Posts Tagged ‘Internet marketing’

Best PracticesInternet Marketing Services Uninterrupted During D.C. Blizzard of 2010

Internet Marketing Best Practices with Rodney Loges

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/benmurray/4346823749/


The Federal Government was snowed in a few weeks ago (February) during the now infamous Washington, D.C. Snowstorm of 2010. Many organizations closed for a day or two, as did public transportation.
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Best Practices20 Happy Thoughts for Internet Marketers

Internet Marketing Best Practices by Laure Dunlop

The winter doldrums are officially here. Momentum for New Year’s resolutions is fading fast. The trees are bare; grass is brown. It’s time for an Internet marketing pick-me up! And what better way than to reflect for a moment on things that make you smile?!?

Here are 20 things that make us smile at NetStrategies. We hope you will add your happy thoughts to the list too!
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New Public Relations, Social Media, Web ContentFree Press Release Directories Help Your News Gain Traction

Social Media and Content Fundamentals with Laurie Dunlop

Distribute your news

A press release is a great way to present newsworthy content for your readers. However, the cost can be prohibitive for a small business or association to subscribe to the big press release distribution sites. Before you shell out $350 or more to get your news noticed, you might consider registering for a few of the free directory websites. While the free sites do not normally contain links, video embeds, or graphic images, they do receive notice via Twitter, blogs, and search engines.
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Best Practices13-Step Check List For A Healthy Web Presence

Photo credit: mykpwedding, Flickr

Photo credit: mykpwedding, Flickr

Your organization’s Web site is often your first chance to impress. Since thousands of Web sites clamor for your visitor’s attention, you need your site to entice in a number of ways. This checklist covers the minimal basics for a healthy Web site. If you cannot answer “yes” to each one, your Internet marketing team has some work to do!
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Best PracticesSix Core Values of an Internet Marketing Company That Put the Focus on Customer Delight

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Our team of Internet marketers at NetStrategies worked very hard over the past few months to define our company’s core values. I want to share them with you for two reasons. First, I’m proud to work for a company which embodies many of the same values I hold. Second, our industry of Internet marketing is sometimes so focused on the tools of the trade like SEO, PPC, social media, etc. that we forget the most important element of any successful business – the customer.

Our NetStrategies Core Values bring the focus of “customer” to the forefront. The team has our work cut out for us as we embrace our values and define a plan of attack to put each value into action in a concrete and measurable way. After all, we are Internet marketers and EVERYTHING is measurable!

Before diving into our values, keep in mind it took more than a few after-hours sessions for our team of nine to narrow our values down to this list of six and set the guidelines for success. A special thank you to moderator A. Jeffrey Parks of Performance Breakthroughs led us through the initial stages of the values-building process.

First, we commit to driving measurable results with our clients. We do this by jointly defining success, building high-trust relationships, working with a sense of urgency, and meeting commitments.

Second, we delight our customers because we listen, learn, and lead. How do we ensure this? By listening and asking the right questions, continuously learning about our customers and their industries, and anticipating needs and applying best practices. We also engage customers in a positive, proactive way.

Third, our customers rely on our bold leadership. We provide candid feedback and effective solutions. We constantly innovate and build our expertise. We hold ourselves and our clients accountable. We contribute to the Internet marketing community and empower our people with the best resources and work environment.

Fourth, we trust and collaborate with each other to achieve greater results. We achieve that through direct, respectful, and open communication which leaves no room for doubt. We help each other grow individually and collectively. We take a team approach to problem solving. We have fun and enjoy each other’s company. Trust is earned and cherished. We celebrate our team achievements. Face-to-face/phone communication is always our first choice.

Fifth, passion is key to our success. Our enthusiasm and energy is evident in everything we do. We learn, experiment, and challenge ourselves every day. We take ownership for delivering customer delight. We work diligently and productively.

Last, but not least, we do the right thing for our clients, families, communities, and company. We are responsible for our choices, actions, and consequences. We value each others health and happiness. We act with integrity and expect it from others. We give generously to improve our communities. We think and act like owners. We work with anyone who can live these values.

