poverty don’t do so just because they are artists, as is proven by the many artists who never struggled with poverty.
8. Fame and fortune: Conversely, some people believe that artists will enjoy great fame and fortune. While it’s possible that you could write a wildly best-selling novel and become rich and famous, it’s not likely, although the odds are better for you than for someone working in a cubicle eight hours a day who doesn’t make any art at all. At least you have a shot at fame and fortune.
9. Creative people are weird: everybody’s weird.
10. Creative people are creative all the time or whenever they want to create: Once you’ve shown yourself to be creative, some people will think you’re capable of doing anything that requires creativity or that you’re a constant fountain of ideas. While many creative people have more ideas than they know what to do with, some have to work hard at finding inspiration.

The truth is that creativity is different for everyone and possible for anyone. You just have to want it, and you might have to work for it.

Source: Writing Forward

• CREATIVITY
• MYTH
• WRITERS

5 Things For Authors To Tweet About (That Aren’t “Buy My Book!”)

A major trap that authors fall into on Twitter is trying to get too many people to buy their book.

Of course, as a self-published author your goal is to get people to buy your book, but constantly repeating “BUY MY BOOK!” (or some variation) on Twitter will get old very quickly and cause your readers to stop following you.

You worked hard to get a reader to follow you, you don’t want to lose them!

To keep yourself from falling into that same trap, you need to find something else to tweet about it. Here are 5 ideas of stuff that you could tweet about that aren’t just the same ol’ “BUY MY BOOK!”.

Tweet about relevant, popular hashtags

Find hashtags that are popular and relevant to your book, and write something to contribute to the discussion. Don’t forget to include the #hashtag. Other people following that hashtag will see your tweet and possibly even start to follow you.

Need help finding popular and relevant hashtags? One great place to search is at Twitag. If you want to find hashtags sorted into groups, then you should use Twubs. Another great option is Hashtags.org. For strictly popular and trending hashtags, you can use What The Trend.

Using these resources, you can find relevant hashtags to allow you to join in the conversation where your future readers are and get them to start following you!

Tweet your milestones

Have you sold 100 copies of a book? Tweet about it! What about 1000 copies? Definitely tweet these major milestones, because if your readers see that 1000 other people have purchased the book, they will feel left out, and want to join in (by buying your book). Simply tweet the milestone and include a link to the book, and you will be promoting the book without annoying your readers.

You could tweet monetary milestones too, but that becomes a little murky, especially for those who don’t want to share their earnings. Stick to number of copies sold (or borrowed, or downloaded), and it will cause readers who have purchased to be excited they have helped you reach a milestone, and as I mentioned, it will make those who have not purchased the book want to feel included.

Promote interesting quotes from your book

No doubt, you put some thought into what you wrote in your books. Whether your book is nonfiction or fiction, there are some quotes that you had main characters say, or that you included to emphasize a point, that you are probably quite fond of. Use this gold that is already in the books to promote the book!

Most readers won’t know about these quotes unless they have actually read the book. Pick out some of your favorites, put them into a tweet, and write “from [BOOK NAME HERE]” with a link to Amazon after that.

Not sure which quotes to use? Amazon will tell you! Go to your book’s page on Amazon.com, scroll all the way down to where it says “Popular Highlights” (under the reviews). This will list the most popular passages that were highlighted in your book using the Kindle software. Pick out some of the most popular and tweet those!

Using interesting and intriguing quotes from your book is a great way to promote your book, and the best part is, the work is already done, you just have to copy and paste it!

Tweet quotes from reviews

While the last tip had you tweeting quotes from your book, this tip will have you quoting about your book. Use lines from the top reviews of your book in your tweets. Of course you should link to your book, but people want to know about others think about your book.

If you know the reviewer is on Twitter, you can thank them directly for the great review, giving them a little shout out. This will make them feel appreciated, and it can cause others to want to leave positive reviews so that they too are thanked by you!

Promote Discounts (and network with other authors)

While this option is the closest to “buy my book!”, it approaches it a little differently.

First, when you have a book that is discounted or free, just let your readers know! This is a great time for you to tell them to buy your book, because those who may be following you who haven’t purchased that book may finally pull the trigger because of the discount.

You can also network with other authors to promote books for each other. This allows each of you access to a new pool of readers that you didn’t have access to before, and those readers and followers will learn about books that they hadn’t heard about before. It’s a win-win for everyone involved. So, while you’re still saying “Buy my book” or “Buy someone else’s book”, you are giving them a reason to want to buy when promoting a discount or another author’s book.

Final Thoughts

Twitter is a wonderful resource for being able to have direct access to fans that authors just a few years ago didn’t have access to. Don’t take this for granted by telling them to buy your book all day long. Use the different ideas on this list, and you can still promote your book on Twitter, just in a new and creative way.

Culled from Book Marketing Tools

The Dark Side Of Marketing: How Adverts Destroy Businesses

Companies focus on the pros of marketing. With the right amount of investment and the correct target audience, you can increase traffic one hundred percent. This will lead to better lead generation and a boost in sales and profits. Usually, this is how bosses think when they consider advertising, but the cons go under the radar.

Yes, being witty and creative and unique can raise brand awareness; however, there is a dark side to the industry which turns off customers. Slip into this category and the firm’s reputation may take a hit from which it can’t come back.

Here’s how adverts destroy businesses and the solutions.

Too Annoying

In the past, shoppers used to have to walk past billboards and fliers before they saw a company’s message. Even if they were everywhere, they were unobtrusive because the advertising was passive. You saw it, but you never had to engage. Today is different thanks to the internet. Now, one click can result in endless pop-up ads which relate to nothing whatsoever. The result is an annoyed and frustrated shopper that would rather leave than continue with the experience.

The solution is simple: think before you accept advertisements. If it’s vital for monetary reasons, then keep it to space on the pages. Avoid pop-ups at all costs.

Not Trustworthy

There are millions of adverts on the Worldwide Web, and all of them look the same. So, it’s difficult to tell which are real and which ones are fakes. As a result, online consumers avoid them like the plague because the risk isn’t worth the reward. Sure, they may get 10% off their next order, but they may give a hacker access to their bank account.

One way to attract attention while being trustworthy is through SEO. www.vistacomm.com shows that shoppers are more likely to click-through on a search engine rather than an ad. So, pleasing Google can lead to a better conversion rate.

They’re Plain Bad

Ads are annoying, but only if they’re bad. It turns out customers don’t have them equally; just the ones which waste their time. www.vieodesign.com puts this into perspective by saying 91% of people are bothered by intrusive ads, 87% by too many of them, and 79% by trackers. However, none of the samples were bothered if the quality was high because it added value.

The obvious thing to do is make sure the marketing effort correlates with the audience beforehand. To do this, set up a focus group and ask for feedback.

Misleading

Also known as click-bait, it’s when a title refers to a search term but redirects them to a different page. As soon as they land and read a few sentences, people tend to bounce. Okay, the traffic rate is high but the conversion rate is way down, and that’s what counts. 15% of all ads trick people into clicking so you can imagine a person’s frustration.

As tempting as it is, you have to avoid clickbait. Be real and genuine because that’s what counts.

Wouldn’t that get you to click on something if the shoe was on the other foot?

 

Do you and your business need help marketing the right way? Contact TRW Consult here.

 

Culled from Open Business Council

Post Tags:#adverts#business#Marketing

5 Social Media Mistakes that Could Kill your Business

Social media is vital for big business, but an online blunder can make or break your company. Here are five practices to avoid.

Social media is a necessity for businesses. Whether it be for marketing, customer service, or public relations, social media is often how companies stay relevant in their customers’ lives and aware of any issues that arise. However, a wrong step on one of these platforms can work against companies, digitally tarnishing their reputations.

In 2017, the world watched the social media failures of big names like Dove, Pepsi, and Adidas. Whether it be misspellings, misconstrued images, ill-timed humor, and offensive remarks, social media mistakes are easy to commit. While many social media problems start out small or happen quickly, the mark is still made, and the company still gets hurt.

“Social media is now the avenue for escalating and for overall turning the event into a much louder discussion,” said Nick Hayes, a senior analyst at Forrester. “A lot of what you have to do is start to think about how an organization has typically thought of and managed crises in the past, and start to apply that lens of social media.”

A social media faux pas doesn’t only cause problems externally, but even more so internally. Hayes highlighted the interpersonal and financial impact companies can face after such an incident. If your reputation is bruised, partners may not be as eager to work with you. The costs in and out of the business are significant as well.

Take the example of United Airlines, which faced strong criticism on social media after a video of a man being forcibly dragged off a plane by security went viral. The company tweeted a statement from its CEO, which many criticized as too cold and corporate.

This social media disaster hit United’s stock prices hard, and led to many internal issues regarding customer experience, Hayes said. With a newfound negative public perception, United found its popularity decreasing.

Protecting your company is easy, however, you just need to be aware of common social media mistakes. Here are five habits to stay away from.

1. Forgetting your brand

When constructing a social media persona, you have to know your brand. With every post, social media managers must keep in mind the company’s core values. It’s important to ask yourself before posting, “Does this post align with my company’s beliefs?”

Social media mistakes are often made when companies are trying to stand out. In an effort to gain publicity, companies may try to post something funny or eye-catching, but these types of posts also leave the most room for error. With the subjectivity of humor, companies need to be very careful that they aren’t crossing the line. If a company is considering entering a social media discussion about politics or making a joke online, they need to ask if that post would really support their company’s overall brand.

“It’s always important to, whether you’re a social media director or somebody responsible for the social voice of a brand, make sure that [a post] is aligned with the core values or mission statement of the brand, and that the tone of voice comes across in every online interaction,” said Gartner research director Jay Wilson.

2. Disregarding your audience

Going hand-in-hand with knowing your brand, you must know your audience. Businesses need to remember the personality of their customers and what social media would play well. We currently live in a very polarized country, politically and socially, Wilson said. This polarization is accompanied by an increase in vocal public opinion, which is amplified through social media platforms.