What are the core values for your organization? How do you integrate them into the workplace? Do you share them with your customers? Better yet, were they developed with your customer in mind? We’d love your feedback!

Social MediaDo’s and Don’ts in Social Media

Learn Social Media with Laurie Dunlop

1. Do interview your existing clients and see what blogs they read. Start reading and commenting in those blogs.
2. Do not write meaningless comments just to get your Web site link attached. Do lend your expertise.
3. Do start blogging with relevant content.
4. Do not be inconsistent once you start blogging. Keep it up!
5. Do find out whether your customers Facebook, Twitter, or use some other social media platform. Open accounts and participate.
6. Do not Tweet or Facebook off topic. Your potential customers do not care that you are off to bed. They do care if you are testing a new and improved solution to their problem.
7. Do submit your news releases to Digg, Delicious, and a newswire (paid or free).
8. Do add RSS feeds to the content on your Web site and blog.
9. Don’t ignore negative comments about your company or product in social media.
10. Do address negative comments and see whether you can help solve the problem.
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Social MediaTwo Social Media Tools I rely Upon — Google Reader and HootSuite

Learn Social Media with Laurie Dunlop

Bald EagleIt’s the simple things in life we sometimes take for granted. For example, the view from my desk of the Occoquan Marina in Northern Virginia is lovely, even on rainy days. Without question it puts me into a better frame of mind for writing. No matter how many times I see a bald eagle swoop through the sky, it never fails to give me a thrill! My poor husband works from a windowless cubicle deep within the Pentagon. How can I forget how fortunate we are at NetStrategies to see such beauty while working?
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Search Engine OptimizationOutsourcing SEO – Can You Trust Every SEOer?

Stacey Morgan Smith

Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals | Stacey Morgan Smith

If you search the Internet, you’ll find search engine optimization companies that make a lot of guarantees.

“WE GUARANTEE – Our SEO Tactics And Strategies Makes You More Money, Sends Your Website To The Top Of Search Results In More Than 500 Search Engines…” [sic]

“Top 5 Ranking OR 100% Money Back !!!”

“We guarantee your website top 10 search engine rankings within 3 to 6 months (or earlier).”

“Cheap SEO Package for your Website – $60 –Guaranteed Results”

“SEO Experts provide guaranteed top ten seo placement”

“We provide full proof [sic] seo services with guaranteed results.” (foolproof, indeed)

Wow, guarantees sound GREAT! Heck, I should hire one of these guys, right? I mean, if they promise me the top spot in a search engine, AND they promise to give me my money back, well, what do I have to lose?

Time and money to start: time invested with a company that gained its expert status yesterday, money wasted on inexperienced optimizers, and more money through lost sales opportunities.

How do you know you can trust your SEO company?

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Social Media, Web ContentYouTube and Facebook Offer Insights For Tracking Your Content Quality

Learn Social Media with Laurie Dunlop

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YouTube

Everything is measurable in Internet marketing. That’s the mantra my company NetStrategies stands by! Analytics is the tool by which we measure. In following the data, a smart content writer can determine what a target audience does and does not respond to. The data helps you understand who your visitors are, where they come from, and where they exit during the buy-in process.
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Search Engine OptimizationPageRank and SEO

Stacey Morgan Smith

Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals | Stacey Morgan Smith

A recent post on a professional discussion forum posed several questions regarding PageRank. The questioner wondered how PageRank is calculated, how it affects search engine optimization, how you increase it, and if getting links is all that matters in PageRank and SEO.

There are a lot of different opinions as to the importance of PageRank. Wikipedia explains PageRank in detail, and it’s worth reading; However, it’s important to realize that PageRank is not a popularity number, does not guarantee you high rankings, and can’t convert your customers alone.

PageRank is calculated from points passed through links. It is assumed to be part of Google’s search algorithm, just like onsite content, keyword density, anchor text, URL age, etc. (The algorithm changes frequently, so there are no guarantees!) The algorithm is what Google uses to compute its search engine results pages (SERPs).
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