After asking yourself if a prospective post aligns with your brand, then ask if it aligns with your consumer. Both questions act as quick filters when deciding to post something out of the ordinary.

“Strategize, and really talk about and brainstorm what are the potential issues that could arise,” Wilson said. “Whether you’re taking a stand on a specific issue or you’re simply putting a campaign out there, what are the potential reactions that you might expect from this increasingly polarized audience?”

3. Plagiarism

Probably the easiest online slip-up is not giving credit where it’s due. With the amount of data and ideas floating around the internet, originality can be difficult to achieve. If a company posts a statistic or fact without attributing the information, then they can not only find themselves in a lawsuit, but also branded as a plagiarizer.

“Brands need to create playbooks and have internal processes so that their teams understand what’s fair use, what constitutes express consent, what constitutes implied consent,” said Wilson. “If you are leveraging third-party content, which is something that we often recommend that brands do—finding relevant news stories or content created by partners or thought leaders on social—that’s a great source of content for brands, but you need to make sure that you’re using it in a way that’s not overly promotional, and that you have consent to use that content.”

4. Failing to prepare

Sometimes the biggest social media problem isn’t an incident itself, but the aftermath. These platforms spread information at such a fast pace that companies are given less time to respond in the event of a crisis. Hayes emphasizes creating a template for response, rather than just waiting for something bad to happen, when you won’t have time to do so thoughtfully.

“I think brands don’t drill enough,” said Wilson. “They need to be doing drills and running simulations and scenarios to make sure that their human processes, their technology, is able to quickly identify and respond to social crises.”

5. Inauthenticity

Always say sorry, and when you do, mean it. If a company is accused of major wrongdoing, they need to apologize, and they need to do so genuinely. Referencing back to United, Hayes noted their half-hearted apologetic nature to their blunder, circumnavigating the actual consumer concerns around the event. Companies should keep an authentic voice in every message they send, but especially when it comes to apologies.

Wilson suggested creating employee advocacy programs to carry out messages to consumers. “People tend to trust front-line employees more than they do C-level executives,” Wilson said.”They want the apology from the C-level executive, but they want to listen to front-line employees and their experiences with a brand, so if you have an employee advocacy program in place, that’s a great go-to resource if you find yourself in a crisis.”

Culled from Tech Republic

Post Tags:#big business#Branding#plagiarism#Social media

7 Easy Ways to be a Kick-Ass Novel Finisher

Sometimes it seems like everyone I know either is a published writer (traditional or indie) or wants to be one. There is, essentially, only one difference between the two:

One group finished their books and one didn’t.

Not finishing is part of the writer’s condition, though. It happens to everyone. Even those who finished their books and were published guaranteed they have a metaphorical trunk full of half-finished good starts that just never got finished.

I promise. You are not alone. But, it is important to actually get to the end of a story if you want to be published. There are a lot of moving parts in publishing, but that’s the foundation of it all.

Finishing your draft is the most important thing you can do for your writing career, basic as that sounds.

Here’s how you can help yourself get there:

1. Muzzle your inner editor. I call mine Blythe. She has her purpose, you know, when I am editing. But when I’m writing? I put her in a bird cage, cover it with velvet, and refuse to let myself get caught up in perfectionism. Perfectionism is the death of creativity. That’s especially true when you’re writing your first draft.
2. Write consistently. In my opinion, the best way to do this is to make a ridiculously small goal. My go-to is ten minutes. Write fiction for ten minutes a day, every day. Eventually, you’ll notice that once you’re going, you write for 20 or 30 minutes, or an hour. Or all day when things are really rolling. Small goals get you over the hump between writing and not writing. Make your goal so small that it’s harder to skip it than it is to just do it.
3. Try gold stars. Get a calendar and a pack of old-school star stickers. Give yourself one for every day that you meet your teeny, tiny goal. A visual representation of your string of successes is powerful.
4. Have a road map. I know. Some writers are pantsers and some are plotters. Can I suggest that if you’ve been a pantser (meaning you write without a formal plot or plan) and you’re having trouble finishing your drafts, you probably need to change something up? Here’s the system I use for making a very basic road map for my novels.
5. Find your people. Connect with other writers in your community or online. You can start with Ninja Writers. Reaching out when things get hard can make all the difference.
6. Don’t edit while you’re writing. I know that I said something like this with #1, but it bears repeating. When you’re writing your first draft, just write forward. Keep a notebook with you while you work and make notes on any changes you need to make during revision.
7. Don’t let shiny new ideas derail you. Maybe the biggest problem I see for writers who struggle to finish is that just when they get to the sloggy, difficult middle act of their current work-in-progress, the Universe sends them a miracle. A new idea so bright that of course they have to drop everything and start writing this thing that’s going to make them famous. Don’t fall for it. That’s your writer brain giving you an out for the hard stuff. Take some notes, then keep writing. Finish your draft.

See? No need to send your firstborn to Rumpelstiltskin. No bleeding on the page. Just take it ten minutes at a time and keep going.

**

Credit: The Writing Cooperative

• NOVEL
• STORY
• WRITER